Taxonomy
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammal
- Order
- Primates
- Family
- Cercopithecidae
- Genus
- Macaca
Habitat
They primarily inhabit tropical forests, mangroves, and coastal areas in Southeast Asia, including countries like Indonesia, Thailand, and Malaysia. These monkeys prefer regions with access to water and can adapt to urban environments, often living near human settlements.
Diet
Crab-eating macaques are omnivorous, feeding on fruits, seeds, leaves, insects, crabs, and small vertebrates like frogs or fish. They forage during the day, often in groups, and are known for raiding crops or scavenging human food sources.
Behavior
They live in social troops of 10 to 100 individuals with a clear dominance hierarchy led by a dominant male. Crab-eating macaques are diurnal and arboreal but spend time on the ground foraging; they communicate through vocalizations, facial expressions, and gestures, and can be aggressive when defending territory.
Conservation Status
The IUCN status is Least Concern, but populations are decreasing due to habitat loss from deforestation and urbanization, as well as hunting and the pet trade.