STUMP
TAILED MACAQUE - ENVIRONMENT
News:
Meet Delhi zoo’s new
residents – eight stump-tailed macaques
What's
in the news?
●
Eight stump-tailed macaques were recently
brought to the Delhi Zoo from the Aizawl Zoological Park in Mizoram.
Stump-Tailed
Macaque:
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The Stump-tailed Macaque, also known as
the bear macaque (Scientific Name - Macaca
arctoides), is an old world monkey
species native to South Asia.
Habitat:
●
It inhabits
tropical and subtropical evergreen forests in countries such as Cambodia,
China, India, Laos, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam.
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In India, it is primarily found in the north-eastern regions (Assam and
Meghalaya to Eastern Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura)
regions south of the Brahmaputra River.
Features:
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These macaques are characterized by their dark brown fur, short tails, and
distinctive pink to red faces that darken with age.
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Infants are born white and darken as they
mature. As they age, their bright pink or red faces darken to brown or nearly
black and lose most of their hair.
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Males
are larger than females and have elongated canine teeth used
for social dominance.
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They are omnivorous, feeding on fruits, leaves, seeds, insects, and small
animals.
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Stump-tailed macaques have cheek pouches
for temporary food storage and typically travel on the ground due to limited
tree agility.
Conservation
Status:
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It is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of species.