Bonnet Macaque

About this species

Size

Head and body: males 51.5–60cm, females 34.5–52.5cm; tail 48–69cm

Weight

Males 5.4–11.6kg; females 2.9–5.5kg

Diet

Fruit, seeds, nuts, flowers and cereals; also crickets, grasshoppers, termites, larvae and spiders

Habitat

Forest and human settlements, including temples and roadsides

Range

Peninsular India south of the Godavari and Tapti rivers

The bonnet macaque is endemic to southern India. Its fur is dark brown or yellow, the ears are black, and females often have redder faces when pregnant or nursing. Males have a head and body length of 51.5–60 cm and weigh 5.4–11.6 kg; females measure 34.5–52.5 cm and weigh 2.9–5.5 kg. The tail is 48–69 cm long. It can live up to 35 years in captivity (Wikipedia, general species account).

Its distribution is limited by the sea on three sides and by the Godavari and Tapti rivers, beyond which the rhesus macaque takes over. It is diurnal, both arboreal and terrestrial, and lives in multi-male, multi-female groups with a structured dominance hierarchy, high-ranking animals getting first access to breeding females. In southern India it lives alongside people, taking food given by humans and raiding farms and houses, and it has distinct alarm calls for pythons and leopards. Land use change has shifted its boundary with the rhesus macaque (Wikipedia, general species account).

Description: Wildlife of India guide, Wildlife of Everywhere (wildlifeofeverywhere.com); general species information paraphrased from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)