Barbary Macaque

endangered · mountain life · Africa · primates

Lives in mountains. Barbary macaques live high up in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia, where they swing through cedar and fir forests. They are perfectly adapted to cold, snowy winters that most monkeys cannot handle.

Once ruled Europe. Thousands of years ago, these macaques lived all across Europe until about 40,000 to 85,000 years ago. Today, they have disappeared from Europe entirely except for one special place.

Only European monkeys. About 300 Barbary macaques live on the Rock of Gibraltar, making them the only wild Old World monkeys still living in Europe. This population is doing well and staying stable or even growing.

Disappearing from Africa. While the Gibraltar group is thriving, the macaques in North Africa are declining in numbers. They face challenges from habitat loss and other threats in their mountain homes.

Type species star. The Barbary macaque is so important to scientists that it is the type species for the entire Macaca genus, meaning it is the official example for all macaques.