Macaque

monkey · Asia · social animals · fruit eaters

23 species worldwide. Macaques live all over Asia, North Africa, and even Europe. That's a lot of different types of these intelligent monkeys in many different places.

Mostly fruit lovers. Macaques eat mainly fruits, but they also snack on seeds, leaves, flowers, and tree bark. Some species like the long-tailed macaque even eat small shellfish and insects for extra protein.

Female leaders rule. Every macaque group is led by a powerful matriarch, a top female who makes important decisions for the whole troop. The whole group is built around these strong mothers.

Rat hunters too. A pig-tailed macaque in Malaysia can eat about 70 rats every year! Even though they prefer fruit, they're willing to hunt small animals when they get the chance.