Wildlifeof India
Bonnet Macaque
Monkeys, Gibbons & Lorises
Photo: Dr. Ajay Balachandran · CC BY-SA 3.0 (May be cropped or resized)
Macaca radiata
Basic stats
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
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
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).
Quick answers
- What does the Bonnet Macaque eat?
- Fruit, seeds, nuts, flowers and cereals; also crickets, grasshoppers, termites, larvae and spiders
- What habitat does the Bonnet Macaque live in?
- Forest and human settlements, including temples and roadsides
- Where is the Bonnet Macaque found?
- Peninsular India south of the Godavari and Tapti rivers
- How big is the Bonnet Macaque?
- Head and body: males 51.5–60cm, females 34.5–52.5cm; tail 48–69cm
- How much does the Bonnet Macaque weigh?
- Males 5.4–11.6kg; females 2.9–5.5kg