AI overview
Macaca fuscata is a species of monkey native to Japan, commonly known as the Japanese macaque or snow monkey. It is notable for being the most northern-living primate species and for displaying complex social behaviors that have made it an important subject for scientific research.
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Taxonomy · GBIF
SPECIES
- KingdomAnimalia
- PhylumChordata
- ClassMammalia
- OrderPrimates
- FamilyCercopithecidae
via GBIF · CC0
Article
The Japanese macaque (Macaca fuscata), also known as the snow monkey, is a terrestrial Old World monkey species that is native to Japan. Colloquially, this macaque is referred to as the "snow monkey", because some live in areas where snow covers the ground for months each year. No other non-human primate lives farther north, nor in a colder climate. It has brownish grey fur, a pinkish-red face, and a short tail. Two subspecies are known.
In Japan, the species is known as Nihonzaru (ニホンザル, a combination of Nihon 日本 "Japan" + saru 猿 "monkey") to distinguish it from other primates, but the Japanese macaque is very familiar in Japan—as it is the only native species of monkey in Japan—so when Japanese people simply say saru, they usually have the Japanese macaque in mind.