Japanese Macaque
Macaca fuscata
- Class
- Mammal
- Rarity
- Common
- Observations
- 1,830
- Most observed in
- 🇯🇵 Japan
- Conservation
- Least Concern
Description
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.
Summary adapted from the Wikipedia article “Japanese macaque”.