It’s been a while since we’ve published a “Primate on a Hump-day,” but felt we couldn’t pass up the chance to talk about snow monkeys on the first Wednesday of December!

Japanese Macaque Profile

Age Japanese Macaques generally live into their 30s.

Body Type: Robust bodies with relatively short limbs and almost nonexistent tails. (Tails project out only about three inches.) Adult females are pretty variable in weight, the more petite ladies weighing around 20 pounds and heftier broads at 40. Males fall into approximately the same size range, so not a whole lot of size variation between the sexes. Snow monkeys are rather drab, with gray and light brown pelage, flaked with white patches of hair, especially on the undersides of arms and legs. Their faces and rumps are vivid red, becoming even brighter with age and during the mating season.

Sex Females usually begin reproducing when they are about four years old, and males typically leave their birth group to reproduce at about five years of age.

Relationship Status Japanese macaques are polygamous (mate with more than one individual during breeding season) and live in family groups made up of a few adult males and several related female and their youngsters and infants.

Kiddos After a pregnancy lasting almost six months, females typically birth a single infant, with the surprise of twins on occasion. Babies are weaned around the age of one, but females remain in their family group and males stay until they reach sexual maturity. Although most baby-raising duties fall into the arms of the mother, other females in the group that do not have their own offspring may help tote young ones around, and sometimes males also may protect and groom infants in the group.

Political Views Snow monkey troops are made up of matrilines, meaning family groups of related females. Females stick together through thick and thin, while males move in and out of groups their entire lives. Both sexes have separate dominance hierarchies, whereby a pecking order exists among individuals. Males and females at the top of this order get first access to the best resources, while individuals at the bottom have to wait their turn and pretty much stay out of the way of more dominant individuals. It is possible for females to be dominant over males, and so male-female interactions are highly variable, making it difficult to classify the species as either male or female dominant.

Further, it has been suggested that high-ranking males rely on high-ranking females in the troop to help them keep their status. (Reminiscent of the Bill-Hillary dynamic, perhaps???)

Social Life Japanese macaque troops can reach sizes of well over 100 individuals, though smaller groups of around 40 are more common.

Home Town Snow monkeys take up residence at higher latitudes than any other primate, preferring the deciduous and evergreen forests of Japan. Macaca fuscata are endangered, primarily due to the destruction of habitat in their natural home ranges. However, the snow monkey is highly valued to many of the local human residents, and large numbers of dedicated individuals are working to preserve their beloved primate.

Photo by Asteiner

Oogivore type Relatively omnivorous, feeding on invertebrates, bird eggs, fungi, and the leaves, fruits, flowers, and seeds of some 200 different plant species.

Locomotion Quadrupedal

Interests Soaking with their soul mates in hot springs, spending lazy days grooming among friends, and dipping morsels of food into salt water (it’s an acquired taste).

Red-shanked Douc Langur Profile

Age It is known that Red-shanked Douc Langurs live into their late 20s, though maximum life expectancies have not yet been determined.

Body Type: Svelte with long limbs and tails. (Tails are around two feet in length, which is the average length of their bodies from head to rump.) Average females weigh a little less than 20 pounds, and males are slightly heftier at about 25 pounds. RSD Langurs are physically very beautiful, with speckled gray and black coats, chocolate brown and black legs, light orange faces, and red and white genitalia.

Sex Females usually begin reproducing when they are about four years old. Like humans, RSD Langur males mature later than do females, not entering puberty until five years of age. When two adult individuals are interested in each other, they make it highly obvious by moving their eyebrows up and down and shaking their colorful faces at each other in what appears to be the ultimate “come hither” move.

Relationship Status RSD Langurs are polygamous and live in family groups made up of several adult males and females, youngsters of varying age, and infants.

Kiddos After a pregnancy lasting about six months, females birth a single infant, with twins on occasion. Babies are weaned around the age of one, but youngsters remain in their family group until they reach sexual maturity. Raising baby RSDLs can be a group effort, with other adult females, adult males, and juveniles all toting babies around and offering protection.

Political Views Adult males and females are similar in terms of body size, and though confrontations between the sexes are relatively rare, males remain dominant over females. However, females have their own “pecking order” whereby dominant females have first access to the best resources.

Social Life RSD Langur groups can reach sizes of around 40 individuals, though smaller groups of 10-20 are more common. Groups are sometimes found hanging out with Black-shanked Douc Langurs (Pygathrix nigripes) in areas where their territories overlap.

Home Town Found in the high forest canopies of Viet Nam and Laos. RSD Langurs are endangered, due to the destruction of rainforests throughout their natural range, partially due to bombing and the use of defoliants during the Vietnam War. Populations are further threatened by human primates, who hunt langurs as a food source, particularly during holidays such as Tet.

Oogivore type Primarily frugivores/folivores, feeding on the leaves, fruits, flowers, and seeds of around 50 different plant species.

Locomotion Quadrupedal

Interests Impressing all the jungle animals with their incredible leaping ability and putting on their “playface” while having fun. (Playface: closing eyes to expose pale blue eyelids)

Photo by Ryan Photographic

Northern Gray-necked Owl Monkey Profile

Age Northern Gray-necked Owl Monkeys live to be about 20 years old in the wild, with life spans reaching up to 30 years in captivity.

Body Type: Small monkeys with little difference in male and female body sizes. Adults weigh a little less than two pounds on average, with body lengths of around 13.5 inches from head to rump. At about 14 inches in length, the bushy tail is actually longer than the body.

Sex Females take a few more months to reach reproductive maturity than do males, who enter the dating scene at two years of age.

Relationship Status Northern Gray-necked Owl Monkeys are monogamous and live in family groups made up of a two parents and their young ‘uns. Mating occurs during the fall months which means that babies are born during the plentiful fruiting season.

Kiddos After a pregnancy lasting almost five months, females birth a single infant, although twins occur on very rare occasion. Babies are completely weaned by the time they are three months old, but youngsters will stay in their family groups for a few years until they find their own mates.

Political Views Male Northern Gray-necked Owl Monkeys are real “family guys,” spending the majority of their days hauling youngsters around, playing with and feeding infants, and fiercely defending their families from predators. These duties are physically demanding, and older juveniles in the family group also help take care of infants. Both males and females vigorously defend their own territories from other owl monkeys by vocalizing, chasing, and grappling with invaders.

Family Life Groups of Northern Gray-necked Owl Monkeys are small, with less than six individuals in the group at any given time. Young adults stay in their family groups until they find suitable mates.

Home Town Found in primary and secondary rain forests of South America, principally in the country of Brazil. Northern Gray-necked Owl Monkeys not currently at risk of extinction and have been used as research subjects in laboratories for studies on malaria and herpes, diseases sometimes contracted by these monkeys. However, like all primates, owl monkey populations are negatively affected by hunting pressures, deforestation, and habitat loss.

Oogivore type Primarily frugivores, when ripe fruit is available. However, Northern Owl Monkeys also routinely dine on flower nectar, leaves, insects, frogs, and eggs.

Locomotion Quadrupedal

Interests Enjoying the night-life through the help of nocturnal adaptations such as large eyes and sensitive noses and hooting like, yes…you guessed it, owls.

White-handed gibbons can be light or dark in color.

Age White-Handed Gibbons live to be about 30 years old in the wild, though captive gibbons live much longer. (A zoo-housed female recently died at age 56.)

Body Type: Long and lean with super-stretchy arms for brachiating. There are very few physical differences between male and female White-handed Gibbons. Individuals weigh somewhere between 10 and 20 pounds, with an average body length at a little less than two feet from head to rump. Tails are nonexistent, a trait shared by all apes. White-handed Gibbons can be highly variable in color, ranging from dark black to a reddish, sandy-blonde.

Sex Females generally do not begin reproducing until they are seven years old, while males mature earlier than do females, finishing up puberty at about five years of age.

Relationship Status White-Handed Gibbons are considered to be monogamous, living in family groups made up of one adult male, one adult female, and the partnership’s kiddos. Breeding and birthdays occur year-round, meaning that these joyous events aren’t restricted to a single time of the year.

Kiddos After a pregnancy lasting about seven months, females birth a single infant, although twins are sometimes born. Babies are not weaned until they are nearly two years old, but older youngsters will stay around their family group until they reach sexual maturity, upon which time they leave to find their own mates.

Political Views In terms of temperament, male and female White-Handed Gibbons tend to stay pretty low-key within their own family groups, with very low rates of aggression among family members. However, male and female partners will vigorously defend their shared territory from invaders, both through loud vocalizations and through physical interactions with neighboring groups and potential threats. Male and female pairs tend to be strongly bonded for life, and they maintain their closeness through lots of daily grooming and duetting, or synchronized singing. On occasion, due to unknown reasons, these bonds can fail, and male and female partners will split up to find new mates.

Family Life Family groups are small, with an average size of five individuals, but groups can grow up to 12, depending on the number of offspring and length of time that they remain with their parents.

Home Town Found high in the rain forest canopies in parts of Southeastern Asia, primarily on the islands of Burma, Sumatra, and the Malay Peninsula, with populations also ranging in areas of southern China, Thailand, and Laos. White-handed gibbons are currently listed by the IUCN as near threatened, due to deforestation of their habitat and individuals being killed by humans for bush meat or being captured to be sold as pets.

Oogivore type Primarily frugivores, feeding primarily on fruits such as ripe figs and liana fruit. White-Handed Gibbons also munch on leaves, insects, and flowers.

Locomotion Brachiation

Interests Mobbing predators such as large eagles, leopards, tigers, and snakes that get too close, harassing pig-tailed macaques that try to steal food, and resting comfortably upon ischial callosities during their down-time.

Get your own White-Handed Gibbon Plush at the Primate Shoppe!

Mandrill Profile

Age Mandrills live to be about 30 years old in the wild, with life spans of over 40 years in captivity.

Body Type: Robust. (Mandrills are the largest Old World monkey!) An average male weighs about 60 pounds or more with a height of 2.5 feet when sitting on the ground. Females are significantly smaller at approximately 25 pounds and less than two feet in height from head to rump. Mandrill tails curve upward and are extremely short, at less than 3 inches in length.

Sex Females can begin reproducing when they are about three years old. Like humans, mandrill males mature later than do females, not entering puberty until four years of age. Puberty and fatherhood do not generally occur at the same time, however, as complete growth and subsequent breeding rights do not occur in males until they reach about 10 years of age. Fully grown males are obvious to the human eye since adult males develop bright yellow-orange beards and red-white-and-blue faces and rumps.

Relationship Status Mandrills are polygamous and live in family groups made up of one adult male, several adult females, youngsters of varying age, and infants. Breeding occurs during the dry-season, which lasts late summer to early fall.

Kiddos After a pregnancy lasting about six months, females birth a single infant, although twins occur on very rare occasion. Babies are completely weaned by the time they are a year old, but the female offspring will tend to remain in their birth group for many years, and males leave the family group once they reach adulthood.

Male Mandrill Skull

Political Views Male mandrills are built for brawling, as evidenced by their large body sizes, muscular frames, and exceedingly large canines. The best fighters, or the most dominant males, have the brightest face and body coloration patterns and typically fight for control of breeding groups. Confrontations can get ugly quickly, so males most often use subtle signals such as head bobbing, ground slapping, and yawning to signal their aggravation with each other instead of actual physical aggression. Mandrills also possess chest glands that produce odor that individuals can use for scent marking to denote their dominance status and demarcate their sleeping sites.

Family Life Known as “herds,” large groups of up to 250 mandrills will congregate together at certain times of the season. The herds are made up of many smaller family groups that come together for protection and social interaction but then split up so the groups can visit smaller food sources.

Home Town Found in Africa in the countries of Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, and Gabon, where they prefer thick, primary rain forests, and other forests that contain ample cover and food sources. Mandrills are endangered, due to the destruction of rainforests throughout their natural ranges.

Oogivore type Primarily frugivores/graminivores, feeding on fruits and seeds of over 100 different plant species. Mandrills also dine on bark, leaves, and regularly partake in carnivory, eating insects, birds, eggs, reptiles, and even small mammals!

Locomotion Quadrupedal

Interests Shaking their vibrant bon-bons as a sign of submissiveness, grooming lazily in the sun, and expressing themselves through colorful vocalizations, such as yaks, grunts and roars.

Pick up a Mandrill tea light or other Mandrill products at the Primarily Primate Shoppe!

Pygmy Marmoset Profile

Age Pygmy marmosets live to be about 11 years old in the wild, with a maximum recorded lifespan of 18.6 years in a captive setting.

Body Type: Petite. An average female weighs about 4 oz (that’s a stick of butter!) with a body length of about 5½ inches if measured from head to rump. But at eight inches, the tail is over 1.5 times the body size in length! On average, males are only slightly larger than females, weighing about 0.2 oz (5 grams) more.

Sex Females usually begin reproducing about two months before they turn two years old, and males reach sexual maturity about a month earlier than do the females.

Relationship Status Most pygmy marmosets only have eyes for one snookum’ at a time. Monogamous family groups are the norm and are made up of one adult female, one adult male, and up to four litters of offspring.

Kiddos After a pregnancy lasting about four months, females give birth to two teeny, tiny marmoset babies. Females will generally produce two litters of offspring per year. Babies are weaned at three months old, but youngsters will remain with the family group until they reach sexual maturity. Males are active parents, toting around the infants most of the time.

Political Views Pygmy marmosets typically avoid aggression and fighting within their own family groups. However, parents will begin to reject their offspring once the youngsters have reached sexual maturity, and resident males will be hostile towards other males that attempt to mate with the group’s adult female. Intimidating gestures include brazen flashes of the genital region, threatening facial expressions, and angry chattering.  Pygmy marmosets also use scent marking to denote their dominance status.

Family Life Group numbers can range in size from solitary individuals to groups of 10 individuals or more. Groups will defend a small area until they have used up all the available resources, upon which time they will move to a new area. Marmosets are currently not at great risk of extinction, due to relatively large numbers in the wild and their ability to inhabit less than optimal habitat.

Home Town Found in the South American countries of Brazil, Ecuador, and Peru, where they prefer floodplain forests, bamboo thickets, and areas of secondary forest that house appropriate plant species for their dietary requirements.

Oogivore type Primarily gummivores, feeding on tree saps and gums of over 50 different tree and vine species. Pygmy marmosets will also eat nectar, fruit, and insects when available.

Interests Producing ultrasonic cries undetectable by the human ear, playing “freeze tag” as they move with stealth through their environment, boasting about their status as the world’s smallest living monkey.

We have Pygmy Marmoset plush at the Primarily Primate Shoppe!  Check out these little cuties!

Proboscis Monkey Profile

Age Proboscis monkeys live to be about 15 years old in the wild, with a maximum recorded lifespan of 25 years in a captive setting.

Body Type An average female weighs about 22 pounds with a body length at around two feet if measured from head to rump. Males are quite a bit larger, weighing about 47 pounds and about six inches taller than females.

Sex Females usually begin reproducing at about four years of age, and males typically become baby-daddies at about five to six years of age.

Relationship Status Polygamous mating occurs throughout the year. Most proboscis monkey groups are made up of several adult males and females, though some groups only have one male with several females or just a bunch of bachelor dudes living together sans females.

Photo by Drew Avery

Youngsters After a pregnancy lasting about 5.5 months, females generally give birth to one baby at a time. Talk about a speedy delivery…the birthing process only takes about three minutes! Babies are weaned when the little tots are approximately seven months old, but youngsters are not independent from their mothers until about one year of age.

Political Views Due to abundant resources, proboscis monkeys really have no need for violence. Aggression and fighting is very low in most groups, and females tend to be the most social with each other. (Uh, oh! Here comes a CAT FIGHT! Occasional fighting does break out between females, but resident males quickly jump in to break up the scuffles.)

Family Life Group sizes are somewhat flexible, and can range from about four individuals to over 20 monkeys. Males will leave their home groups once they mature to find mates and form new groups, and females occasionally change groups as well.

Home Town Are found only on the Indonesian island of Borneo. Proboscis monkeys prefer low-lying mangrove habitats near swamps and rivers, but are endangered due to habitat destruction throughout their home range.

Oogivore type Primarily folivores that dine on over 50 different types of plants, but proboscis monkeys also eat seeds, fruit, flowers, and some small vertebrates.

Interests Swimming with the help of their webbed toes, “honking” loudly when threatened, and kissing the little blue faces of their babies. (Say what??? Infant faces have a blue tint until about 2.5 months of age!)

Golden Lion Tamarin Profile

Age GLTs live to be about 10 years old in the wild, but only after surviving a 40% chance of dying before their first birthday. (Usual COD= predation) The maximum recorded lifespan is 31 years in a captive setting.

Body Type Both males and females weigh in at about one pound each with body sizes of about 10 inches long (25 inches if you include the tail).

Sex Females begin reproducing at about 18 months, and males begin breeding at about two years of age.

Relationship Status Different strokes for different folks! Some groups only have one adult male paired with one adult female, while other groups have several breeding males and females. In the wild, mating occurs during the summer months.

Kiddos After a pregnancy lasting about four months, females generally have two babies at a time. Babies are weaned when the youngsters are approximately three months old, but youngsters are not independent from their mothers until about nine months.

Political Views Male-dominated society, but males take on many “nontraditional” roles, such as carrying and feeding infants.

Family Life Prefer to dwell in small groups of about six to eight individuals, formed of up to four breeding adults, a few teenagers that help with raising babies, and the prior year’s offspring. Both males and females will leave their home groups once they mature to find mates and form new groups.

Home Town Naturally range only in a teeny-tiny region of southeastern Brazil. GLTs need healthy forests to survive and are critically endangered due to reckless habitat destruction throughout their home range. At one time, there were more GLTs living in zoos and laboratories than there were in the wild. A reintroduction project began almost 20 years ago that since has taken captive-bred tamarins and placed many back into the wild. There are now about 400 reintroduced tamarins in the wild, which is almost 1/3 of the total GLT population. (For more about the GLT reintroduction program, click here!)

Oogivore type Mainly a frugivore, but also eats nectar, flowers, insects, and small reptiles. Zoo tamarins especially enjoy bananas and tasty mealworms.

Interests Scent-marking to establish territory, whistling loudly for all to hear, and curling up in tree holes for snuggly cat-naps.

Our new weekly series, “primate of the hump-day” is an effort to take the ho-hum out of your Wednesday and bring you some fascinating facts about a particular primate species. The very first POHD is the Ring-tailed Lemur (Lemur catta), a zany little primate of the prosimian variety that naturally ranges exclusively on the island of Madagascar.

Ring-tailed Lemur Profile

Age Live to be about 15 years old in the wild and 20 years in captivity. However, the maximum recorded lifespan of a lemur is 37 years in a captive setting.

Body Type Males and females both weigh about 6 pounds and are around 16 inches long from head to rump. Add the long, ringed 24″ tail, for a total of 40″ from head to tail tip…about the size of a small kitty cat!

Sex Females usually begin reproducing at about 1.5 years of age, and males generally are not able to secure mates until about three years of age.

Relationship Status Polygamous: females mate with one or more males, and males mate with multiple females. Mating only occurs once per year.

Kiddos After a pregnancy lasting about four months, females have one or two babies at a time, once per year.  Babies are carried on the mother’s belly, migrating to her back to ride “jockey style” after about 3-4 weeks. Mamas kick the kiddos out of the nest (i.e. wean them) when the youngsters are about five months old.

Political Views Female-dominated society: males and females have separate dominance structures, but the lowest-ranking adult female outranks the highest ranking adult male.

Family Life Prefer to dwell in groups of approximately 20 individuals, formed of a few breeding males, many breeding females, and the prior year’s offspring. Upon maturity, males have to “buck up,” leaving their home groups to join new groups made up of unrelated females. Females usually stay in their group of birth, but female-female evictions from the group do occur from time to time. Ring-tails are even known to kick their own mothers out of a group on occasion!!!

Home Town Range throughout the southern third of Madagascar. Prefer spiny bush and dry deciduous forest, but can live in a variety of habitats, including extreme conditions high in the mountains, in dry areas with little water, or in human populated areas. Ring-tails are well represented in many zoos and also free-range (live on their own outside of cages) at several research facilities in North Carolina, Georgia, and Florida.

Oogivore type Mainly a frugivore/folivore, enjoying fruits from tamarind trees and leaves from a variety of plants. Captive ring-tails love bananas, grapes, and figs!

Interests Stink-fighting for male dominance rights, sunning “Buddha-style,” and leaping distances up to 25 feet!!!

Get your very own Ring-tailed Lemur Product at the Primarily Primate Shoppe!