Where does the Barbary macaque live?
The Barbary macaque lives in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia, with a small introduced population in Gibraltar. It is the only macaque living in Africa. From the Early Pliocene to the Late Pleistocene, until around 85–40,000 years ago, it was widely distributed in Europe. Today, the Barbary macaques in Gibraltar are the only Old World monkeys in Europe: about 300 individuals live on the Rock.
What does the Barbary macaque eat?
Its diet consists primarily of plants and insects. Males play an atypical role in rearing young: because paternity is uncertain, males are integral to raising all infants. Generally, both sexes and all ages contribute to alloparental care of the young. Males live to around 25 years old. Its tail is greatly reduced to a boneless vestige.
Is the Barbary macaque endangered?
Yes: the IUCN lists it as Endangered. The population in Gibraltar appears to be stable or increasing, while the North African population is declining. The mean head-body length is 55.7 cm in females and 63.4 cm in males.
All 71 threatened animals ›
