The southern pig-tailed macaque (Macaca nemestrina), also known as the Sundaland pig-tailed macaque and the Sunda pig-tailed macaque,[2] is a medium-sized macaque that lives in Sundaland, southern Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia. It is known locally as berok.[3]
As with other Macaca species, males are larger than females; while males are measured at 50–58 cm (20–23 in) in length and 5–12 kg (11–26 lb) in weight, females are measured at 38–48 cm (15–19 in) in length and 4.5–6 kg (9.9–13.2 lb) in weight.[5] This macaque has buff-brown fur, with a darker dorsal area and lighter ventral area. Its common name refers to the short tail held semi-erect, resembling the tail of a pig.
M. nemestrina is mainly terrestrial, but also a skilled climber. Unlike almost all primates, these macaques love water. They live in large groups that split into smaller groups during daytime when they are foraging. They are omnivorous, feeding mainly on fruits, seeds, berries, cereals, fungi, and invertebrates. A study in peninsular Malaysia found them to be the primary, and perhaps the only, seed dispersers of the rattan species Calamus calicarpus (syn. Daemonorops calicarpa) and Calamus castaneus.[6]
There is a hierarchy among males, based on strength, and among females, based on heredity. Thus, the daughter of the alpha female will immediately be placed above all other females in the group. The alpha female leads the group, while the male role is more to manage conflict within the group and to defend it.
Female gestation lasts around 5.7 months.[7] She will give birth to one infant every two years. Weaning occurs at 4–5 months. Sexual maturity is reached at 3–5 years.
This macaque is mostly found in rainforest up to 2,000 metres (6,600 ft), but will also enter plantations and gardens.[9]
It is found in the southern half of the Malay Peninsula (only just extending into southernmost Thailand), Borneo, Sumatra and Bangka Island.[1] There are reports of the species having been present in Singapore before 1950, but these were likely escaped pets.[10] The only pig-tailed macaques in Singapore today are introduced monkeys.[2]
^"Taxonomy of Macaca nemestrina". Primate Info Net. National Primate Research Center via University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents. Archived from the original on 28 April 2020. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
Maestripieri D, 1999. Changes in Social Behavior and Their Hormonal Correlates during Pregnancy in Pig-tailed Macaques. International Journal of Primatology 20 : 707-718.
Rodman PS, 1991. Structural differentiation of microhabitats of sympatricmacaca fascicularis andM. nemestrina in East Kalimantan, Indonesia. International Journal of Primatology 12 : 357-375.
Oi T, 1990. Patterns of dominance and affiliation in wild pig-tailed macaques (Macaca nemestrina nemestrina) in West Sumatra. International Journal of Primatology 11 : 339-356.
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