Snow Monkeys (Japanese Macaque)

The natural habitat of snow monkeys

The natural habitat of snow monkeys is largely found in Japan. Unlike any other non-human primate, they have a special quality that helps them flourish far up north. Recently, authors have referred to them as the apes known as Tanukis in the majority of their stories and tales. A tenfold rise has occurred since the last geographical count of snow monkeys, which was conducted during the Second World War, leaving Japan with an estimated population of 15,000 snow monkeys. They have a geographical zoning of the area which is semi-tropical, Kyushu as well as a more forested and mountainous region of Honshu and most especially to the northern side. The origin of the snow monkey is traced from their ancestors who anthropologists say arrived in the Korean Islands way before even the arrival of human beings, approximately three hundred thousand years ago. Since then they have fully adapted to the climate and have been spreading over the years.

The Individual and Group Traits of the Macaques

The Japanese macaques have unique individual traits as well as group traits. The snow monkeys belong to a primate group known as omnivorous but are mostly plant eaters. They primarily feed on beechnuts, chestnuts, fruits, insects, bulbs, worms, crabs, frogs and at times snakes which are poisonous. The macaques possess the feminine nature of constant grooming. They spend time in fleas and insect picking and also tangles sorting (Kawamoto et al. 85). Grooming has been found to be more critical amongst the macaques in ensuring there is continuity in social bond.

The macaques obtain pleasure in stone banging which anthropologists have noticed is a trait among the macaques of Arashiyama. During the most active blizzards, macaques go about doing frog leaping over each other to keep their warmth.

Their social behavior when in the groups is majorly environmentally dictated. In case they arrive at a place full of food, and there is entirely no threat from human beings the group is said to have no leader at all (Kawamoto et al. 85). The macaques’ social stratification is around subgroups with a matrilineal origin whereby there is one female who is old, the existing daughters and their heirs as well as the offspring’s granddaughters and maybe some few males who are adults.

Academic Literature Showing the Advantages of Macaque’s Traits

There is a flurry of evidence that various animals’ behavioral traits are an essential biological aspect. It remains unclear how variation in individual personality comes into being and is maintained across a selection (Murayama, 850). A close research in the heritability of components of character gives reasons why macaques have superior traits which give the survival advantage. The general adaptability of macaques gives them an overpowered thriving ability to be in a position to survive in the northern part of Japan which has been singled out as cold parts of the tropical and mountainous regions of the area.

Variation of Traits within or between Species

Macaques have been viewed to have one trait of moving in a group, but with time these groups break and small families are the formed. The female of the families remain intact, but the male in the mating stage make various rounds in search for troupes to mate (Nahallage et al. 1127). The biological reasoning behind this movement explains why traits within the same species may tend to be different. The mating males pass out traits which may either be superiors or inferior to the troupes they meet to mate.

Conclusion

Scientists of this age have been seen to give great reverence to this very adorable species of monkeys, and most of their recent scientific researchers made have viewed the Japanese macaque as a group of primates in the twenty-first century who have the unique character traits to be employed in research. Some of these character traits have turned to be an advantage to them since for the fact they thrive in most of the harsh conditions, and therefore adaptability is vital.

Work Cited

Kawamoto, Y., et al. Status report of hybridization in an introduced population of rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) with native Japanese macaques (M. fuscata) in the Boso Peninsula, Chiba, Japan. Primate Res, vol. 23, no. 2, 2007, pp. 81–89.

Muroyama, Y. Decision making in grooming by Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata). Int J Primatol, vol. 17, no. 5, 1997, pp. 817–830.

Nahallage, C. A. D. and Huffman, M. A. Comparison of stone handling behavior in two macaque species: implications for the role of phylogeny and environment in primate cultural variation. Am J Primatol, vol. 70, no. 12, 2008, pp. 1124–1132.