Stump-tailed Macaque
Species Profile
Stump-tailed Macaque
Macaca Macaca arctoides
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Class
Mammalia
Order
Primates
Family
Cercopithecidae
Genus
Macaca
Species
arctoides
Authority
(I.Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1831)
Photo
VU
IUCN STATUSVulnerable
- Common NamesStump-tailed Macaque, Bear Macaque
- Taxonomy Classification Year1831
- Monkey Size48.5 to 65 cm (19.09 to 25.59 in)
- Skin Color(s)Sandy to dark brown
- HabitatForest, rainforest
- DietOmnivorous
- Native CountriesCambodia, China, India, Laos, Myanmar, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam
Stump-tailed Macaque Distribution
Countries
Cambodia (
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China (
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India (
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Laos (
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Myanmar (
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Malaysia (
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Thailand (
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Vietnam (
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)Stump-Tailed Macaque Characteristics
The stump-tailed macaque[1], also known as the Bear macaque, is an Old World monkey endemic to Cambodia, northeastern India, southwestern China, Myanmar, and Laos, from northwestern Peninsular Malaysia, Vietnam, and Thailand.
- This Asian primate was also found in eastern Bangladesh but is now considered extinct in the region.
- True to their name, stump-tailed macaques have short, hairless tails that are only 3.2 to 6.9 cm long. Adults have long sandy dark brown hair.
- Babies are born white and darken as they age. The stump-tailed macaque’s faces are hairless and bright pink or red.
- With time and exposure to sunlight, the red color darkens and may even turn black. Males have larger canines than females, which helps to establish social dominance.
- Like all other macaques, stump-tailed macaques have cheek pouches to store food.
Stump-Tailed Macaque Facts
- One of the signs of aging in this species is baldness: stump-tailed macaques show hair loss similar to human male pattern baldness, although hair loss occurs in both male and female macaques.
- Stump-tailed macaques are semi-terrestrial primates. Their large size and weight make them clumsy climbers, spending most of their time on the ground.
- These macaques live in social groups with several males and females made up of different families of monkeys. The total number of individuals in a group can vary from a few monkeys to 60.
- Stump-tailed macaque groups are based on dominance hierarchies. Some monkeys rank higher than others and have special privileges that others do not.
- These primates “coo” with each other, so even if another monkey is out of sight, the sound of their cooing will let friends and family know they’re nearby.
Suggested Reading: World of Monkeys
Cite this page
BioExplorer. (2026, September 30). Stump-tailed Macaque. https://www.bioexplorer.net/animals/mammals/monkeys/stump-tailed-macaque/