Barbary macaque

Barbary macaque
Tailless, terrestrial monkey (Macaca sylvana) found in groups in Algeria and Morocco and on the Rock of Gibraltar.

It is about 24 in. (60 cm) long and has yellowish brown fur and a bald, pale pink face. Lacking a tail, this macaque has often been incorrectly called an ape. It is the only wild monkey in Europe and may have arrived in medieval times, taken westward during the Muslim Arab territorial expansion. According to legend, British dominion over Gibraltar will end when the Barbary macaque departs.

Barbary macaque (Macaca sylvana).

Tom McHugh/Photo Researchers

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also called  magot 
 tailless ground-dwelling monkey that lives in groups in the upland forests of Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, and Gibraltar. The Barbary macaque is about 60 cm (24 inches) long and has light yellowish brown fur and a bald pale pink face. Adult males weigh about 16 kg (35 pounds), adult females 11 kg. The species was introduced into Gibraltar, probably by the Romans or the Moors. According to legend, British dominion over the Rock of Gibraltar will end only when this macaque is gone. Because it has no tail, this monkey is sometimes incorrectly called the Barbary ape.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Barbary Macaque — Taxobox name = Barbary MacaqueMSW3 Groves|pages=164] status = EN trend = unknown status system = iucn3.1 status ref = IUCN2008|assessors=Butynski et al |year=2008|id=12561|title=Macaca sylvanus|downloaded=2008 10 06 Listed as Endangered (EN… …   Wikipedia

  • Barbary macaque — noun see Barbary ape …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • Barbary macaque — noun Macaca sylvanus, an Old World monkey found in Gibraltar and the Atlas Mountains in Algeria and Morocco …   Wiktionary

  • Macaque berbère — Macaca sylvanus …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Macaque — Taxobox name = MacaquesMSW3 Groves|pages=161 165] image caption = Crab eating Macaque ( Macaca fascicularis ) regnum = Animalia phylum = Chordata classis = Mammalia ordo = Primates familia = Cercopithecidae subfamilia = Cercopithecinae genus =… …   Wikipedia

  • macaque — /meuh kak , kahk /, n. any monkey of the genus Macaca, chiefly of Asia, characterized by cheek pouches and, usually, a short tail: several species are threatened or endangered. [1690 1700; < F < Pg macaco monkey. See MACACO] * * * I Any of about… …   Universalium

  • Barbary Leopard — Taxobox name = Barbary Leopard status = CR status system = iucn3.1 regnum = Animalia phylum = Chordata classis = Mammalia ordo = Carnivora familia = Felidae genus = Panthera species = P. pardus subspecies = P. p. panthera trinomial = Panthera… …   Wikipedia

  • Barbary ape — noun Etymology: Barbary, Africa Date: 1791 a tailless monkey (Macaca sylvanus) of northern Africa and Gibraltar called also Barbary macaque …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • Barbary ape — noun A tailless monkey, Macaca sylvanus, found on Gibraltar and in parts of north Africa Syn: Barbary macaque …   Wiktionary

  • macaque — [mə käk′] n. [Fr < Port macaco, monkey] any of a genus (Macaca) of monkeys of Asia, Africa, and the East Indies, with a long or short tail that is not prehensile, including the rhesus monkey and Barbary ape …   English World dictionary

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