Macaca maura
Creators: name: Russell A. Mittermeier
name: Anthony B. Rylands
name: Don E. Wilson
Publisher: name: Lynx Edicions
Year: 2013
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Mammalia
Primates
Cercopithecidae
Macaca
Macaca maura

description: 7.
Moor Macaque
Macaca maura
French: Macaque maure / German: Mohrenmakak / Spanish: Macaco de Célebes
Other common names: Celebes Macaque
Taxonomy. Macacus maurus Schinz, 1825,
Sulawesi Selatan, Indonesia.
Along with other Sulawesi macaques, M. maura is a member of the silenus species group, including M. siberu, M. pagensis, M. leonina, M. nemestrina, and M. silenus. M. maura hybridizes with M. tonkeana in areas where their distributions overlap (base of the Toraja Highlands; Tempe Depression). Monotypic.
Distribution. SW Sulawesi (from Bontobahari at the tip of the SW peninsula N to Tempe Depression).
Descriptive notes. Head—body 55-69 cm (males) and 46-59 cm (females), tail 5-7 cm (males) and 2-4 cm (females); weight 8.2-10 kg (males) and 3.8-7.6 kg (females). The Moor Macaque is primarily a brown or brown-black species noted for its short, dark, angular face, extremely prominent brow ridges, and flat crown hair. Rump patch is small and brownish-gray. Ischial callosities are oval shaped and orange toned, and they have been recently been characterized (along with the Tonkean Macaque, M. tonkeana) as Type 1: oval without bending. Some Moor Macaques show whitening on their face, particularly around their eyes, head, back, or their entire bodies.
Habitat. Moist deciduous forest (up to 2000 m above sea level), mosaics of forest with grasslands resulting from habitat conversion, and areas of cultivation surrounded by primary and secondary forests. A large part of the remaining population of Moor Macaques is likely confined to karst (limestone) forest. The tower karsts in southwestern Sulawesi are 150-300 m tall, with many fruit trees growing on top that are favored by Moor Macaques. Karst forests in Bantimurung-Bulusaraung National Park have considerable seasonal variation in rainfall, with a pronounced dry season in May-September. Moor Macaques are frequently found in association with endemic yellowbilled malkohas (Phaenicophaeus calyorhynchus). Malkohas benefit from insect prey that is flushed out of the canopy by the macaques’ movements. Figs (Ficus, Moraceae), an important food resource for many Sulawesi mammals and birds, are very abundant in Karaenta Nature Reserve (23-3 fig trees/ha) compared with other Indonesian forests (6-6 fig trees/ha, East Kalimantan Province and 7-10 fig trees/ha, North Sulawesi Province).
Food and Feeding. Moor Macaques are primarily frugivorous, feeding largely on fruits of Ficus, rao (Dracontomelon mangiferum, Anacardiaceae), pangi (Pangium edule, Salicaceae), bakan (Litsea firma, Lauraceae), and the “Binkuru” tree. Insects and leaves from herbaceous vegetation are also frequently eaten (the latter particularly during the dry season). Rice, cacao, and maize are also eaten where home ranges of Moor Macaques neighbor agricultural land.
Breeding. Reproductive cycles of female Moor Macaques are c.36 days. Females exhibit regular repeated sexual swellings. These swellings are large and pink, extend above the ischial callosities, and last for an average of twelve days. Females first begin to show sexual swellings at 4-6 years old. They show moderate birth seasonality, with greater than 30% of births occurring within a 3month period. Females first give birth at 6-7 years old. A single offspring is born after a gestation of 174-196 days. Interbirth intervals are c.1-5-2 years. Newborns have a dusky-gray face with pale upper eyelids and black fur. Individuals may live up to 28 years.
Activity patterns. Moor Macaques are diurnal and both arboreal and terrestrial. A group in Bantimurung-Bulusaraung National Park traveled on the ground and climbed trees and karst formation when foraging. This group spent, on average, 40-8% of their time resting, 30% moving, and 29-2% feeding.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. The Moor Macaque lives in multimale-multifemale groups. Group sizes are 15-40 individuals, with an adult sex ratio of males to females of 1:0-5-2-7. Males emigrate from their natal groups at 7-9 years of age. Females form linear dominance hierarchies, but they have relaxed relationships characterized by low levels of intense aggression, bidirectionality when agonistic behavior occurs (either female in a dyad may initiate the interaction), and frequent post-conflict affiliative contacts. Social tolerance among adult males has also been reported. Adult males (typically the highest ranked) emit a birdlike vocalization called a “loud call.” These calls are given when group members are dispersed, following stimuli such as agonistic interactions or vocalizations from other group members, but not during intergroup interactions. Home range size is 20-30 ha, and ranges often overlap with those of neighboring groups. Data from the group in Bantimurung-Bulusaraung National Park indicate that intergroup encounters occur, on average, every 28-8 hours. Males, rather than females, appear to be the primary participants. Presence of sexually receptive females is not related to frequency of intergroup encounters. Densities are 25-50 ind/km?®. The well-studied population that lives in Karaenta Nature Reserve in Bantimurung-Bulusaraung National Park reached a density of 70 ind/km?* by 1998.
Status and Conservation. CITES Appendix II. Classified as Endangered on The IUCN Red List. The major threat to the Moor Macaque is habitat disturbance, fragmentation, and overall loss of habitat. About 80% of Sulawesi’s forests have been altered or destroyed, and of the remaining, only 30% is in good condition (i.e. continuous forest with minimal signs of human activity). These factors are largely due to a growing human population on the island, with south-western Sulawesi being the region with the second highest human density of 129 people/km*. Because the Moor Macaque raids crops, it is also threatened by farmer retaliation. Farmers poison, trap or shoot crop raiders, and often sell live captures as pets. In 1992, the total population of Moor Macaques was ¢.3000-5000 individuals, down from ¢.56,000 individuals in 1983. Survey methods used for these population estimates differed, however, and the level of decline over three generations was more likely 50-80%, or even greater than 80%. The current population size is unknown. Although it is likely that an observer can encounter Moor Macaques in various parts of the original distribution, populations are extremely fragmented and probably largely confined to karst landscapes within protected areas. The primary protected area where the Moor Macaque occurs is Bantimurung-Bulsaraung National Park, but it is believed to occur in only 8700 ha of the 43,500ha Park. In the 1990s, Gunung Lompobatang was identified as a potential forest refuge and was recommended for upgrade to IUCN Category I or II (i.e. nature reserve or national park status). To date, this forest remains unprotected. There is an urgent need to address cement mining of karst areas because, heretofore, the Moor Macaque and other species have been protected by the inaccessibility of these formations.
Bibliography. BPS (2000), Bynum et al. (1999), Evans et al. (2001), Fooden (1969), Groves (1980, 2001), Jones-Engel et al. (2005), Juliandi et al. (2009), Kinnaird et al. (1999), Leighton & Leighton (1983), Matsumura (1991, 1996, 1998, 2001), Okamoto (2001), Okamoto & Matsumura (2001, 2002), Okamoto et al. (2000), Petit & Thierry (1992), Riley (2010a), Supriatna et al. (1992), Thierry (2000b, 2007, 2011), Watanabe & Brotoisworo (1982), Watanabe & Matsumura (1996), Whitten et al. (2002).
description: Published as part of Russell A. Mittermeier, Anthony B. Rylands & Don E. Wilson, 2013, Cercopithecidae, pp. 550-755 in Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 3 Primates, Barcelona :Lynx Edicions on pages 633-634, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6867065