Crab-eating Macaque
Macaca fascicularis
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassMammalia (Mammals)
- OrderPrimates
- FamilyCercopithecidae (Old World Monkeys)
- GenusMacaca (Macaques)
- SpeciesMacaca fascicularis (Crab-eating Macaque)
About the Crab-eating Macaque
Macaca fascicularis, variously known by common names such as crab-eating macaque, long-tailed macaque, or cynomolgus monkey, is a macaque species native to Southeast Asia. As a synanthropic species, the crab-eating macaque thrives near human settlements and in secondary forests. The crab-eating macaque has developed a variety of cultural perceptions, from being smart and adaptive, to being sacred, to even being pests in some cases.
The crab-eating macaque is omnivorous and frugivorous. It lives in matrilineal groups ranging from 10 to 85 individuals, with groups exhibiting female philopatry and males emigrating from natal group at puberty. The crab-eating macaque is the only old-world monkey known to use stone tools in their daily foraging, and it engages in a robbing and bartering behavior in some tourist locations.
The crab-eating macaque is the most traded primate species and also the most popular species used in scientific research. Due to these threats, the crab-eating macaque was listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List in 2022.
Macaca comes from the Portuguese word macaco, which was derived from makaku, a word in Ibinda, a language of Central Africa (kaku means... Wikipedia →
Closest Relatives at Gunung Leuser National Park
Southern Pig-tailed Macaque
Macaca nemestrina
Thomas’s Langur
Presbytis thomasi
Silvered Leaf Monkey
Trachypithecus cristatus
Black Sumatran Langur
Presbytis sumatrana
Sumatran Orangutan
Pongo abelii
Lar Gibbon
Hylobates lar
Siamang
Symphalangus syndactylus
Sumatra Slow Loris
Nycticebus hilleri
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 2 | Khao Sok National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 3 | Tanjung Puting National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 4 | Gunung Leuser National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 5 | Way Kambas National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 6 | Bako National Park | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 7 | Bali Barat National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 8 | Cat Tien National Park | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | |
| 9 | Taman Negara National Park | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 10 | Danum Valley Conservation Area | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 11 | Sepilok | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 12 | Khao Yai National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 13 | Kerinci Seblat National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 14 | Kinabalu Park | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 15 | Kaeng Krachan National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand |
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Crab-eating Macaque in Gunung Leuser National Park?
About 70% of wildlife watchers report a Crab-eating Macaque sighting in Gunung Leuser National Park, based on 174 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Crab-eating Macaque in Gunung Leuser National Park?
December has the highest sighting rate for Crab-eating Macaque in Gunung Leuser National Park in our monthly data.