The term macaque is used to define a species of catarrhine monkeys, belonging to the family of the cercopithecidae (old world monkeys). These primates have been the only ones (apart from humans) that have far exceeded the limits of the tropics, managing to locate in North Africa, Gibraltar, China and Japan. This genus of primates is classified into 22 species, the best known being the Rhesus macaque and the Gibraltar monkey. The latter is characterized by its lack of tail. These species are used in experiments since by the 90s it was discovered that several of them are carriers of the herpes virus B, being they immune to the disease, even so, they are capable of infecting other monkeys and even humans.
The Rhesus macaque lives from Afghanistan to northern India and southern China. Males are usually up to 60cm tall, with a tail about 30cm in length. This species presents sexual dimorphism, that is, its external appearance can vary (shape, color, size) between males and females. Generally, males weigh more than females, their coloration is diverse, from brown to gray, the face is pink, and they can live up to 25 years.
Macaques are linked to science, since countless studies and experiments have been carried out through them. It is important to note that the Rh factor of the blood group adopts this name thanks to the Rhesus macaque, since this factor is found in this class of primates. Even NASA has even sent this macaque into space between the 1950s and 1960s. The macaques have also been used in cloning experiments, in January 2000 it was cloned for the first time.
The Gibraltar mona or macaque is another species of primates that inhabit the Atlas Mountains in North Africa and on the Rock of Gibraltar, in the south of the Iberian Peninsula. It is important to note that these are the only monkeys that can currently be found in freedom in Europe, in addition to being the only member of the macaque species that is home to outside the Asian continent. Macaque Gibraltar, is a primate of some size, height never exceeds 75 cm tall and weigh no more than 13 kg, its fur is yellowish brown, her face, her feet and hands are pink.
