Barbary macaque
Macaca sylvanus (Linnaeus, 1758)
The barbary macaque (Macaca sylvanus), also called the Barbary ape, is a primate in the family Cercopithecidae and the genus Macaca. It is a medium-sized mammal with an adult body mass of 7 kg and values up to 14.2 kg reported by our sources.
Quick facts about the barbary macaque
The barbary macaque is a diurnal, scansorial herbivore. It is listed as Endangered (EN) on the IUCN Red List, a threatened category.
- Weight
- 7 kg – 14.2 kgsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- 22 yearssrc for Lifespan
- Diet
- Herbivoresrc for Diet
- Longest recorded lifespan
- 29.1 years
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- Not recorded
- Gestation
- 164 dayssrc for Gestation
- Young per litter or clutch
- 1.5src for Young per litter or clutch
- Age at maturity
- 3.99 years – 5.49 yearssrc for Age at maturity
- Litters or clutches a year
- 1src for Litters or clutches a year
- Active
- By day (diurnal)src for Active
- Lifestyle
- Scansorialsrc for Lifestyle
- Conservation status
- Endangered (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Photos of the barbary macaque
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
Where does the barbary macaque live?
Not recorded
What is the barbary macaque?
The Barbary macaque (Macaca sylvanus) is a macaque species native to the Atlas Mountains of Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia, along with a small introduced population in Gibraltar. It is the type species of the genus Macaca. From the Early Pliocene to the Late Pleistocene, until around 85–40,000 years ago, it was widely distributed in Europe. Today, the Barbary macaques in Gibraltar are the only Old World monkeys in Europe. About 300 individuals live on the Rock of Gibraltar. This population appears to be stable or increasing, while the North African population is declining.
The diet of the Barbary macaque consists primarily of plants and insects. Males play an atypical role in rearing young. Because of uncertain paternity, males are integral to raising all infants. Generally, both sexes and all ages contribute in alloparental care of the young. Males live to around 25 years old while females may live up to 30 years.
From the Wikipedia article “Barbary macaque” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Barbary_macaque&oldid=1380253831), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the barbary macaque endangered?
The barbary macaque is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List: it faces a very high risk of extinction in the wild.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Endangered species.
How is the barbary macaque classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classMammalia
- orderPrimates
- familyCercopithecidae
- genusMacaca
- SpeciesMacaca sylvanus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms Inuus ecaudatus, Pithecus pygmaeus, Simia inuus, Simia pithecus, Simia sylvanus
Other names and names in other languages (49)
- Barbary apeEnglish
- Barbary apeEnglish
- KirdArabic
- زعطوطArabic
- المكاك البربريArabic
- مكاك بربريArabic
- LkirdArabic
- Magot bezocasýCzech
- BerberabeDanish
- BerberaffeGerman
- Μακάκος της ΒαρβαρίαςGreek
- MagotoEsperanto
- Mona De BerberSpanish
- Macaco de BerberíaSpanish
- Mona de BerberíaSpanish
- Mona de GibraltarSpanish
- Mono de BerbereaSpanish
- Mono de GibraltarSpanish
- Berberia makakoaBasque
- magottiFinnish
- Magot communFrench
- Macaque de BarbarieFrench
- Macaque de GibraltarFrench
- MagotFrench
- Mona de XibraltarGalician
- מקוק ברבריHebrew
- berber makákóHungarian
- BertucciaItalian
- Scimmia di BarberiaItalian
- バーバリーマカクJapanese
- მაგოტიGeorgian
- MagotasLithuanian
- BerberapeNorwegian Bokmål
- BerberaapDutch
- Magot (Berberape)Norwegian
- Makak berberyjskiPolish
- Macaco-de-gibraltarPortuguese
- МаготRussian
- Бесхвостый макакRussian
- Варварийская обезьянаRussian
- Макак маготRussian
- berberapaSwedish
- ลิงบาร์บารีThai
- Berberi şebeğiTurkish
- Макак лісовийUkrainian
- Макака БерберUkrainian
- Mårticot d' DjibraltarWalloon
- 巴巴利獼猴Chinese
- 巴巴里獼猴Chinese
Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistTAXREFWikidataIUCN Red List
Relatives of the barbary macaque
Other species in the same genus Macaca.
Rhesus macaque
Macaca mulatta
Japanese macaque
Macaca fuscata
Crab-eating macaque
Macaca fascicularis
Lion-tailed macaque
Macaca silenus
Celebes crested macaque
Macaca nigra
Stump-tailed macaque
Macaca arctoides
CompareBarbary macaque vs Rhesus macaqueBarbary macaque vs Japanese macaqueBarbary macaque vs Crab-eating macaqueBarbary macaque vs Lion-tailed macaque
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What kind of animal is the barbary macaque?
The barbary macaque is a primate, a mammal in the family Cercopithecidae and the genus Macaca.
How heavy is a barbary macaque?
An adult Barbary macaque has a body mass of 7 kg, with values up to 14.2 kg reported by our sources.
What does the barbary macaque eat?
The barbary macaque is a herbivore.
Is the barbary macaque endangered?
Yes. It is listed as Endangered (EN) on the IUCN Red List, which is a threatened category.
How long does a barbary macaque live?
The barbary macaque has a lifespan of 22 years, with values up to 29.1 years reported by our sources.
How many young does a barbary macaque have?
The barbary macaque has 1.5 young per litter and 1 litter per year, after a gestation period of 164.4 days.
When does a barbary macaque reach sexual maturity?
It reaches sexual maturity at 4.7 years, with reported values from 4.0 to 5.5 years.
Who named the barbary macaque?
The scientific name Macaca sylvanus is attributed to (Linnaeus, 1758).
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · CC0 1.0 · E096-269
Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals · CC0 1.0 · 1.0
Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1 - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Barbary macaque (Macaca sylvanus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/barbary-macaque
“Barbary macaque (Macaca sylvanus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/barbary-macaque.
@misc{barbary_macaque_2026,
title = {Barbary macaque (Macaca sylvanus)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/barbary-macaque},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}