Japanese macaque
Macaca fuscata (Blyth, 1875)
The japanese macaque (Macaca fuscata), also called snow monkey or Japanese monkey, is a primate in the family Cercopithecidae, subfamily Cercopithecinae. It is a medium-sized mammal with a representative adult body mass of 10.4 kg, and our sources report values from 8.9 to 12.8 kg.
Quick facts about the japanese macaque
The japanese macaque is a diurnal, scansorial herbivore. Gestation lasts 174 days, sexual maturity is reached at 3.9 years, lifespan is given as 33 years, and the species is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
- Weight
- 8.88 kg – 12.8 kgsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- 33 yearssrc for Lifespan
- Diet
- Herbivoresrc for Diet
- Longest recorded lifespan
- 38.5 years
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- Not recorded
- Gestation
- 174 days – 180 dayssrc for Gestation
- Young per litter or clutch
- 1.42src for Young per litter or clutch
- Age at maturity
- 3.75 years – 4.06 yearssrc for Age at maturity
- Litters or clutches a year
- 0.5src for Litters or clutches a year
- Active
- By day (diurnal)src for Active
- Lifestyle
- Scansorialsrc for Lifestyle
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Photos of the japanese macaque
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
_im_Jigokudani_Yaen_K%C5%8Den.jpg){kind=link}
_im_Jigokudani_Yaen_K%C5%8Den,_Japan.jpg){kind=link}
Where does the japanese macaque live?
Not recorded
What is the japanese macaque?
The Japanese macaque (Macaca fuscata), also known as the snow monkey, is a terrestrial Old World monkey species that is native to Japan. Colloquially, this macaque is referred to as the "snow monkey", because some live in areas where snow covers the ground for months each year. No other non-human primate lives farther north, nor in a colder climate. It has brownish grey fur, a pinkish-red face, and a short tail. Two subspecies are known.
In Japan, the species is known as Nihonzaru (ニホンザル・日本猿; Japanese pronunciation: [ɲ̟ì.hó̞ń.d͡zä́.ɾɯ̈̀] lit. 'Japanese monkey') to distinguish it from other primates, but the Japanese macaque is very familiar in Japan—as it is the only native species of monkey in Japan—so when Japanese people simply say saru (サル・猿; [sä́.ɾɯ̈̀]), they usually have the Japanese macaque in mind.
From the Wikipedia article “Japanese macaque” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Japanese_macaque&oldid=1382248182), 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 japanese macaque endangered?
The japanese macaque is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- 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 Least Concern species. What the categories mean.
How is the japanese macaque classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classMammalia
- orderPrimates
- familyCercopithecidae
- genusMacaca
- SpeciesMacaca fuscata (Blyth, 1875)
Synonyms Inuus fuscatus
Other names and names in other languages (37)
- Japanese monkeyEnglish
- Snow monkeyEnglish
- مكاك يابانيArabic
- Японскі макакBelarusian
- makak červenolícíCzech
- SchneeaffeGerman
- Japan-MakakGerman
- Rotgesicht-MakakGerman
- RotgesichtsmakakeGerman
- Ιαπωνικός ΜακάκοςGreek
- Macaca JaponesaSpanish
- Macaco de JapónSpanish
- japaninmakakiFinnish
- Macaque JaponaisFrench
- Macaque À Face RougeFrench
- Macaco xaponésGalician
- מקוק יפניHebrew
- japán makákóHungarian
- Macaco giapponeseItalian
- 猿Japanese
- ニホンザルJapanese
- 日本猿Japanese
- NihonzaruJapanese
- 일본원숭이Korean
- JapanmakakNorwegian Bokmål
- Japanse MakaakDutch
- makak japońskiPolish
- Macaco-japonêsPortuguese
- Macaco-do-japãoPortuguese
- Японский макакRussian
- rdečelični makakSlovenian
- јапански макакиSerbian
- ลิงกังญี่ปุ่นThai
- Japon şebeğiTurkish
- Макак японськийUkrainian
- Японський макакаUkrainian
- 日本獼猴Chinese
Relatives of the japanese macaque
Other species in the same genus Macaca.
Rhesus macaque
Macaca mulatta
Barbary macaque
Macaca sylvanus
Crab-eating macaque
Macaca fascicularis
Lion-tailed macaque
Macaca silenus
Celebes crested macaque
Macaca nigra
Stump-tailed macaque
Macaca arctoides
CompareJapanese macaque vs Rhesus macaqueJapanese macaque vs Barbary macaqueJapanese macaque vs Crab-eating macaqueJapanese 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.
How heavy is a japanese macaque?
The representative adult body mass is 10.4 kg. Our sources report values from 8.9 to 12.8 kg.
What does the japanese macaque eat?
The japanese macaque is a herbivore.
Is the japanese macaque endangered?
No. It is listed as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.
How long does a japanese macaque live?
Its lifespan is given as 33 years, and the highest value reported by our sources is 38.5 years.
What kind of animal is the japanese macaque?
It is a mammal in the order Primates and the family Cercopithecidae, also called the snow monkey or Japanese monkey.
Who named the japanese macaque?
Its scientific name, Macaca fuscata, carries the authority (Blyth, 1875).
How many young does a japanese macaque have?
Our sources give 1.415 young per litter and 0.5 litters per year, after a gestation of 174 days.
When does a japanese macaque reach sexual maturity?
It reaches sexual maturity at 3.9 years (1,426 days), with values from 3.7 to 4.1 years reported by our sources.
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). Japanese macaque (Macaca fuscata). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/japanese-macaque
“Japanese macaque (Macaca fuscata).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/japanese-macaque.
@misc{japanese_macaque_2026,
title = {Japanese macaque (Macaca fuscata)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/japanese-macaque},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}