# Japanese macaque (*Macaca fuscata*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/japanese-macaque  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

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. 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.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 8.88 kg – 12.8 kg |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | 33 years |
| Diet | Herbivore |
| Longest recorded lifespan | 38.5 years |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | Not recorded |
| Gestation | 174 days – 180 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 1.42 |
| Age at maturity | 3.75 years – 4.06 years |
| Litters or clutches a year | 0.5 |
| Active | By day (diurnal) |
| Lifestyle | Scansorial |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Mammalia
- order: Primates
- family: Cercopithecidae
- genus: Macaca
- species: *Macaca fuscata* (Blyth, 1875)

Synonyms: *Inuus fuscatus*

## Common questions

### 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

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), 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](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), 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](https://commons.wikimedia.org), 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](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1), 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](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), 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).

Cite as: Japanese macaque (Macaca fuscata). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/japanese-macaque