# Rhesus macaque (*Macaca mulatta*)

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

The rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta), also called the Rhesus monkey or Nazuri monkey, is a primate in the family Cercopithecidae and the genus Macaca. It is a medium-sized mammal, with an adult body mass of 3.7 kg and a highest reported value of 9.16 kg. This diurnal, scansorial herbivore lives in forest and grassland habitats. After a gestation of 165 days, females have 1 young per litter and 1 litter per year; the species is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 3.71 kg – 9.16 kg |
| Length | 47 cm – 53 cm |
| Lifespan | 34.6 years |
| Diet | Herbivore |
| Longest recorded lifespan | 40 years |
| Main food | fruits |
| Habitat | forest, grassland |
| Gestation | 165 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 1 |
| Age at maturity | 3.37 years – 5.49 years |
| Litters or clutches a year | 1 |
| 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 mulatta* (Zimmermann, 1780)

Synonyms: *Cercopithecus mulatta*, *Inuus sancti-johannis*, *Inuus sanctijohannis*, *Macaca brachyurus*, *Macaca brevicaudatus*, *Macaca erythraea*, *Macaca fulvus*, *Macaca lasiotus*, *Macaca littoralis*, *Macaca mcmahoni*, *Macaca mulatta mcmahoni*, *Macaca nipalensis*, *Macaca oinops*, *Macaca rhesus*, *Macaca sancti-johannis*, *Macaca siamica*, *Macaca tcheliensis*, *Macaca vestita*, *Macaca villosa*, *Macacus lasiotus*, *Macacus rhesus villosus*, *Macacus tcheliensis*, *Macacus vestitus*, *Pithecus brachyurus*, *Pithecus brevicaudus*, *Pithecus littoralis*, *Simia erythraea*, *Simia fulvus*, *Simia rhesus*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the rhesus macaque?

The rhesus macaque is a mammal in the order Primates and the family Cercopithecidae. It is also called the Rhesus monkey or Nazuri monkey.

### How heavy is a rhesus macaque?

An adult Rhesus macaque has a body mass of 3.7 kg, with a highest reported value of 9.16 kg.

### What does the rhesus macaque eat?

The rhesus macaque is a herbivore.

### What habitat does the rhesus macaque live in?

The rhesus macaque lives in forest and grassland. It is diurnal and scansorial.

### Is the rhesus macaque endangered?

No. The rhesus macaque is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.

### How long does a rhesus macaque live?

The rhesus macaque has a lifespan of 34.6 years, with a highest reported value of 40 years.

### How many young does a rhesus macaque have?

The rhesus macaque has 1 young per litter and 1 litter per year, after a gestation of 165 days. It reaches sexual maturity at 4.4 years.

### Who named the rhesus macaque?

The rhesus macaque, Macaca mulatta, was named by Zimmermann in 1780, written as (Zimmermann, 1780).

## 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: Rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/rhesus-macaque