RHESUS MONKEY

(species Macaca mulatta), sand-coloured macaque native to forests of South and Southeast Asia. The rhesus monkey is about 4764 cm (1725 inches) long, excluding the furry, 2030-centimetre tail, and it weighs about 4.511 kg (1024 pounds). Rhesus monkeys can thrive in a variety of climates and natural environments and are thus widely distributed throughout Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent. Their natural diet consists of fruits, seeds, roots, herbs, and insects. The rhesus monkey is held sacred in some parts of India and is the object of tolerant affection on the part of many Buddhists, with the result that groups of the monkeys have long made their homes near human settlements, especially around Buddhist or Hindu temples. Hardy in captivity, the rhesus monkey is a highly intelligent, lively animal that makes a good pet when young but that may become bad-tempered as an adult. It is also an important experimental animal that is used in medical and psychological research. The determination of the Rh (from rhesus) factor in human blood involves reaction with the blood of this monkey; a rhesus was also the first monkey to be rocketed into the stratosphere.