Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
Table 1.2.
Types of human-macaque interface zones
Agricultural land
Cemeteries
Eco-lodges
Metropolitan cities
Plantations
Rural villages
Roads
Small islands
Towns
Temples/Religious grounds
Recreation parks
2005
; Malaivijitnond
et al
.,
2005
; Malaivijitnond and Hamada,
2008
; Sha
et al
.,
2009a
; Sha
et al
.,
2009b
; Wong and Ni,
2000
) (
Table 1.2
). Long-tailed macaques
are also attracted to the edges of human settlements because of the availability
of excess food resources, which can keep macaques around villages, towns and
cities and lower their dependency on wild food sources (Sha
et al
.,
2009a
). Since,
anthropogenic habitat alteration is continually developing new forest edges and
disturbed forest habitats throughout Southeast Asia, more and more habitats are
being generating that can potentially sustain populations of long-tailed macaques
at close proximity to human settlements. In contrast, undisturbed habitats suit-
able to long-tailed macaques, particularly in unprotect forests, may be quickly
becoming scarcer, potentially threatening the sustainability of regional popula-
tions of macaques in such conditions (Yanuar
et al
.,
2009
).
Variation amongst long-tailed macaques
Distribution of subspecies
Congruent with the great geographic distribution of
M. fascicularis
, there
is also a great level of variation in physical characteristics across locations.
Historically, there have been approximately 50 different scientific names given
to this monkey at various times, but the current classification system suggests
there are ten different subspecies of long-tailed macaques (Fooden,
1995
;
Fooden,
2006
; Groves,
2001
). Fooden's classification system is arguable, but
it is adopted by Groves (
2001
), and his system will be reviewed here as a good
point of origin for classifying the variation found in long-tailed macaques.
The species group mainly consists of
M. f. fascicularis
, which inhabits all
