The Makiling Botanic Gardens (MBG) Wildlife of the Month (WOM) for September 2024 is the Philippine Long-tailed Macaque, scientifically known as Macaca fascicularis philippinensis (I. Geoffroy, 1843) of the family Cercopithecidae. This Philippine Long-tailed Macaque is endemic to the Philippines. It is found in major island of the Philippines. It can grow to a length of 890-1200 mm, with a tail that typically measures 440 to 600 mm. Males weigh between 4-8 kg. while female weigh only 3-4 kg.
Its habitat is mainly forest and woodlands, especially in the mangrove forests of western central Philippines, particularly in Palawan, the Visayas, and Mindanao. This wildlife mostly eats fruits, crabs, flowers, leaves, fungi, grasses, and they supplement this diet with various insects.
It has a viviparous reproduction and exhibits both polygamous behavior (one male mating with multiple females) and polygynandrous behavior (multiple males and females mating indiscriminately). The Philippine Long-tailed Macaque is currently classified as Near Threatened based on the IUCN Red List with hunting and illegal trading as the main threats to their population.
By: JBBalatibat, AALimpiada, MMCaña 2024