/məˈkɑːk/;[2] Macaca fuscata), historically known as saru ("monkey"), but now known as Nihonzaru (Nihon "Japan" + saru) to distinguish it from other primates, is a terrestrial Old World monkey species native to Japan.The Japanese macaque is a very intelligent species.
It is also sometimes known as the snow monkey because it lives in areas where snow covers the ground for months each year — no primate, with the exception of humans, is more northern-living, nor lives in a colder climate.[3][4]
Individuals have brown-grey fur, red faces, and short tails. There are two subspecies.[5]
The Japanese macaque is the northernmost-living nonhuman primate. It is found on three of the four main Japanese islands: Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu.[6] The northernmost populations live on the Shimokita Peninsula, the northernmost point of Honshu.[12] Several of Japan’s smaller islands are also inhabited by macaques.[6]
The Japanese macaque has featured prominently in the religion, folklore, and art of Japan, as well as in proverbs and idiomatic expressions in the Japanese language. In Shinto belief, mythical beasts known as raijū sometimes appeared as monkeys and kept Raijin, the god of lightning, company. The "three wise monkeys", which warn people to "see no evil, hear no evil, and speak no evil", are carved in relief over the door of the famous Tōshō-gū shrine in Nikkō. The Japanese macaque is a feature of several fairy tales, such as the tale of Momotaro and the fable about the The Crab and the Monkey.[63][64]
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