pigtail macaque

primate

Also known as: Macaca nemestrina

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

June 17, 2026

Quick Summary

The pigtail macaque (Macaca nemestrina) is a species of macaque, which are gregarious Old World monkeys native to Asia, with one species found in North Africa. These robust primates have arms and legs of similar length, brown or black fur, and doglike muzzles. Pigtail macaques inhabit rainforests in Southeast Asia and are known for their short tails, which are held curved over their backs. They are sometimes trained to pick coconuts. Macaques are omnivorous and possess cheek pouches for carrying food. They are considered intelligent but can be ill-tempered as adults.12

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

2 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

macaque
Species
…related to liontails are the pigtail macaques (M. nemestrina), which carry their short tails curved over their backs. Inhabiting rainforests of Southeast Asia, they are sometimes trained to pick ripe coconuts. Another close relative is the bokkoi (M. pagensis), found only on the Mentawai Islands of Indonesia.
Read More
…related to liontails are the pigtail macaques (M. nemestrina), which carry their short tails curved over their backs. Inhabiting rainforests of Southeast Asia, they are sometimes trained to pick ripe coconuts. Another close relative is the bokkoi (M. pagensis), found only on the Mentawai Islands of Indonesia.
Read More