rhesus

(also ‘rhesus monkey’, ‘rhesus macaque’)

a kind of monkey – mammal – diurnal (= active during day) – mostly arboreal (= lives in trees) – medium-sized with brown or grey on the outer side and light grey on the under side, round head with sloped forehead, medium-sized pointed ears, no hair on the pink/red face, cheek pouches (= bag-like loose skin) to store food, long hands and longer legs, 8-12 inch tail, red/pink backside; size: 1½-2 feet in body length with another 8-12 inch tail, and weight: 5-12 Kg. (male much larger than female); feeds on plant matter — leaves, roots, fruit, and insect and small animals, such as worms, etc., and bird eggs; lives for 4 (?) years in the wild, and 25 years in captivity; three sub-species, found in the Indian sub-continent from Afghanistan to China, and Thailand, Sri Lanka, and introduced to Florida, USA

male ~~ male

female ~~ female

baby ~~ infant; suckling

group ~~ troop

voice (calls) ~~ chatter {no particular names, but different calls for different purposes}

Special Features:

The ‘rhesus macaque (monkey)’ is the territorial animal of Islamabad Capital Territory, Pakistan.

The “Rh factor” which is related to a person’s blood group and type is an important medical issue in a pregnant woman because it determines the health of the baby. This discovery, an important one in saving the lives of many babies, was made during the studies on rhesus monkeys, and so, the types –- rh+ (rh positive), and rh- (rh negative) are named in honour of the rhesus monkeys (macaques)!

Rhesus monkeys have been used extensively in scientific research and laboratory experiments.

Rhesus monkeys are one of the first animals to be sent into space in a rocket!

According to the genetic studies, the humans and the rhesus monkeys share about 93% of their DNA sequence; and the rhesus monkey is the second non-human primate to have its genome sequenced!  (‘genome’ = the total genetic content in chromosomes)

The rhesus monkey was the first cloned primate (in January, 2000); and also the first transgenic primate carrying foreign genes (from a jelly fish)!! (‘transgenic’ = (of an animal or plant) containing genetic material artificially transformed from a different species)

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