Macaques Behavior

GROOMING
As tourists walk through the Sacred Monkey Forest of Padangtegal, it is possible for tourists to observe a large number of long-tailed macaque behaviors. One of the most common of the monkey behaviors is grooming. Individual monkeys, of all ages and sexes, are groomed by others. Grooming serves a hygienic function. Parasites are removed, wounds are tended to, and skin and hair are kept clean and healthy. In addition to its hygienic function, grooming is also an important behavior because it is utilized to establish and maintain bonds between individuals. Often accompanying grooming is a behavior called "lip smacking". The monkey that is doing the grooming usually performs lip smacking.

FEEDING
Because the Sacred Monkey Forest is a popular tourist destination, the Sacred Monkey Forest's monkeys regularly come into contact with people. Usually, these contacts involve tourists providing the monkeys with food. One reason for this is that local vendors (outside of the Sacred Monkey Forest) sell sweet potatoes, bananas, and other foods to tourists that wish to feed the monkeys. However, feeding the monkeys can be a very dangerous activity for tourists. Therefore, Wenara Wana staff members discourage tourists from feeding the monkeys and, instead, invite tourists to observe Wenara Wana staff members feeding the monkeys. Wenara Wana staff members feed the monkeys food items such as papaya leaves, vegetables, and fruits throughout the day. Please feel free to ask a Wenara Wana staff member (identified in green uniforms) when and where the monkeys will be fed nexts. If you still wish to assume the risks associated with feeding the monkeys, please read the book section titled "FOR YOUR SAFETY". In addition to foods that the monkeys receive from tourists and Wenara Wana staff members, the monkeys also eat invertebrates (such as insects), forest vegetation, and offerings that are occasionally placed around the temples.

PLAY
Because the Sacred Monkey Forest's monkeys have relatively consistent and predictable sources of food, the monkeys have more then sufficient time to play. The amount of time that long-tailed macaques spend playing varies according to age and sex. Young juveniles are the most active players (although they occasionally engage adults in play bouts). Older juveniles and young males often form small sub-groups and they play and groom each other apart from other troop members. Some of the various types of play activities include swimming, wrestling, chasing, and individuals jumping into small ponds or streams. Occasionally, when play encounters turn aggressive, the monkeys scream loudly and bear their teeth at one another.

TEMPLE LICKING
Temple licking is a behavior that is commonly exhibited by the Sacred Monkey Forest's macaques ,however, it is a behavior that is not very common in macaque populations outside of the Sacred Monkey Forest. The results of several scientific research projects suggest that long-tailed macaques may engage in temple licking, because the walls of Balinese temples sometimes contain calcium and other nutrients that are essential to the health of long-tailed macaques. Additional research projects are being conducted to try and determine how often and for how long lactating females, other adult females, and males temple lick. Preliminary results of these research projects suggest that although lactating females, in comparison to other long-tailed macaques, do not necessarily engage in temple licking on a more frequent basis, lactating females, in comparison to other long-tailed macaques, tend to have longer temple licking sessions.

REPRODUCTION
Long-tailed macaques mate throughout the year, however, research results indicate that there tends to be a major peak in mating through the months of June, July, and August. In contrast, there tends to be a decline in mating through the months of November, December, and January. Because long-tailed macaques mate throughout the year, at any given moment, within the Sacred Monkey Forest, there can be females that are giving birth and other females that are diplaying estrus swellings and hebaviors that attract males to mate. The gestation period, for long-tailed macaques, is about 160 days. About 20% of infants do not survive. Long-tailed macaque infants are weaned at around 14 months.

OBJECT MANIPULATION
Because of the close contact that the Sacred Monkey Forest's macaques have with humans, the Sacred Monkey Forest's macaque are presented with numerous novel items (which they sometimes handle and play with). Some of the more common items that the macaques find, lying on the ground, include plastic water bottles, food, and food wrappers. Wenara Wana staff members try to discourage the monkeys from snatching items from tourists. However, all to often, items that tourists are carrying (including books, water bottles, purses, food, and cameras) represent a temptation for the monkeys to snatch. If you must bring loose items into the Sacred Monkey Forest, please read the book section titled " FOR YOUR SAFETY ". Various types of object manipulation, that the macaques engage in, include throwing objects, grooming objects, rubbing objects, and washing objects. In addition to the items that the macaques obtain from humans, the macaques also manipulate natural objects that are commonly found throughout the Sacred Monkey Forest (such as leaves and rocks).