Authors
Hiroto Enari
Publication date
2014
Source
High altitude primates
Pages
133-151
Publisher
Springer New York
Description
The Japanese macaque (Macaca fuscata) has flourished as a unique generalist species endemic to the Japanese archipelago, by acclimatizing to diverse environments along altitudinal and latitudinal clines. This chapter reviews recent studies on overwintering tactics of macaques inhabiting the Shirakami Mountains, northern Japan, by focusing on snow tolerance derived from dietary characteristics and habitat-use patterns. The Shirakami Mountains are one of the heaviest snowfall areas in the world, and constitute the northernmost habitats of any nonhuman primate. Macaques inhabiting snowy areas are exposed to the dangers of hypothermia and famine during winter, commonly resulting in pronounced energy deficit. To compensate for this deficit, they not only feed on the bark and buds of woody plants—fallback resources for most species of the genus macaque—but also use unique feeding tactics to …
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