Macaque
The macaques are a genus (Macaca) of Old World monkeys of the subfamily Cercopithecinae.[1] The 22 species of macaques live in sub-Saharan Africa, and more widely in Asia. One species is the well-known Gibraltar 'ape'. Macaques are of some interest to human researchers for their social structures, and their usefulness in animal testing, particularly regarding eyesight.
Macaca | |
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Toque macaque (Macaca sinica) | |
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Genus: | Macaca |
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/34/Macaca_nigra_self-portrait_%28rotated_and_cropped%29.jpg/230px-Macaca_nigra_self-portrait_%28rotated_and_cropped%29.jpg)
Social behavior
Macaques have a very intricate social structure and hierarchy. If a macaque of a lower level in the social chain has eaten berries and none are left for a higher-level macaque, then the one higher in status can, within this social organization, remove the berries from the other monkey's mouth.[2]
Copyright test case
In 2014 selfies taken by a crested black macaque seemed to establish a legal precedent, after the Wikimedia Foundation rejected a copyright claim.
The photos had been sold widely by David Slater, a professional nature photographer, whose camera was temporarily carried away by a group of macaques. After the photos were uploaded to Wikipedia, the organisation refused to delete them, claiming "This file is in the public domain, because as the work of a non-human animal, it has no human author in whom copyright is vested.[3][4]
References
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)