Commonly seen in all areas of the country, the Toque Macaque is a brown monkey that is endemic to Sri Lanka. They look like the beloved Curious George and are mischievous and impish creatures who will make any wildlife safari or trip more memorable. These notorious animals are easily distinguished by the toque-shaped swirl of hair on the top of its head, for which they are named. They are generally known as Rilawa in Sinhalese.
Scientific Classification:
The Toque Macaque, scientifically classified as Macaca sinica is an Old World Monkey that is endemic to Sri Lanka. They belong to the Cercopithecidae family, in the Macaca order. They are the smallest of their species, and have three recognised subspecies: dry zone Toque Macaque (M.s. sinica), wet zone Toque Macaque (M.s. aurifrons) and the highland Toque Macaque (M.s. opisthomelas).
Characteristics:
Even though, to the naked eye they look similar, the various subspecies of Toque Macaque have different appearances, depending on their habitat. Generally, they have a golden brown coat on their top surface and white hair on their underside. This white coat extends to the cheeks and around the ears. They have a long tail that is blackish brown. They also have chubby cheeks, and hairless faces, with black eyes and dark lips. The male Toque Macaque is larger, and darker than the female.
The dry zone subspecies have radiating hairs on the cap, giving them a golden shade overall, meanwhile the wet zone subspecies have dusky yellow hair, and are messy and long. The montane subspecies are the largest in the bunch, with hair that grow up to 110mm and are straw coloured.
Behaviour:
The Toque Macaque are smart, are extremely adept at finding food sources. They are omnivores, and would eat anything they get their hands on. So do not feed them, as they might get aggressive towards you. Although, they tend to move on the ground a lot, they are equally agile on the trees, where they sleep, sometimes huddled together. The Toque Macaque can also swim proficiently, and may even hide underwater when escaping predators.
Habitat:
They can be found in a variety of forest types, at altitudes up to about 2100 m, depending on the subspecies. Toque Macaques are also very well known to raid crops and garbage dumps and are not often frightened away by close encounters with humans. If you take a safari ride in Yala or Wilpattu, or hike up the Horton Plains, you are bound to encounter them. They are endangered and can only be found in Sri Lanka, so be responsible travelers and do your part to protect them.
Images sourced from Jan Arendtsz and Brian Ralphs
