Japanese Macaque
Macaca fuscata
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassMammalia (Mamífers)
- OrderPrimates
- FamilyCercopithecidae (Old World Monkeys)
- GenusMacaca (Macaques)
- SpeciesMacaca fuscata (Japanese Macaque)
The Japanese macaque (Macaca fuscata), also known as the snow monkey, is a terrestrial Old World monkey species that is native to Japan. Colloquially, this macaque is referred to as the "snow monkey", because some live in areas where snow covers the ground for months each year. No other non-human primate lives farther north, nor in a colder climate. It has brownish grey fur, a pinkish-red face, and a short tail. Two subspecies are known. In Japan, the species is known as Nihonzaru (ニホンザル, a combination of Nihon 日本 "Japan" + saru 猿 "monkey") to distinguish it from other primates, but the Japanese macaque is very familiar in Japan—as it is the only native species of monkey in Japan—so when Japanese people simply say saru, they usually have the Japanese macaque in mind. Wikipedia →
60–70% of wildlife watchers report a Japanese Macaque sighting in Nikko National Park, based on 52 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
📅 Monthly Probability
🌅 When They're Spotted
Most active at dawn and dusk · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nikko National Park | 🇯🇵 Japan |
More parks will be added in future updates.
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Japanese Macaque in Nikko National Park?
About 66% of wildlife watchers report a Japanese Macaque sighting in Nikko National Park, based on 52 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Japanese Macaque in Nikko National Park?
December has the highest sighting rate for Japanese Macaque in Nikko National Park in our monthly data.