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                                                    Celebes Ape

Common Names
Sulawesi crested black macaque, black ape, Celebes ape, Celebes black ape, black Celebes macaque, and crested Celebes macaque. (The Celebes island has been renamed Sulawesi.) Though the common names of the Sulawesi macaque sometimes refer to it as an ape, it is actually a monkey.

Distribution and Habitat
Found in Indonesia, on the extreme northeastern tip of the island of Sulawesi (formerly Celebes) and on several adjacent islands. They are also found on the island of Bacan (or Batjan), where it is believed they were introduced by people.

The island is mountainous and covered with tropical rainforest. The climate is hot, but tempered by sea winds.

Physical Characteristics
Sulawesi macaques have black skin, black hair, compact bodies, very small or almost no external tails, and limbs of equal length. There is a crest of long hairs on the top of their head. Both sexes have ischial callosities (large, bare pads at the base of their tails). Females show a large, pink swelling of these pads around the time of ovulation.

Diet
In the wild, macaques are omnivorous (eating both animals and plants), but are mostly vegetarian. They eat fruit, berries, grains, leaves, insects, and occasionally small vertebrates. At the Zoo, they eat monkey chow, kale, apples, oranges, peanuts, mealworms, crickets, and a variety of other fruits and vegetables.

Life Span
Males reach physical maturity between six and ten years of age, and females around six years. Some macaques have lived more than 40 years in zoos.