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I saw this mother and baby in Baku National Park in Sarawak, Borneo on my early morning stroll

Having shown photos of my last trip to a few of my friends, it always seems to be the monkey shots that get the most ooooo’s and aaaaaa’s. And I have to admit, catching a mini monkey clinging to his mom is pretty adorable. But I certainly didn’t love these  these macaque monkeys everywhere I went. In fact, I ran away from them fearing an attack on more than one occasion.

But here are a few facts for you if you happen to be touring a part of Asia or Africa that has a few of these little rascals.

•  There are twenty-two macaque species currently recognised
• Although several species lack tails, and their common names therefore refer to them as apes, these are true monkeys
• In some species, skin folds join the second through fifth toes, almost reaching the first metatarsal joint
• 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
• Nearly all (73-100%) pet and captive macaques are carriers of the herpes B virus. This virus is harmless to macaques, but infections to humans
• Long-tailed macaques live in primary, secondary, coastal, mangrove, swamp and riverine forest level from sea level up to elevations of 2000 m