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| Latin name | Macca sylvanus |
| Head & Body Length | 55-75cm |
| Weight | 4-10kg |
| Gestation | 147-192 days |
| No. of young | 1 occasionally 2 |
| Lifespan | 20 years |
Barbary Apes are found in the wild in Morocco and Algeria. They inhabit the plains and mountains and can be found up to altitudes of 200m. In the mountains, they live in forest clearings and sparse undergrowth. A colony of Barbary Apes can also be found on Gibraltar.
In the wild, Barbary Apes will eat a varied diet of fruit, herbs, seedlings, berries, grass, roots and even insects and spiders. In winter, this food may become scarce and they maybe reduced to eating needles, bark and buds. They feed early in the morning and afternoon and rest at midday. Barbary Apes always settle by water and during the dry season they happily share watering holes with other primates.
The gestation period for Barbary Apes is 147-192 days. The births can take place at any time of the year but the peak time is between May and September. Females give birth to a single young but occasionally twins may be born. As with most primates, the female plays as equal a part as the male when it comes to choosing a mate. What is unusual among Barbary Apes is that males play an active role in nursing the young and form strong bonds with baby Barbary Apes and with each other. Females may mate with several males and it is difficult to establish paternity so the reason for this bonding is not known. One theory is that it makes males more popular with the mothers and therefore more likely to be chosen as a future mate, hence ensuring the survival of their line. Adult males begin to look after the young when they are a few days old. They may pick up the babies, carry them around, groom them and play with them. Males also show their babies to other males and the monkeys make chattering noises and hug each other. In other species, this would be considered threatening but among Barbary Apes this is a declaration of friendship. Offspring suckle form their mothers until they are three months old but remain with their mothers until they are six months.
Barbary Apes are actually monkeys, not apes as the name suggests. They are so called because they do not possess a tail. They have thick sturdy bodies with rounded heads, short necks and short muzzles. Their coat is yellowish brown in colour. Male Barbary Apes are generally larger with longer hair on their crowns. Their legs are shorter than their arms. They will usually move on all fours but can stand up on their hind legs to keep a look out for predators.
They are sociable animals and live in groups of ten to thirty individuals made up of males, females and young. They occupy territories of several square kilometres and their territories may sometimes overlap with that of other primates without any problems. Shows of aggression do occur but are rare for these animals.
At night they sleep in trees or shelter amongst rocks. During the day they wander across their territory, jumping and climbing among rocks and trees. They have excellent climbing ability. Their main predators are large eagles although man is now a greater threat to them.
Barbary Apes are one of about fifteen species of Macaque including the Pig-tailed Macaque and the Lion-tailed Macaque. They are they only species of Macaque to be found outside of Asia.
Barbary Apes were once common in Europe but now the only place that they can be found outside of Africa is on the Rock of Gibraltar. In 1858, an epidemic wiped out the entire population except for three so the governor decreed that more Barbary Apes were introduced from Africa. A similar epidemic wiped out the population during the Second World War and once again they were reintroduced. The animals currently living there are descendants of these animals.
Barbary Apes are persecuted by man, especially on the plains, due to the damage that they do to crops. The present population in the wild is thought to be approximately 1200 to 2000 but the population is decreasing due to habitat destruction.
- Legend has it that as long as there are Barbary Apes on the Rock of Gibraltar, it will remain under British rule.
- The colony of Barbary Apes on the Rock of Gibraltar was well established by 711AD.