A monkey of forests on Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu and some smaller Japanese islands. It has a short tail and reddish face; thick fur helps it through cold winters.
Its face and rump are reddish, its coat is brown or grey, and the tail is short and stubby.
Japanese macaques in Kamikochi catch fish in streams during winter. They turn stones, pursue fish in shallow water and use their hands and mouths to capture them. They also pick aquatic insects from stones with their fingers.
During winter 2022, researchers followed three troops and installed twelve camera traps. They documented six fish captures directly and eight on camera. Additional fish-like catches were counted separately from confirmed fish captures.
Techniques varied. When a pursued fish escaped between stones, a macaque pinned it with both hands and caught it with its mouth. In a spring-fed stream, macaques stood upright to search, grasped fish with both hands and then bit them. They sometimes reacted to splashing fish without succeeding. Winter streams supplied food beyond the fruit and leaves in their diet.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.
In Kamikochi, habituated macaques approaching paths and facilities create conservation and safety concerns. Japan’s Ministry of the Environment describes surveys, visitor outreach and briefings for local businesses to prevent wildlife behaviour being altered by feeding and food waste. Local participants also monitor macaques and drive them away from paths and facilities. These are Kamikochi-specific measures to maintain natural feeding while separating macaques from human food and busy public spaces.