NOT JUST ANOTHER MACAQUE

It is interesting to watch a troop of Langurs playing in the early hours, but a Rhesus macaque has an infamous amount of attention due to its aggressive behaviour.

Although seen seldom in forests than in cities, the macaques usually enjoy fruits, barks, termites and other insects, as well as occasionally spiders and scorpions too. But I have not seen or heard of someone talking of a macaque being a stalker or hunter at large.

This particular macaque that we stopped to look at had something wriggling in his hands, I thought it to be a reptile, then a small rodent but it turned to be a seemingly faster prey; A jungle bush quail! This is very unusual behavior that the macaque might have killed it by itself since the quail was still wriggling in its hands when we saw it.

I recalled once watching another macaque feeding on a young macaque of same species near a city rail line, but this is a rare wild hunt to watch!

Posted: Baghvan by Vineith Malabaricus, Date: 14 April 2012