Japanese macaque with one macaque recorded living in central Tokyo for several months. The Japanese macaque (snow monkey) has featured prominently in the religion, folklore, and art of Japan, as well as in proverbs and idiomatic expressions in the Japanese language. In Shinto belief, mythical beasts known as "raijū" sometimes appeared as monkeys and kept Raijin, the god of lightning, company. The "three wise monkeys", which warn people to "see no evil, hear no evil, and speak no evil", are carved in relief over the door of the famous Tōshō-gū shrine in Nikkō. The Japanese macaque is a feature of several fairy
Macaque macaques have become invasive species in different parts of the world, while others that survive in forest habitats remain threatened. The long-tailed macaque ("Macaca fascicularis") is listed as a threat and invasive alien species in Mauritius along with the rhesus macaques ("Macaca mulatta") in Florida. The long-tailed macaque causes severe damage to parts of its range where it has been introduced because the populations grow unchecked due to a lack of predators. On the island Mauritius, they have created serious conservation concerns for other endemic species. They consume seeds of native plants and aid in the spread of exotic weeds