Japanese macaque Japanese macaque The Japanese macaque (; "Macaca fuscata"), also known as the snow monkey, is a terrestrial Old World monkey species that is native to Japan. They get their name "snow monkey" because they live in areas where snow covers the ground for months each year – no other nonhuman primate is more northern-living, nor lives in a colder climate. Individuals have brown-grey fur, red faces, and short tails. Two subspecies are known. In Japan, the species is known as Nihonzaru (ニホンザル, a combination of "Nihon" 日本 "Japan" + "saru" 猿 "monkey") to distinguish it from other primates, but the
Japanese macaque Japanese macaque is very familiar in Japan, so when Japanese people simply say "saru", they usually have in mind the Japanese macaque. The Japanese macaque is sexually dimorphic. Males weigh on average , while females average . Macaques from colder areas tend to weigh more than ones from warmer areas. Male average height is and female average height is . Their brain size is about . Japanese macaques have short stumps for tails that average in males and in females. The macaque has a pinkish face and posterior. The rest of its body is covered in brown or greyish hair.