Macaca nigra            Omnivore          Diurnal        Status: Critically Endangered

This jet-black monkey goes by several other names including crested black macaque, Sulawesi crested macaque and black ape.  Its original range is in the northeast of the island of Sulawesi, but the largest population can now be found on Bacan, a small neighboring island.

The macaques are mainly threatened by rain forest clearance but they are also hunted as pests and for meat.  Their diet primarily consists of fruit, but they also eat other plant matter, birds, eggs and insects.  In July of 2011, a macaque earned ten minutes of global fame for photographing itself with a tourist’s camera.

Photo courtesy of Spencer Wright.