The Radiata Macaca Species And Its Threats
At a time when most primates are threatened, some monkeys like the Rhesus monkey are having great success, staying far from extinction. But this fact has become one of the main threats to the species Macaca radiata .
Radiata monkey, a slow disappearance
Radita macaque is a species of primate endemic to southern India, where it inhabits much of the country’s forests, and is even seen in certain agricultural and urban areas. However, although this species is not considered threatened, it may actually be in danger.
Human expansion plays a key role, but one study also highlights the presence of the Rhesus monkey, a difficult neighbor for the species in question.
A group of researchers has been studying the populations of the species Macaca radiata for 25 years and reached the following conclusion: its population has been reduced by almost 50% in the last 15 years.
The reasons are mainly caused by humans, but there is another factor that comes into play in the worrying disappearance of this species: the presence of an unpleasant neighbor, as is the case of the Rhesus monkey, a similar species that lives in northern India.
The Rhesus Monkey, Expanding
Although most of their habitat is not shared, these animals actually coexist in certain areas of India. In them it appears that the Rhesus monkey is displacing the species Macaca radiata , as the former is larger and more aggressive, which would allow it to monopolize the resources of certain areas.
Thus, in just 25 years, the decline of this species was accompanied not only by an increase in the number of Rhesus monkeys : these animals also expanded their distribution, advancing on what was previously the exclusive habitat of the species Macaca radiata .
Is the Macaca radiata species threatened?
In another such study conducted in 2015 in India, researchers found that this species had disappeared from many areas where its presence was previously common. Rhesus monkeys are not directly attacking monkeys of the other species, but this superiority allows them to monopolize resources, causing the Macaca radiata species to be displaced.
The northern species has already demonstrated its enormous capacity to expand and take advantage of resources, which made the Indian monkeys generate a problem of coexistence with wildlife in cities.
Given this, this species of primates continues to disappear from India, as human expansion has caused the fragmentation of its habitats and the destruction of its forests, which are separated by huge roads, a panorama that the Rhesus monkey seems to deal better with.
Conservationists are calling for conservation measures for the species. Establishing the number of monkeys of the species Macaca radiata that remain is vital to know whether they are really far from being threatened or, on the contrary, they are already on their way to extinction.
