Size : 13-22 pounds, males heavier than females. Head and body 20 inches, tail 10 inches.  18.5-20.9 inches tall.

Lifespan : 20 years, 30 years in captivity.

Breeding : Mating year round, but births occur in specific season only. Gestation 170-190 days. Usually one young, sometimes twins.

Habits : Social.

Diet : Fruit, vegetables, leaves, dog food.

    The rhesus monkey is more properly called a Macaque, and it is one of the most common monkeys in northern India.  It lives in troops of about 18, made up of 4 adult males, 8 adult females, and their young.  Troops may be as large as 35, and some males do live alone.  It is a highly intelligent animal that communicates with other rhesus monkeys using visual and vocal signs.
    A female may mate with several males, but she gives birth to only one young. The young rhesus learns all it needs to know to survive from its mother and other young monkeys in its troop.  The rhesus monkey population has been seriously depleted over the years because researchers have used the primate extensively for medical studies. In 1940, the Rh factor, a protein substance in red blood cells, was discovered in and named for the rhesus.