The Fear of Monkeys - The Best E-Zine on the Web for Politically Conscious WritingThe Tibetan Macaque - Issue Twenty-Three
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The Tibetan Macaque: photo from Christian ArtusoThe Tibetan Macaque is found in mixed subtropical forests at altitudes from 800 to 2,500 m above sea level from eastern Tibet east to Guangdong and north to Shaanxi in China. this largest species of macaque is one of the largest monkeys found in Asia. Males are the larger sex, commonly attain a weight of 13 to 19.5 kg while females weigh 9 to 13 kg. Their long, dense fur is brown on the back with creamy-buff to grey coloration on the underparts. Some adults are quite dark brown on the back while others are basically a sandy yellowish brown color. They have a prominent, pale-buff beard and long whiskers, but have a hairless face. The infants have silver and black fur that changes to its adult color at the age of two. They live in mixed sex groups and have a complex social system; females remain for life in their natal group, but males disperse shortly after their adolescence (at about 8 years old). Alpha males dominate the group, being those that are typically large, strong and newly mature. As they age, males tend to gradually lose their social standing and are frequently subject to challenges for dominance from other males. Females first breed at around five years of age. The gestation period is six months with a single offspring being produced at each pregnancy. Males of the group may also be involved in alloparenting care. They spend most of their time on the ground, where they forage for leaves, fruit, grass and, to a lesser extent, flowers, seeds, roots and insects. When available, bamboo shoots, fruits and leaves are particularly favoured. Their main threats are all human-related. They are sensitive to habitat destruction, as they are tied closely to the forest. As well, they are occasionally poisoned by herbicides and pesticides while eating and may catch diseases transmitted from human. Illegal poaching may occur, with humans killing them for their flesh and fur.

   


Situation Room - Titus Green A parable on the backroom dealings of our politicians might be particularly relevant right now.

A Matter of Proof - Carol Smallwood The inner turmoil is often more revealing than society's attempt to hide the truth

Freshman Barometer - Richard King Perkins II What is really important in a person's life often cannot be said

Less Than Wise - JD DeHart Racism and ignorance are often best ignored, but that can be difficult

The Mexican in the Bathroom - Weldon H. Sandusky How do we measure mental illness when the culture is equally socially ill? [This is the fifth in a series of installments - Issues Eighteen to Twenty-Five]

I Am a Yo-Yo - Christopher Davis We all have felt this before and wondered what lay at the end of the string

A Cat in Marina Piccola - Susan Jahangiri A collision of misunderstanding, kindness to others and gender, this story leaves us with more questions than answers

The Ronald and the Pyramid Scheme - Donal Mahoney The desire of the very wealthy to buy their way out of death never changes

A Different Perspective - Marc Carver Sometimes the untold story tells us more about ourselves

Spill-O Charms a Lady Cop - Colin Dodds Is there a real person and real love behind the patter and the persuasion?

It was a "Texas Dashcam Vid": Corrupt Cops and Black Heroines - Alison Ross A scathing commentary on an all-too-common phenomena revitalizes the debate over who watches the watchers

A School for Freedom - Iftekhar Sayeed Freedom is only as good as our behaviour makes it, and if that means being a slave . . .

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