Primate Watching
Primatology
Taxonomy & Occurrence
Con Song Long-tailed Macaque (M. f. condorensis) occurs only on four islands in the Con Dao Archipelago, off the coast of southern Vietnam: Con Son Island, Hon Ba Island, Bay Canh Island and Hon Troc Island.
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The islands of Con Son and Hon Ba, and Con Son and Hon Troc are connected at low tide and thus represent a single population, while Bay Cach has a separate and isolated population [1].
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IUCN Conservation Status
Endangered
Seeing this Species
Moor Macaques are mostly black-brown, with dark faces and very short tail. However, there are some individuals with grey fur, and interestingly, there is almost always an individual with mostly whitish fur within the group. Females show genital swelling during fertile periods, and newborns show clear/nude skin before turning dark.​
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Bantimurung-Bulusaraung National Park, Maros Regency, South Sulawesi Province, Indonesia
Nicknamed "The Kingdom of Butterflies", the Bantimurung-Bulusaraung National Park (ca. 43,750 ha) is known as the second-largest karst area in the world and ​contains one of the oldest known cave paintings. The National Park also includes the Karaengta Forest where a group of habituated Moor Macaques can be found. The group was habituated during the 1980s by Japanese researchers, and it has been studied since then by different research projects.
A national road crosses the National Park from southwest to northeast, along which different groups of Moor Macaques can be found, including the habituated group. It is recommended to visit the area between May and November so as to avoid the rainy season.
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You can easily reach the National Park from Makassar-Maros, where the Hasanuddin International Airport is located. From Makassar you can take a taxi or public transport to Bantimurung (30 min), where the main National Park office is located. There you can pay the entrance fee and ask to visit the macaque group in Karaengta. You may need private transport to go to Karaengta (30 min), and it is recommended to contact the National Park beforehand through social media or email to confirm that local guides can take you to spot the group.
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Probability of success: â—† â—† â—† â—† â—†
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Overlapping species:
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Makassar Tarsier (Tarsius fuscus)
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Local contact: Bantimurung-Bulusaraung National Park Office
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Other sites:
TAHURA Bontobahari, Bulukumba Regency, South Sulawesi, Indonesia
The Taman Hutan Raya (TAHURA) Bontobahari is a nature reserve located in the southeastern tip of the South Sulawesi peninsula. The nature reserve protects one of the last lowland forests in the region, and the last Moor Macaque populations inhabiting coastal and mangrove forests. The nature reserve borders in the south with the Pantai Bara and Pantai Bira beaches, which are two hotspots for local and diving tourism. As such, the area contains several tourist lodges, around which different groups of macaques can be found in the remaining forest patches. This region is one of the two field sites where the Macaca Maura Project (MMP) works; one group of Moor Macaques has being studied since 2019.
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From Makassar you can take a taxi to Bira (around 6 hrs). Once in Bira you might need to go to Bara (5 mins), the next beach where the macaques can be found. You might see different groups along the road as well. It is recommended to contact the MMP beforehand so that they may be able to help with accommodation and transport recommendations in the area.
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Probability of success: â—† â—† â—† â—† â—†
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Overlapping species:
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Makassar Tarsier (Tarsius fuscus)
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Local contact: Macaca Maura Project
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© Adam Hermans
Angor Wat, Cambodia
© Adam Hermans
Lopburi, Thailand
References
[1] Quyet L.K. & Hansen M.F., 2022. Macaca fascicularis ssp. condorensis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2022: e.T39785A199564028.
Page Last Updated: 2 January 2025