In short, it may seem that keeping a macaque as a pet is the same as keeping a dog. The reality is very different. Dogs have been bred by humans for millennia, and the breeds we recognize today have adapted with us to be safe, happy companions that we want as pets. Research has even shown that dogs can understand human facial expressions because of their long and complex association with us.

Macaques, on the other hand, have never been domesticated; unlike dogs, they have never been selectively bred for characteristics that make them wise farts. They cannot adapt to life in a human environment and are unable to psychologically adapt to what humans like as companions instead of other macaques. This means that you will have to give it special training to make it a good pet.

The coat of macaques ranges from beige to black, through all shades of brown.

In some species, the face is colored pink or even red. Macaques have abacuses, which are two pockets that open into the mouth. They can store food quickly and then eat it quietly, away from their competitors. Their eyes, placed frontally, give them a three-dimensional vision similar to that of humans.

Macaques have gluteal calluses, which are two horny areas on the rump that allow them to sit for long periods. This is their preferred position for resting or sleeping in trees. The feet and hands are equipped with nails and not claws, which allow them arboreal locomotion or to move on the ground indifferently. Like all mammals, they nurse their young. The female has two teats to feed a baby that clings to her chest.

Some species of macaques spend most of their time in the trees. They can be recognized by their long tails which they use as a swing to jump from branch to branch. They are not very heavy. In these mainly arboreal species, the body weight of males ranges from only 5 to 9 kg. Other macaques are more terrestrial to varying degrees. Some live almost always on the ground, others alternate between arboreal and terrestrial phases. In any case, they often move on the ground and are more massive: the males can then weigh between 10 and 18 kg. Their tail is often shorter and, in some cases, it measures only a few centimeters.

Males are larger than females and have large canines. They are not used to eating as in carnivores. This is the result of what Charles Darwin called sexual selection: in the struggles that oppose them, males must be strong to be able to mate with females and this selects males armed with long canines.