The rhesus macaque has the widest distribution of any non-human primate and there is great diversity in where it is found in terms of altitude and habitat. They have been used extensively in medical and biological research and one was the first primate astronaut in 1948. There are between six and nine subspecies which are divided between Indian-derived and Chinese-derived groups. It is native to India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal, Myanmar, Thailand, Afghanistan, Vietnam and southern China and is found in small groups in Florida and South Carolina. They are good swimmers and tend to move from rural to urban areas where they tend to rely on handouts and refuse from humans. They also are found in larger troops in urban environments.
We saw many of them in India and it got to the point where I often made no attempt to photograph them. We saw more of them in human habitations, from large cities to small rural environments, than in Kaziranga NP. They could be aggressive and I was warned a number of times by others when I got too close that they could attack.
The few photos I've got of them in Kaziranga, are as follows. Even in Kaziranga, I got jaded by them and took few photos:
I used my cell phone as a camera outside of Kaziranga and have many photos of them on it. I may get around to adding some of those photos to this post later.
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