Abstract

A group of long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis) who live in Penang Botanic Gardens,
George Town, Penang, Malaysia was the subject of this study, which described their ranging
behaviour. On March 6, 2023, scan sampling was used to gather information on all significant
participants in the focus group regarding their range behaviour. The moving and their behaviour
were the main subjects of observation. Food availability, sleeping locations, predation, and
territorial considerations all had an impact on the wandering patterns. The study group appears
to frequent locations around cashew nut tree (Anacardium occidentale), durian sepeh tree
(Durio lowianus), and sausage tree (Kigelia africana) due to the accessibility and abundance of
food. Overall, other factors, including avoiding predators and territorial occupancy in the
examined region, as well as food distribution, have an impact on the roaming behaviour of the
research group. The long-tailed macaque (Macaca fascicularis) was observed and recorded
performing common activities like eating, moving around, making noise, playing, sleeping,
grooming, being inactive, mating, excreting, jumping, and fighting.

1.1. Introduction

Behaviour is an outwardly displayed course of action that an organism takes in response to

a particular situation's stimuli. Any alteration to the biotic and abiotic surroundings that has the
potential to trigger an action or response from a living thing is referred to as a stimulus. An
adaptive change in behaviour brought on by experience is known as learning. The capacity of
the memory to retain information learned from the experience determines the degree of
durability of newly learned behavioural patterns. Animal behaviour is the scientific study of how
animals interact with one another, other living things, and their surroundings. Animal behaviour
can take many different forms, including instinct, imprinting, conditioning, and imitation.

Animals acquire learned behaviour through training and correction based on prior
encounters. It is accomplished via methods like habituation, sensitization, classical conditioning,
operant conditioning, observational learning, play, and insight learning. Because it enables an
animal to react quickly to environmental changes, learning is adaptive. An animal's behavioural
options expand as it learns new things and the predictability of some environmental factors may
be correlated with an animal's capacity for learning. This adjustment is adaptive because it
enables an animal to better adapt to future, similar environmental changes in addition to
changing its reaction to meet a specific situation.
 In many different animals, habituation is the most basic and possibly most frequent sort of
behaviour. Habituation is learning behaviour through repeated exposure to a stimulus. Simply
put, an animal learns to ignore persistent, usually rather inconsequential environmental inputs.
Animals conserve time and energy that would be better used on more important tasks by
becoming used to insignificant stimuli. It is important to distinguish between habituation and
sensory adaptation since habituation does not need any conditioning and is thought to be
controlled by the central nervous system. Repeated stimulation of receptors until they stop
responding is required for sensory adaptation. For examples, birds eventually develop the ability
to disregard the scarecrows that once prompted them to flee.

The opposite of habituation is sensitization. Through sensitization, an animal learns to

respond to a repeated stimulus more frequently or more powerfully. whereas in classical
conditioning, a natural stimulant and a neutral one is associated. In this sort of learning, a
stimulus that ordinarily results in a specific behaviour relates to a second stimulus more
frequently or more powerfully. The second stimulation is neutral and does not typically elicit a
response from the animal. The process of mimicking or avoiding another person's behaviour
while watching them behave is known as observational behaviour. Young animals pick up
necessary behaviours from one another through play. Insight Learning makes decisions based
on prior experiences and picks up new skills to address issues. Insight learning does not involve
trial and error like operant conditioning does. Instead, an animal uses their previous knowledge
to think through a problem's solution.

Tropical rainforests occupy most of the natural terrain in Malaysia, which is situated in the
equatorial area. The nation is renowned for having a diverse range of flora and animals. The
long-tailed macaque (Macaca fascicularis) shown in Figure 1.1 is one of the natural species of
non-human primates in Malaysia (Choong et al., 2021). A popular monkey species in Southeast
Asia that can be found in a range of habitats is the long-tailed macaque. Its tail's length,
muzzle's shape, and often grey- or reddish-brown colouring can all be used to identify it. It
travels in big groups of up to 30, is noisy, and is aggressive. Its range includes Sumatra, Java,
Borneo, and the Philippines, in addition to Indochina, Southern Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia,
and the Philippines. It is also the most prevalent primate in Singapore.
 Figure 1.1: A Long-tailed Macaques (Macaca fascicularis) in Penang Botanic Gardens,
George Town, Penang, Malaysia.

Ranging behaviour, which may be seen in how individuals and groups strive to attain,
use, and defend their home ranges, is one of the primary priorities of behavioural ecology
(Borger et al., 2006). Macaques can be easily found in tourist destinations including Bukit
Malawati Kuala Selangor, Templer Park Kuala Lumpur, Penang Botanical Garden, Taiping Lake
Garden, and Kuala Selangor Nature Park in Peninsular Malaysia (Hambali et al., 2014). 50% of
the long-tailed macaque population, which lives close to a road and human habitation, receives
its food from anthropogenic sources, according to Sha et al. (2009). In this study region, people
provided food to the monkeys almost every day, either directly or indirectly, by leaving food
items within their reach, such as in trash bins close to the local train station's ticket counter that
make them stay at the place (Hambali et al., 2014).

2.0. Objective

• Macca fascicularis behaviour was observed and recorded at the Penang Botanic Garden.
• Understanding how Long-tailed Macaques interact with their environment is essential for
understanding their behaviour.
• To create an ethogram of Long-tailed Macaque morning activities.
3.0. Methodology

3.1. Area of Study

The study group population of Long-tailed macaque Macaca fascicularis was followed on
Monday, 6 March 2023 in the 366 feet jungle clad hills habitats of the Penang Botanic Gardens,
George Town, Penang, Malaysia (5.4374° N, 100.2907° E) as shown in Figure 3.1. The size of
the study area is approximately 0.53 km2 mentioned in Figure 3.2. The cannonball tree
(Couroupita guianensis), cashew nut tree (Anocardium occidentale), durian sepeh tree (Durio
lowianus), sausage tree (Kigelia africana), large buttress roots of the Sengkang tree
(Dracontomelon dao), pinang palm (Areca catechu), candle tree (Parmentiera cereifera), and
Thai bungor (Lagerstroemia loudonii) can be found along the road in Penang Botanic Gardens.
The study group collects most of these trees from their habitat as natural food sources. Long-
tailed macaques, dusky leaf monkeys, black giant squirrels, and numerous insects and
butterflies also can be found in the garden.

Figure 3.1. Map of the study area of the

Figure 3.2. Location size of the study area
group population of Long-tailed macaque
of Long-tailed macaque (Macaca
(Macaca fascicularis) in Penang Botanic
fascicularis).
Gardens, George Town.
3.2. Research Methods
The type of research used in the study of Long-tailed macaque (Macaca fascicularis) behavior
was qualitative research.

3.3 Research Materials

The list of materials used and its purpose in this study as shown in Table 1.

No. List of Materials Purpose

1. Camera Photos and videos taken for documentation

To determine the direction and coordinates of the

2. Handphones
sampling point
3. Stationery To record the data
4. Ethogram Data Sheet Data Analyses
5. Binocular Observations
6. Stopwatch To record the intervals time during observation
Table 3.1. The list of materials used and its purpose in study of Long-tailed macaque (Macaca
fascicularis) behavior.

3.4. Research approach or strategy

The survey approach method was used in this study to observe the behavior patterns of Long-
tailed macaque (Macaca fascicularis) in Penang Botanic Gardens. The survey approach method
involved the observation of many Long-tailed macaque (Macaca fascicularis) at the same time.
At randomized times, a total of Long-tailed macaque (Macaca fascicularis) was counted
performing each of its possible behavior. The observations were made by gathering
comprehensive information describing behaviors that might have been missed by techniques
that do not require the observer to follow the subject in complete stasis. This strategy is more
useful for finding behavioral variations between each of the Long-tailed macaque (Macaca
fascicularis) and defining patterns of social interaction that occur within the groups.

3.5. Data collection

The observations were made by setting the timer at 10-minutes intervals by purposive time
sampling to survey the behavior and 10 individuals of Long-tailed macaque (Macaca
fascicularis). Once the timer stopped, the behavioral activity and actions of the macaque’s video
recording and photos were taken immediately. The chosen box of the observed behavior was
recorded by ticking ‘X’ on the ethogram data sheet prepared earlier. This survey was repeated,
and the data were recorded in total of 1 hour time from 10.00 am to 11.00 am with 5-minute
intervals times during the entire observation period. The data of 10 individuals Long-tailed
macaque (Macaca fascicularis) behavior were recorded. The observations on everyone were
conducted by observing and recording the Long-tailed macaque (Macaca fascicularis) common
activities such as feeding, moving, making sound, playing, sleeping, grooming, inactive, mating,
excretion, jumping, and fighting.

4.0. Results
 A Macaca fascicularis is observed at the Botanical Garden using a survey approach.
The Macaca fascicularis is in a group of 30 including the baby. The observation is done for one
hour and the number of individuals performing the behaviour is recorded by using a systematic
time. An interval of 5 minutes is used and the behaviour of Macaca fascicularis is recorded.
Below in table 4.1. shown the result of the behaviour of Macaca fascicularis.

Table 4.1: The ethogram used to observe the Macaca fascicularis at the Penang Botanic
Gardens, George Town, Penang, Malaysia.
 Based on table 4.1, the frequency of the behaviour of Macaca fascicularis is recorded,
and the highest behaviour is group movement and hanging in the tree where the frequency is
eight. The second most common behaviour of Macaca fascicularis is grooming and climbing the
tree recorded seven times. The third behaviour recorded six times is eating and jumping from
the tree. The next behaviour is recorded five times which is mother and baby interaction,
carrying of baby, escape or flight, play behaviour, laying on the ground, and playing by itself.
The behaviour of curiosity, yawning, and massage while grooming was recorded four times. As
for habituation, isolation, walking from the tree alone, and searching for in the sausage tree
(Kigelia africana) were recorded three times. The juvenile behaviour, coughing, making sounds,
and running alone from the tree are recorded twice within one hour. The least behaviour
recorded was attacking, dominant male behaviour, latency, copulation, and genital examination
recorded once within the one-hour duration. The total number of frequency behaviour by
Macaca fascicularis is 109 times for all the behaviour listed. The result is shown in table 4.2
below.

Table 4.2: The sum of the frequency of behaviour by Macaca fascicularis.

Figure 4.1: Shows the frequency of a behaviour by the Macaca fascicularis in one hour.

Based on figure 4.1 shows the common behaviour of Macaca fascicularis hanging in the
tree and group movement. During the one-hour observation, the Macaca fascicularis prefer to
stay in a large group, and the movement from one place to another place is also in a smaller
group. As for the second most recorded behaviour, climbing the tree and grooming between the
Macaca fascicularis. The climbing the tree behaviour are done in the group setting and as for
grooming, the Macaca fascicularis prefer to be in pair. This pair usually spend a long duration of
time, around 10 to 20 minutes for each grooming. The grooming is usually done on the ground
near the tree. The third most recorded behaviour is jumping from the tree and eating behaviour.
The jumping from the tree behaviour is done alone as shown in figure 4.3, the same as the
eating behaviour. The location of the Macaca fascicularis observed is near the cashew nut tree
(Anocardium occidentale), durian sepeh tree (Durio lowianus), and sausage tree (Kigelia
africana).
 The fourth most recorded behaviour is playing by itself as shown in figure 4.4, laying on
the ground, play behaviour, escape, or flight, carrying the baby, and mother and baby
interaction. The Macaca fascicularis tend to move a lot within a time interval and some of them
do escape to another place and are unable to observe further. Whenever the Macaca
fascicularis is on the ground, they like to play whether alone or in a group and choose to lie on
the ground. As for the mother, they usually let the baby play and watch from a distance, and
they tend to carry the baby when the group moves from one place to another place as shown in
figure 4.6. The fifth recorded behaviour is massage while grooming, yawning, and curiosity. A
pair of Macaca fascicularis has been grooming each other and massaging under the tree. There
also a lonely Macaca fascicularis has been grooming alone on the durian sepeh tree (Durio
lowianus) as shown in figure 4.7.
There are also a few Macaca fascicularis spotted yawning during the interval time. The
curiosity of a Macaca fascicularis can be seen as they tend to come closer to the human without
a hint of fear. They did not come too close but remained some distance even though they were
curious. The sixth behaviour is habituation, isolation and walking from the durian sepeh tree
(Durio lowianus) alone to another place as shown in figure 4.5. The response from the Macaca
fascicularis to humans shows the habituation behaviour where they are used to the human
around them. The botanical garden is a tourist attraction and due to the influx of human visitors,
the Macaca fascicularis shows habituation behaviour. They are also the Macaca fascicularis
that move alone a lot as they are walking away from the tree and isolated far from the group.
The Macaca fascicularis also searches for food in the sausage tree as it is near to them. But
most of them move as a group from another place to other place that that were led by dominant
male shown in figure 4.2. The seventh recorded behaviour is juvenile behaviour, coughing,
making sounds, and running alone from the tree.
Juvenile behaviour usually happens to the young Macaca fascicularis as they interact in
the group. The coughing sound is heard when the Macaca fascicularis is on the ground near the
observant and they are also making sounds as they interact with each other. The sounds they
make are different from the aggressive sound. They are also some Macaca fascicularis that are
suddenly running away from the tree and stay on the ground. The last behaviour recorded is
attacking, dominant male behaviour, latency, copulation, and genital examination. During the
interval of 45 minutes, a pair of male Macaca fascicularis suddenly attacked each other where
one male showed the dominant male behaviour, and the attack soon stop. The copulation
happens on the ground and after the grooming finishes. At the 20 minutes interval, one male
Macaca fascicularis are doing the genital examination alone on the ground.
Figure 4.2: Using a fence to move from one Figure 4.3: Jumping on durian sepeh tree
area to another area. (Durio lowianus).

Figure 4.4: Playing around durian sepeh tree Figure 4.5: One of them being alone without
(Durio lowianus). friend and without doing anything.
Figure 4.7:
Grooming
on durian
sepeh tree
(Durio
lowianus).

Figure 4.6: Interaction between mom and the

baby.
5.0. Discussion

According to the result data for Macaca fascicularis behaviour frequency in one hour
(Table 2), they spent most time in group movement (8 times) and hanging on the tree (8 times),
followed by climbing tree (7 times) and grooming (7 times), jumping from the tree (6 times) and
eating behaviour (6 times), playing by itself (5 times), laying on the ground (5 times), play
behaviour (5 times), escape or flight (5 times), carrying the baby (5 times) and mother and baby
interaction (5 times), massage while grooming (4 times), yawning (4 times), and curiosity (4
times), habituation (3 times), isolation (3 times), walking from the tree alone (3 times) and
searching for in the sausage tree (3 times), juvenile behavior (2 times), coughing (2 times),
making sounds (2 times) and running alone from the tree (2 times). Attacking, dominant male
behaviour, latency, copulation and genital examination were least visible.

The study showed moving is the highest activity done by Macaca fascicularis compared
to other activities. This study was supported by the research done by Hambali et al. (2012) in
which Macaca fascicularis travel in searching of foods during daytime. Besides, they often move
around from one tree to another tree and looking for other individuals to gather group members.
The juveniles seen were more active compared to the adults, while the infants are clingy to the
mother. Thus, allows the group movement go smoothly (Wong, 2019). Next behaviour observed
is playing behaviour. According to Kipper and Todt (2002), playing is the social activities among
juveniles, sub-juveniles and infants in which juveniles shows the most playing behaviour as they
are in an active age period for learning social relationship. Some examples of playing behaviour
observed are hanging on the tree, climbing tree, jumping from the tree, playing by itself and
chasing each other. The examples observed shown many similarities to the research done by
Md-Zain et al. (2010).

The third highest activity observed is grooming. Mostly they will groom after feeding or
while resting, usually done either on the ground or on the tree. Most of the grooming activity is
carried out by females especially the mothers with infants. According to Dunayer & Berman
(2018), the mothers will continue to groom the child until the child move out from the group.
Meanwhile, the males do not always groom each other and this is similar with a research done
by Brent and Veira (2002), but they always get groomed by females. One adult couple seen to
groom each other after copulation as it can be regarded as reward after copulation (Gumert,
2007).
 As for feeding behaviour observation, it took a longer time and they were found to be an
omnivorous as they were spotted eating young leaves, fruits, and searching and chewing
insects near the sausage tree. But, they are classified as frugivorous animals based in a book
with a title The Macques : Studies in Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution (Page 167). As they
spent more time in feeding, their resting behaviour is shorter. This is supported with the
research done by Hambali et al. (2012) states that feeding is inversely related to resting. The
common places for them to take rest are at the tree branches, under the trees and laying on the
ground. Some are indicated as sleepy as they yawning while resting. In addition, they are not
directly affected by the presence of humans as they are habituated to the human presences.
Some of them shows curiosity with the human belongings and was not afraid to get closer.

Vocalisation behaviour, agonistic behaviour and copulation behaviour are the least
behaviour seen during the observation. There are variety of vocalisation behaviour such as
while chewing and eating, during copulation, during playing and during agonistic behaviour.
Some also shows sudden coughing while resting. This is supported with research done by
Kipper and Todt (2002) which found variety of sounds made during playtime. Besides, an
individual male is seen chasing and attacking another male showing the agonistic behaviour.
This is supported with the research done by Brent and Veira (2002) states that male long-tailed
macquaes are exhibited more threatening behaviour.

6.0. Conclusion

Macaca fascicularis is an abundant non-human primate species and the most

geographically widespread species in the world. The surroundings of Botanical Garden Penang
provides foods sources and protection against natural predator for them which led to the
increases in number over the years. During the observation, the most common daily activities or
behaviours of Macaca fascicularis were moving, playing, grooming, feeding and resting. Side
activities or behaviours such as copulation, vocalisation and agonistic were also needed to be
study further in the future. The understanding of Macaca fascicularis behaviours are essential in
order to effectively manage their population increment, avoid conflict with humans, for health
reasons as Macaca fascicularis are known to be zoonotic diseases vector and for species
conservation in the future.
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