Macaques are known for their sharp minds and strong sense of social connection, and grooming plays a big part in how they relate to others. When a macaque carefully picks burrs off a caregiver’s shirt, it is simply showing the same natural grooming behaviour it would use in the wild. Grooming helps macaques remove debris, stay clean, and build trust within their groups. This behaviour also shows just how clever they are. A macaque can spot tiny things like burrs, recognise that they do not belon

Macaques are a diverse and intelligent group of monkeys found across Asia and North Africa, with over 20 different species. Among the most well-known are the rhesus macaque, recognized for its important role in scientific research, and the Japanese macaque, or snow monkey, famous for soaking in hot springs during winter. The Barbary macaque, native to North Africa, stands out as the only species without a tail. Highly adaptable, macaques thrive in a variety of environments—from tropical forests