These monkeys live in family groups of 20 to 40 individuals. The whole troop moves together through the trees, with the babies riding on their mothers' backs like tiny passengers. The older monkeys keep watch from high branches while the younger ones play, chase each other and learn what to eat.
They eat almost everything: leaves, fruit, seeds, mushrooms, insects, even crabs at the seaside. At a place called Shoushan, near the city of Kaohsiung, the macaques have learned to live right next to people. Hikers regularly see whole troops sitting on the path or grooming each other on a sunny rock.
Macaques are amazingly clever. They have been seen using stones to crack open hard nuts, fishing food out of streams with a bent stick, and even pretending to fall over to distract another monkey from a snack. Each troop has its own little tricks that they teach their babies.
Just like people, macaques like to keep clean. They spend hours every day grooming each other - picking through fur to find dirt, leaves and tiny insects. It is also how they make friends. The longer two monkeys groom each other, the better friends they tend to be.