Barbary macaque  (Macaca sylvanus)

This species is found in Algeria, Morocco, and Gibraltar (1). It is the only primate, apart from humans, to live in Europe and the only macaque to live outside of Asia (6) (7). Legend has it that as long as Barbary macaques exist in Gibraltar, the region will remain under British rule. Thus, following an epidemic in the 1900s wiping out the macaque population, local authorities re-introduced them from the African mainland and now protect a small population of about 160 individuals (5).

In North Africa, this macaque inhabits oak and cedar forests, preferring mid and high altitude forests as well as scrub forest and cliff habitats. The climate is hot and dry in the summer and cold and snowy in the summer (5).