The Dry Season

Indonesia essentially has two seasons: a wet period from October until April, and a dry season from May until September.

This year is a little bit different, as atmospheric conditions are pushing warm, but wet, weather systems through this area of the tropics. Still, it's more dry than not these days and the long-tailed macaques are adjusting their behaviors accordingly.

A dry period means less viable fruits for foraging. The monkeys spend more time in the mangrove swamp, which offers both vegetation and fauna, like crabs and insects, that troop members eat.

The dry season also means an uptick in scavenging or begging for human primate foods. Trash cans are heavily picked through, as are motorcycles and anything left unattended by people.

This is also a time wherein I've observed more copulation activities between male and female troop members. It's logical to assume, given a 165-day gestation period, that mid-December will likely see a few newborns. The wet season will be in full force then, and a nursing mother monkey should be able to find high nutritional fruits ripened and easily accessible.

The daily routine and behaviors of Troop Bravo are definitely different in each season.

However, negative interactions between macaques and human primates seems to remain at the same levels as the wet season.