Rhesus macaques can be found in temperate cedar oak forests, tropical woodlands, and swamps from Afghanistan and India to Thailand and Southern China. In India, they can be found near Hindu temples, accepting food from humans.

The rhesus macaque has a brown body with lighter brown under parts. The monkey's face and rump are red. The average height for females is 18.5 to 20.9 inches, and 19 to 25 inches for males. The average weight for females is approximately 9 to 24 pounds, while males weigh between 12 to 24 lbs.

Rhesus communities are made up of 10 to 50 individuals of both genders. Males are dominant, but change groups every few years, while females stay associated in a strict matrilineal hierarchy.

The average age for sexual maturity is 3.5 to 4 years old. Females give birth every 12 to 24 months, with a gestation period of 5 to 6 months. These macaques live up to 29 years of age.

Their diet consists of fruit, seeds, leaves, gums, buds, grass, clover, roots, bark, resin and small invertebrates. The number of plant species that rhesus macaques eat is an impressive 92.