AnAge entry for Macaca mulatta

Classification (HAGRID: 02376)

Taxonomy: Kingdom: Animalia
    Phylum: Chordata
        Class: Mammalia (Taxon entry)
            Order: Primates (Taxon entry)
                Family: Cercopithecidae
                    Genus: Macaca
Species: Macaca mulatta
Common name: Rhesus monkey
Synonyms: Simia erythraea, Simia fulvus, Macacus lasiotus, Pithecus littoralis, Macaca nipalensis, Macaca oinops, Simia rhesus, Inuus sancti-johannis, Macaca siamica, Macacus tcheliensis, Macacus vestitus, Inuus sanctijohannis, Macacus rhesus villosus, Macaca mulatta mcmahoni

Lifespan, ageing, and relevant traits

IMR

0.02/year

MRDT

15 years

Maximum longevity

40 years (captivity)

Source

ref. 1074

Sample size

Large

Data quality

High

Observations

Despite a higher MRDT [0058], rhesus macaques appear to age significantly faster than humans do from a physiological perspective [0002]. The females of this species reach menopause at about the age of 25 [0434]. Four male monkeys under caloric restriction for part of their lives and one fed a normal diet have lived beyond 40 years [1074].

Old animals suffer from various age-related diseases common in humans, including heart disease and cancer; amyloidosis, diabetes and, in females, endometriosis have also been reported [0981]. Chinese rhesus macaques have demonstrated noticeable age-related changes in both T and B cell subsets, comparable to those found during human ageing. T cell ageing is slower in female Chinese rhesus macaques than in males, giving males a more severe immune risk profile [1183]. There have been conflicting reports on the effects of caloric restriction in rhesus macaques. One ongoing study first reported in 2009 that caloric restriction can lower the incidence of ageing-related deaths [0873], a second ongoing study reported in 2012 that caloric restriction did not improve survival even if beneficial health effects were observed [1074]. The former ongoing study reported again in 2014 that caloric restriction reduces age-related and all-cause mortality [1184]. A comprehensive assessment of longitudinal data from both sites concluded that caloric restriction does improve health and survival of rhesus monkeys [1257].

Life history traits (averages)

: No information is available on life history. Please contact us if you wish to suggest or contribute data.

Metabolism

Typical body temperature: 310ºK or 37.3ºC or 99.1ºF
Basal metabolic rate: Not yet available

References

[1257] Mattison et al. (2017), Caloric restriction improves health and survival of rhesus monkeys (PubMed)
[1236] Didier et al. (2016), Contributions of Nonhuman Primates to Research on Aging (PubMed)
[1214] Oxford et al. (2015), The interplay between immune maturation, age, chronic viral infection and environment (PubMed)
[1216] Yin et al. (2015), Aged monkey brains reveal the role of ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme UBE2N in the synaptosomal accumulation of mutant huntingtin (PubMed)
[1183] Zheng et al. (2014), Aged Chinese rhesus macaques suffer severe phenotypic T- and B-cell aging accompanied with sex differences (PubMed)
[1184] Colman et al. (2014), Caloric restriction reduces age-related and all-cause mortality in rhesus monkeys (PubMed)
[1213] Paredes et al. (2014), Age-related alterations of plasma glutathione and oxidation of redox potentials in chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) and rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta) (PubMed)
[1122] Chen et al. (2013), Brain aging in humans, chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes), and rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta): magnetic resonance imaging studies of macro- and microstructural changes (PubMed)
[1143] Nussey et al. (2013), Senescence in natural populations of animals: widespread evidence and its implications for bio-gerontology (PubMed)
[1101] Asquith et al. (2012), Age-dependent changes in innate immune phenotype and function in rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) (PubMed)
[1074] Mattison et al. (2012), Impact of caloric restriction on health and survival in rhesus monkeys from the NIA study (PubMed)
[1090] Coe et al. (2012), Immune senescence in old and very old rhesus monkeys: reduced antibody response to influenza vaccination (PubMed)
[1087] Hara et al. (2012), Neuronal and morphological bases of cognitive decline in aged rhesus monkeys (PubMed)
[1103] Lazic (2012), Modeling hippocampal neurogenesis across the lifespan in seven species (PubMed)
[1136] Gomes et al. (2011), Comparative biology of mammalian telomeres: hypotheses on ancestral states and the roles of telomeres in longevity determination (PubMed)
[0920] Bendlin et al. (2011), Effects of aging and calorie restriction on white matter in rhesus macaques (PubMed)
[0938] Haberthur et al. (2010), Immune senescence in aged nonhuman primates (PubMed)
[0981] Wolf and Austad (2010), Introduction: Lifespans and Pathologies Present at Death in Laboratory Animals
[0873] Colman et al. (2009), Caloric restriction delays disease onset and mortality in rhesus monkeys (PubMed)
[0916] McKiernan et al. (2009), Longitudinal analysis of early stage sarcopenia in aging rhesus monkeys (PubMed)
[1036] Crean et al. (2007), Oral administration of (+/-)3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine and (+)methamphetamine alters temperature and activity in rhesus macaques (PubMed)
[0727] Downs et al. (2007), Orexin neuronal changes in the locus coeruleus of the aging rhesus macaque (PubMed)
[0517] Colman et al. (2005), Muscle mass loss in Rhesus monkeys: Age of onset (PubMed)
[0976] Cohen (2004), Female post-reproductive lifespan: a general mammalian trait (PubMed)
[0465] Corr (2004), Nuns and monkeys: investigating the behavior of our oldest old (PubMed)
[0464] Roth et al. (2004), Aging in rhesus monkeys: relevance to human health interventions (PubMed)
[0149] Goncharova and Lapin (2004), Age-related endocrine dysfunction in nonhuman primates (PubMed)
[0174] Small et al. (2004), Imaging correlates of brain function in monkeys and rats isolates a hippocampal subregion differentially vulnerable to aging (PubMed)
[0328] Hinman et al. (2004), Activation of calpain-1 in myelin and microglia in the white matter of the aged rhesus monkey (PubMed)
[0329] Luebke et al. (2004), Normal aging results in decreased synaptic excitation and increased synaptic inhibition of layer 2/3 pyramidal cells in the monkey prefrontal cortex (PubMed)
[0330] Zhang et al. (2004), Age-related alterations in cytochrome c-mediated caspase activation in rhesus macaque monkey (Macaca mulatta) brains (PubMed)
[0331] Fukumoto et al. (2004), Beta-secretase activity increases with aging in human, monkey, and mouse brain (PubMed)
[0152] Muehlenbein et al. (2003), Dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate as a biomarker of senescence in male non-human primates (PubMed)
[0601] Bodkin et al. (2003), Mortality and morbidity in laboratory-maintained Rhesus monkeys and effects of long-term dietary restriction (PubMed)
[0095] Shimizu et al. (2003), In vitro aging of macaque adherent cells: similar pattern of cellular aging between human and macaque (PubMed)
[0610] Ernest (2003), Life history characteristics of placental non-volant mammals
[0681] Peter Kappeler and Michael Pereira (2003), Primate Life Histories and Socioecology
[0332] Fowler et al. (2002), Effects of caloric restriction and aging on the auditory function of rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta): The University of Wisconsin Study (PubMed)
[0157] Goncharova and Lapin (2002), Effects of aging on hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal system function in non-human primates (PubMed)
[0467] Lindenfors (2002), Sexually antagonistic selection on primate size
[0333] Roth et al. (2001), Dietary caloric restriction prevents the age-related decline in plasma melatonin levels of rhesus monkeys (PubMed)
[0334] Kayo et al. (2001), Influences of aging and caloric restriction on the transcriptional profile of skeletal muscle from rhesus monkeys (PubMed)
[0430] Moscrip et al. (2000), Locomotor activity in female rhesus monkeys: assessment of age and calorie restriction effects (PubMed)
[0335] Colman et al. (1999), Skeletal effects of aging in male rhesus monkeys (PubMed)
[0434] Ronald Nowak (1999), Walker's Mammals of the World
[0463] Austad (1997), Small nonhuman primates as potential models of human aging (PubMed)
[0235] Gearing et al. (1996), A beta40 is a major form of beta-amyloid in nonhuman primates (PubMed)
[0336] Lane et al. (1996), Calorie restriction lowers body temperature in rhesus monkeys, consistent with a postulated anti-aging mechanism in rodents (PubMed)
[0455] Virginia Hayssen et al. (1993), Asdell's Patterns of Mammalian Reproduction: A Compendium of Species-Specific Data
[0713] Martin et al. (1991), Amyloid precursor protein in aged nonhuman primates (PubMed)
[0390] Ingram et al. (1990), Dietary restriction and aging: the initiation of a primate study (PubMed)
[0058] Finch et al. (1990), Slow mortality rate accelerations during aging in some animals approximate that of humans (PubMed)
[0002] Caleb Finch (1990), Longevity, Senescence, and the Genome
[0075] Selkoe et al. (1987), Conservation of brain amyloid proteins in aged mammals and humans with Alzheimer's disease (PubMed)
[0680] Wootton (1987), The effects of body mass, phylogeny, habitat, and trophic level on mammalian age at first reproduction
[0679] Harvey and Clutton-Brock (1985), Life-history variation in primates
[0731] Zullinger et al. (1984), Fitting sigmoid equations to mammalian growth curves
[0391] Bito et al. (1982), Age-dependent loss of accommodative amplitude in rhesus monkeys: an animal model for presbyopia (PubMed)
[0059] Tolmasoff et al. (1980), Superoxide dismutase: correlation with life-span and specific metabolic rate in primate species (PubMed)

External Resources

Integrated Taxonomic Information System: ITIS 180099
Animal Diversity Web: ADW account
Encyclopaedia of Life: Search EOL
NCBI Taxonomy: Taxonomy ID 9544
Entrez: Search all databases
Ageing Literature: Search Google Scholar or Search PubMed
Images: Google Image search
Internet: Search Google