Florida’s rhesus macaques live almost entirely along one river. Marion County holds 389 of the state’s 400 records, and Silver River State Park alone accounts for 172. The colony traces back to monkeys released along the Silver River in the 1930s, near the boat tours at Silver Springs. From there, troops spread through the river’s floodplain forest and into the edge of Ocala National Forest, which adds 12 records.
Introduced, and managed
These are Asian monkeys, not native wildlife. Florida classifies them as introduced, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission manages the population. Their records come from a busy corner of the state, where paddlers, tour boats, and park visitors photograph troops feeding along the banks and moving through the cypress and hardwood canopy. That’s why the records bunch so tightly. Just a few strays show up elsewhere, from Seminole, Alachua, Lake, Polk, and Collier counties, for 6 counties in all.
Spring on the spring run
Reports peak in March at 63, stay high in February and April, and bottom out at 9 in November. Florida’s cooler, drier months likely bring the most paddlers and visitors to the Silver River, and late-summer heat and storms bring fewer. Records come in every month, so the swings follow people on the water at least as much as the monkeys. By record count, they rank 28th of 116 mammals in Florida.
