Editing 40d:Rhesus macaque

A fairly weak [[creature]], a '''macaque''' is a small monkey that can create a large annoyance.  They come in packs of five to ten to [[thief|steal]] any accessible valuables such as [[food]], tools, [[craft]]s, or anything else left lying unguarded, prioritizing the highest value items they can (easily) access.  If you have no guards or guard [[animals]] (and are not watching the landscape), often the first sign of trouble is either an [[announcement]] that a [[civilian]] [[dwarf]] has a job "interrupted by rhesus macaque", or that an item has been stolen - the game pauses and centers on the incident after the latter announcement (only).  They are not shy about entering a [[fortress]] underground if there are no guards at the entrance, but are quite vulnerable to any sort of [[trap]].   

Occasionally, they are brave enough to actually attack [[dwarves]], but any sign of harm will send them packing - for the moment.  But they are stubborn, and they'll soon be back and in greater numbers.

A guard [[dog]] or even an untrained dwarf can usually stop one without injury, but if you're particularly unfortunate it is always possible for a rhesus macaque (as is for any creature) to cause grievous bodily injury or even kill, mostly because they will latch on with their bite attack.  While sometimes speed is of the essence to avoid losing valuable objects, it is always safest to attack them with [[soldier|proper warrior]]s or [[marksdwarves]] instead of just any convenient unarmored, novice [[wrestler]]s who happen to be nearby, as getting the first strike is usually sufficient to dispatch or maim one of these little brats.  Enjoy your [[Kitchen|*Rhesus Macaque biscuits*]].

It has been suggested by some that Rhesus Macaque meat cooked with [[dwarven syrup]] is used for a tasty dwarven candy, or Rhesus Pieces. [http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=46408.msg922819#msg922819]