Did You Know?

• The Golden Snub-Nosed Monkey can be found living in the cold, mountainous areas of central and southwest China
• Over the last 40 years the population of this awesome little monkey has decreased by approximately 50%
• The Golden Snub-Nosed Monkey is known to have the largest monkey troops with some having hundreds of individuals
• The large group of Snub-Nosed Monkeys are capable of chasing off large predators such as the Clouded Leopard

These Monkey’s Love the Cold

Typically, when you think about monkey’s you think about cute, little primates swinging from trees in the rainforest or some other tropical location. Well, the Golden Snub-Nosed Monkey dares to be different so they have decided to inhabit the cold, mountainous regions of China. In fact, the average temperature throughout their habitat range is approximately -5 degrees Celsius (26 degrees Fahrenheit) so far from the normal temperature those rainforest monkey’s are enjoying. As you might expect, this particular monkey has adapted a few features to help them endure the harsh mountain climates. These include stubby fingers, a flat nose and a super-thick fur coat. Actually, if you look at the picture above, it almost looks like they are wearing little mittens, which would definitely come in handy during those cold winter nights.

The Snub-Nosed Monkey Rewards Courage and Perseverance

Perhaps, the cold weather has lead to their large group size…after all, cuddling with 400 other monkey’s would probably get you warm pretty quick. That’s right, these monkey troops have been known to contain more than 400 individuals making them the largest monkey troop in the world. In these societies, the mothers typically outnumber the rest of the group members, however, it is the males with multiple mates that receive the highest status. Interestingly enough, male monkey’s that show courage and perseverance also gain the respect of the other members and are given a higher status. I find this fact to be incredible. These monkeys realize the importance of having brave individuals that chase off deadly predators and help defend their territory and as such reward them by holding them at a higher level than the other members.