A Golden snub-nosed monkey is born in freezing temperatures at the top of the Qin Ling Mountain. They mature at age 7, but its life span is unknown. There are about 20,000 of these Golden snub-nosed monkeys. Their appetite consists of seeds, fruit, and leaves and sometimes lichens, twigs and bark.There are only this much since logging, humans settling down and hunting for their fur, bones, and meat have rapidly reduced their numbers.
Golden snub-nosed monkeys are used to cold climates and rocks, sometimes water even. However they still live in trees like other monkeys, approximately 90% of their lives. The monkeys are white-yellow when juvenile but they will turn a dark gold when older . Their faces are blue, their teeth are sharp like fangs. Other than that they look very similar to humans. Their faces are thought to combat cold and frostbite.
A Golden snubbed nosed monkey may live in groups some topping 400 monkeys. Very big groups can usually have 3 miles of territory. Some of them guards the territory fiercely as others collect food. Females raise their young ones; as the little monkeys grow up, they start helping out, including defending the group. However there arer some who are solitude as the rapid decrease of their population occurred. Large groups of monkeys drive off dangerous predators.
The Golden snub-nosed monkey’s scientific name is Rhinopithecus roxellana whose name was inspired by the snub- nosed concubine of a 1500s sultan.
There are other snub-nosed monkeys: only 2,500 black snub-nosed monkeys, 900 gray snub-nosed monkeys, 300 Myanmar snub-nosed monkeys, and only 200 Tonkin snub-nosed monkeys. So, golden snubbed nosed monkeys are actually doing well comparatively speaking. I hope to learn more about this interesting species of monkeys.
Note: This is a reading summary of an National Geographic article by Nicholas. The picture is downloaded from http://www.easytourchina.com/
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