Snub-nosed monkeys. Golden snub-nosed monkeys (Pygathrix roxellana) Sichuan, China Alpine monkeys
Golden snub-nosed monkeys (Pygathrix roxellana) live in Southern and Central China. The largest populations of primates live in Wolong National Nature Reserve (Sichuan).
Golden snub-nosed monkey, lives in the subtropical zone - in the north and south of China. But at the same time she climbs so high into the mountains that her living conditions are very harsh. The golden monkey can rise to a height of three thousand meters, and does not descend below a thousand meters even in winter. Insensitive to cold and bad weather, the thin and fragile-looking golden monkey, like a real mountain hermit, is undemanding when it comes to food. She is a complete vegetarian. It feeds mainly on leaves and grass, but if necessary it can even eat tree bark and pine needles. The largest populations are found in the Wolong National Nature Reserve (Sichuan). In the south, golden monkeys are found in Gansu province. The golden monkey inhabits the forests of Assam (India). There are between 10,000 and 15,000 monkeys of this species.
Europeans also gave the monkey a scientific name Pygathrix roxellana. The beautiful monkey was named after the famous beauty ancient world Roksolans. Roksolana was a beloved wife Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent. And the monkeys, like Roksolana, have an upturned nose. Their nose is so high that the nostrils are stretched out. They are also called the golden snub-nosed monkey.
Appearance. The body length (with head) of adult monkeys is up to 75 cm, the tail length is 50-70 cm. The weight of males is 16 kg, females are much larger: 25-35 kg. Sexual maturity occurs in males at 7 years, in females at 4-5 years. Pregnancy is seven months long. The cubs are raised by both parents.
Golden snub-nosed monkeys They feed seasonally on needles and branches, as well as bamboo shoots, nuts, berries, bark, fruits and leaves, sometimes grass and wild onions.
Herds of 100 to 600 monkeys were observed, which in the spring were divided into small groups of 60-70 animals. Outside the groups they live in families - one male and five females, as well as their offspring, total number members up to 40. Family territory 15-50 sq. km. Monkeys call to each other with loud calls to determine the location of a group member. They mate throughout the year, but most cases occur between August and November. The female expresses her readiness by specific behavior: she looks intently at the male, then suddenly runs away a short distance. A number of characteristic poses also signal this. The male responds with readiness only in half of the cases; as a sign of approval, he opens his mouth wide. Pregnancy lasts 7 months. 1-2 cubs are born in April-August and enter the care of the mother. The father takes care of the fur of his offspring.
They spend most of their lives in trees, sometimes descending to the ground to sort out relationships in a group or between groups. The golden monkey is a very active animal; at the sight of danger, it instantly flies up to the upper branches of the tree.
Over the past few years, due to deforestation and hunting for meat and precious thick fur, the number of snub-nosed monkeys has fallen sharply. But the Chinese government caught on in time and began creating a large network of parks and reserves, as well as applying tough measures to combat poaching. As a result, the number of primates has stabilized slightly and even increased. There are now about 5,000 monkeys living in Chinese forests.
The golden monkey is one of the symbols of China. Her image can often be found on antique vases and silk canvases. However, it looks much more impressive live. And anyone who sees her for the first time involuntarily thinks about whether she is really an ordinary animal?
Features of the view
The Golden Monkey (Golden Monkey in English) is an amazing representative of the Monkey family. In China, it has long been considered one of the symbols of wealth, and therefore its image is engraved on many amulets, paintings and vases. But for a long time, Europeans were confident that the golden monkey was just a mythical character that had nothing to do with reality.
Imagine their surprise when, in the second half of the 19th century, the English priest Armand David brought proof of the existence of this species. This news created a lot of hype in the scientific community. This was the impetus for the French naturalist Milne-Edwards to travel to China to study the primate. It was he who later gave the golden snub-nosed monkey the scientific name Rhinopithecus roxellana.
Area
The golden monkey lives only in Southern and Central China. At the same time, Sichuan province is considered her favorite place. This is easily explained by the fact that there is a national reserve here, and order in it is strictly protected by law.
In early 2010, there were rumors that a small population of these primates also lived in northeastern Burma. However, further research led to the fact that the Burmese snub-nosed monkey lost its “golden” status. And all because she did not have the right coat color. As a result, this primate was classified as a separate subspecies, and China, as before, remained the only habitat of the unique beast.
Golden monkey: description
This species is a typical representative of monkeys. These are medium-sized primates. Their height varies from 60 to 75 cm. Moreover, females are much larger than males. So, if the latter weigh about 15-18 kg, then the former can reach 30 kg or more. This difference is especially noticeable in the summer, when all members of the flock eat well.
But the color is exactly what makes the monkey stand out. The primate's golden coat sparkles in the sun. In its rays, she becomes bright orange, as if the flame itself froze in her. It should be noted that the fur is very thick. Thanks to this, the golden monkey does not freeze even in winter, when the temperature drops below zero.
The face of this animal looks no less funny. The first thing that catches your eye is her blue “mask” that covers almost her entire face. It is she who gives the beast that mystical aura that constantly hovers around it. The monkey’s nose also looks very funny: it is turned up strongly, as if an invisible finger is pressing it.
Features of behavior
The golden snub-nosed monkey is a socially active animal. She prefers to settle in large groups 40-50 individuals each. She chooses for her home a big tree or a cliff that becomes the heart of the colony. This is necessary in order to protect yourself from ground enemies, as well as establish the center of your territory.
The head of the family is always the male. The title of leader allows him to mate with the most attractive females. Often there are about 5-7 “girls” in his harem. Lower down the hierarchy are young and strong males. Any of them can take the place of leader if they win a fair fight.
Regarding the duels themselves, they most often take place remotely. Opponents are simply trying to scream at each other. The winner is the one who lasts the longest or can demonstrate the most formidable voice. In this way, not only pair competitions are held, but also group competitions. The latter take place during territorial conflicts, which, although rare, do occur.
Diet
Let's start with the fact that this is a completely herbivorous monkey. The golden snub-nosed monkey eats only fruits, berries and plants. Young and iris bulbs are considered her favorite delicacy. But in the absence of the latter, it can calmly satisfy its hunger with the help of succulent leaves or grass.
The snub-nosed monkey has a much worse time in winter. When snow covers the ground, all she has to do is look for the remains of unfrozen greenery, thin branches, moss and spruce needles. Also on such days, the golden monkey tries to move as little as possible so as not to waste precious energy.
Type problems
Today, the golden snub-nosed monkey is on the verge of extinction. In total, only 12-15 thousand monkeys live in China. The sharp decline in the population occurred due to the fact that in the last century people cut down most of the forest in which these animals used to live.
In addition, for a long time, golden monkeys were a favorite delicacy on the table of Asians. Some even believed that the meat of these monkeys could bring good luck to those who eat it. Fortunately, such barbarism is prohibited today. However, even these measures cannot guarantee that in the future the species will be able to move beyond the dangerous line. Yet scientists are confident that the golden monkeys' worst days are behind them.
Detected the new kind monkeys October 16th, 2015
The Burmese snub-nosed monkey, or Rhinopithecus strykeri, is a species of slender-bodied monkey that scientists discovered in Burma in 2010. They are often confused with the bright orange Rhinopithecus roxellana, which lives in central and southern China.
The snub-nosed monkey was discovered by a team from Myanmar Primate Conservation, which was sponsored by John Stryker. This new monkey was named after him. Scientists conducting an expedition in northern Burma received skulls and bones of the future Rhinopithecus strykeri from local hunters. Scientists examined the remains and decided that they may belong to an as yet undescribed species. Further, scientists still managed to discover primates in the valleys of the Mekong and Salween rivers. According to scientists, only one population of Burmese snub-nosed monkeys has been discovered - about 300 individuals.
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Besides its distinctive black coloration with a white muzzle, the main feature of this monkey is its deformed, raised nose (see photo). According to local hunters, when it rains, the monkey sneezes loudly as water gets into their nose. Therefore, often when it rains, she can be seen sitting and lowering her head between her knees, thereby protecting herself from the rain. The locals call this monkey “mey nwoah”, which in Burmese means “monkey with its head raised up”. The Burmese monkey is on the verge of extinction due to the fact that local people eat it and it has no cultural value for them. The Burmese snub-nosed monkey is the rarest species of the primate order.
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Science learned about the existence of the Burmese snub-nosed monkey only in 2010. There are extremely few of these monkeys and they are lost on small area deep jungle. However, local tribes have been familiar with these animals for a long time and call them the monkey with an inverted face. And all because she sneezes when it rains.
The nostrils of the Burmese snub-nosed monkey are very short. This causes her to sneeze from the raindrops. Wanting to protect himself from this, the monkey sits during the rain with his head bowed and hidden between his knees. Locals often saw her with her head down.
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Rhinopithecus strykeri is still poorly studied, but for now we will report on what is known. The monkey's fur is mostly black. She has a mane of long black hair on her head. Their face is pink, without any hair. However, the monkey wears a whitish mustache and beard.
The Burmese snub-nosed monkey is about half a meter tall. But the tail is one and a half times longer than the rest of the body.
Presumably, three or four flocks live in an area of 270 square kilometers. They live only in the northeast of Burma, that is, in the Eastern Himalayas at an altitude of 1700 (in winter) to 3200 meters (in summer, when there is no snow), in isolation from other primates. Their total number is estimated at 260-330 monkeys.
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"It's just incredible to discover a new species of primate, especially a new species of snub-nosed monkey, because it's extremely, extremely rare," Frank Momberg, director of Asia-Pacific development at the international charity Fauna & Flora International, told the BBC. (FFI). Including these snub-nosed monkeys, Burma now has 15 species of primates, highlighting the country's importance to the conservation of biodiversity on earth."
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International charity Fauna & Flora International is calling for urgent action to protect the newly discovered primate species. They primarily address their appeals to timber traders. “If we can convince local people to stop hunting snub-nosed monkeys and create a patrol team, and provide alternative livelihoods for those who rely entirely on logging for income, we can save [the species] from extinction,” - said Frank Momberg.
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One day, a priest named Arman David came to China. But, instead of studying religion, he began to study strange snub-nosed monkeys with golden fur. Why did they attract him so much?
Take a look at these monkeys for yourself and you will understand that you can’t help but pay attention to such beauties! That same priest decided to come up with a name for these red-haired beauties. And he gave them a name... Roksolana, in honor of the beloved wife of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent - the famous ruler Ottoman Empire 16th century. Why? Did the beautiful Roksolana look like a monkey? Not at all! She just had an upturned snub nose, which the visionary priest remembered. So the monkey began to bear the name Pygathrix roxellana in the scientific world. These mammals belong to the monkey family of the primate order and are part of the genus Pygatrix.
Appearance of the monkey Roksolana
Adult snub-nosed monkeys grow up to 75 centimeters in length, but this does not take into account the tail, which sometimes makes up 100% of the body length (from 50 to 70 centimeters). Females of this species are larger than males.
The weight of females ranges from 25 to 35 kilograms, while males weigh about 16 kilograms.
What is most striking about the appearance of these monkeys is their coloring. Their muzzle is not covered with hair, the skin on it is bluish-blue in color. The fur is thick, around the head and in the neck area - bright red, which is why the monkeys were called golden. The rest of the body is colored grayish-brown. The chest area and part of the belly are white. Look at the photo - they are so cute, aren't they?
Where do golden snub-nosed monkeys live?
These mammals can be found in China - in the southern and central parts. And the largest population lives in a reserve located in Sichuan province.
Lifestyle of golden monkeys
Snub-nosed monkeys are very unpretentious animals. For the most part they are arboreal animals. They very rarely come down to earth, only when absolutely necessary. It is worth noting that, if necessary, snub-nosed monkeys can overcome even small bodies of water.
Scientists note that golden monkeys prefer to live in large herds, sometimes the number of individuals in them reaches 600 monkeys. In the spring months, Roksolans are divided into smaller groups - 60 individuals each.
These monkeys feel comfortable in the subtropical zone. Sometimes they can be found in mountainous areas up to an altitude of 3000 meters, because thanks to their warm fur, snub-nosed monkeys are not afraid of weather changes.
Golden monkeys are very mobile creatures; in the blink of an eye they can climb to the highest branch of a tree, so that no one can catch up with them.
What does the golden snub-nosed monkey eat?
Despite the large teeth, the snub-nosed monkey is a herbivorous creature. These creatures are completely undemanding when it comes to food. Whenever possible, they eat fruits, berries and nuts. If these “products” are not available, then monkeys can satisfy their appetite with bark, bamboo shoots, leaves, branches, wild onions, pine needles and even lichens.
How do golden snub-nosed monkeys reproduce?
The mating season begins in August and lasts until November. To attract the attention of the male, the female monkey begins to “bewitch” him: first she looks intently at her chosen one, and then abruptly runs away from him. But not every male responds to such signs of attention. Apparently the male golden monkey is not that easy to please!
If, nevertheless, a pair is formed, then the monkeys begin mating. The female carries the cubs for about 7 months. Snub-nosed monkeys give birth to 1–2 babies. After birth, the mother takes care of the offspring, and the father only takes care of the babies’ fur.
The scientific name for these small, golden-furred Chinese monkeys is Roxellan rhinopithecus. Their noses are so snub-nosed that it looks like all they have left are nostrils. The name of these funny animals mentions the name of the beautiful Roksolana (1506 - 1558) - the wife of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, a woman as cruel as she was smart and beautiful. Legends say that she had an upturned nose.
These blue-faced monkeys are good family men - parents raise their cubs together. Roxellan's rhinopithecus lives in the mountainous regions of China, where the climate is quite harsh. Winters there are cold, and the snow does not melt until March. For such resistance to frost in China, these animals are sometimes called “ snow monkeys" When it’s especially cold, the whole family huddles together, trying to warm the baby.
Almost the entire life of these monkeys is spent in trees, where they find food and protection. The body size of these small monkeys does not exceed 75 cm, but the length of the tail is almost equal to the length of the body itself. Males become adults at 7 years, and females at 4-5.
These monkeys live in groups. The number of animals in a group can vary greatly: from 5 to 600. If the group is large, then smaller subgroups are distinguished, which are necessarily headed by an adult male. Male leaders prefer to stay somewhat aloof from their subordinates, especially during rest, while females are much more sociable. With such a complex social organization, conflicts inevitably arise from time to time, but it rarely comes to a serious fight. Usually opponents prefer to growl and bark at each other.
These monkeys spend more than 90% of their time in trees. They manage to enjoy fruits and vegetables only in the summer. The rest of the time they feed on bark, lichens and needles.
Roxellan's rhinopithecus does not like to go down to the ground. But when necessary, they move very deftly, and even overcome water obstacles.
Like all primates, Roxolanov's rhinopithecus devotes a lot of time to grooming. By grooming each other's fur, animals maintain their own social structure, and the young learn sexual behavior.
During this play battle, each of the young males will try to throw the enemy off the branch. Such games are good practice before real battles for females and territory. The population of these rare monkeys numbers no more than 15,000 individuals; the animals are listed in the Red Book.
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