GOLDEN SNUB-NOSED MONKEY

The golden snub-nosed monkey, also known as the snub-nosed leaf monkey, the orange monkey and the Sichuan golden-haired monkey, is a small monkey that can only be found in the mountains of central and southwest China, including the mountains of Tibet.

 It ranges from 20 to 26 inches long and can live for over 20 years.

Why do snub-nosed monkeys have such short noses? You might wonder. Well, it’s because they live in cold forests high up in the mountains. In such a cold place, a long nose would be difficult to keep warm. It might even get frost-bitten.

Another adaptation snub-nosed monkeys have to the cold is their thick, long fur. 

Female golden snub-nosed monkeys give birth to just one infant each year, particularly from March to June. The infant is born gray, not golden and become golden in adulthood. 

In the wild, golden snub-nosed monkeys spend most of their time up in the trees where they sleep, feed and socialize. 

What do golden snub-nosed monkeys eat? The answer depends on the season. In winter, golden snub-nosed monkeys eat mostly the bark of trees. In spring, they eat seeds, buds and leaves. In summer, they eat leaves and insects and in fall, they eat fruits. There is, however, one type of food available all year that the golden snub-nosed monkeys like to eat – lichen, which is what grows on trees when fungi and algae combine.

It lives in units that consist of one male and several females. Here’s an interesting fact for you – the fur of the golden snub-nosed monkey was once believed to have medicinal properties. In particular, it was considered a cure for rheumatism and could prevent a person from getting it. Because of this, the rich and the government officials used to wear clothes made of golden snub-nosed monkey fur.

Sadly, the hunting of golden snub-nosed monkeys for their fur is one of the reasons why they are currently endangered, with less than 2,000 of them believed to remain in the wild. Other reasons include the destruction of forests, the harvesting of dead trees which provide the most lichen and hunting of the monkeys for meat, although laws have already been put in place to prevent these. 
We can only hope that they will succeed in saving this rare and beautiful monkey.