Sichuan monkey subspecies, distribution area, appearance, habitats, lifestyle and behavior, nutrition, reproduction. Content at home. On ancient Chinese silk-screen printing and world-famous porcelain vases, along with stylized dragons, fantastic fish and all kinds of outlandish animals and birds, you can often find an image of a monkey with an amazing color - golden wool and a blue muzzle. In China, this original creature has been called Sichuan since ancient times, which literally means “monkey with golden wool” or “golden monkey”.
Sichuan discovery history
For a long time, European connoisseurs of beauty considered the golden blue-faced monkeys depicted on Chinese vases to be nothing more than fairy-tale characters of mysterious Chinese mythology, the same as the famous dragons - symbols of the Celestial Empire. And only in the second half of the 19th century, the enlightened Old World learned about the real existence of this unusual creature.
The European discoverer of the chenelike monkey was the Catholic missionary Armand David, who succeeded not so much in converting the Chinese to Catholicism as in his zoological discoveries of a hitherto unknown world.
The further study of the open species of primates was continued by the famous French zoologist Milne-Edwards, who gave him the Latin name in accordance with his observations and priorities - Rhinopithecus roxellana - "rhinopithecus", which simply means "nosed monkey".
Milne-Edwards was not so much struck by the bright color of the discovered primate as by the unusually upturned noses of the representatives of the found species. But the zoologist did not reflect the chenille and golden fur of the animal in his name in any way. And he was right. As it turned out later, three more subspecies of this unusual animal live in the mountainous regions of Southwestern China. And only one of them has a golden outfit. But the noses really turned out to be equally snub-nosed. And this snub-nosed similarity with the famous slave, and then the beloved wife of the Turkish Sultan Suleiman I the Magnificent, Ukrainian Roksolana, made it possible to endow this species with another name - roxellana.
Subspecies and habitat of the snub-nosed monkey
Currently, zoologists distinguish three subspecies of this cute creature:
- Mupin's golden snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus roxellana roxellana). The subspecies is distributed in the mountains of the Chinese province of Sichuan. This is the largest subspecies in terms of population. In total, there are about 10,000 individuals.
- Qinling snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus roxellana qinlingensis). The population numbers up to 4,000 primates. Settled in Qinling province (where the name of the subspecies comes from) and in the south of Shaanxi province.
- Hubei snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus roxellana hubeiensis). Up to 1000 representatives of the subspecies live in mountainous areas in the west of Hubei province.
In addition to the already well-known Chinese species, in 2010 another species of these animals was discovered in northeastern Burma, named by zoologists the Burmese snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus strykeri). The population of the new species numbers from 260 to 330 individuals and lives in the valleys of the Salween and Mekong rivers.
The appearance of rhinopithecus
The monkey, in terms of its external data and anatomical features of the body structure, is quite comparable to the well-known monkey. In fact, this is the monkey, only dressed in a thick warm fur coat, which in Roxellan's rhinopithecus is also painted in a bright orange-golden color. I must say that the color of the fur of different subspecies varies greatly. For example, the recently discovered Burmese species has a completely black fur color (only the chin and ears of these creatures are white).
The snub-nosed monkey's fur is so thick and warm that it can easily endure the low winter temperatures of the mountainous regions of China. For this frost resistance, these animals are sometimes even called "snow monkeys". The growth of the primate is 58–76 centimeters (depending on the subspecies). The length of the tail is 50–72 centimeters. On average, the mass of males of this species is in the range of 15-16 kg. Females are larger, weighing up to 35 kg.
Rhinopithecus has a round head with large dark expressive eyes, framed by blue glasses, with a blue muzzle and a very upturned nose. It is impossible to confuse this animal with some other kind of thin-bodied primates, it is so extraordinary in appearance.
Snub-nosed monkey habitat
Chinese snub-nosed primates of all subspecies mainly inhabit the subtropical forests of the mountainous regions of southern and central China. Small groups of these animals are also found in the forests of North Vietnam and India.
In the warm season, flocks migrate, rising higher - up to 3500 meters above sea level. In winter, they descend into the warmer lower forests of the foothills.
The largest population of rhinopithecus lives in the Wolun National Reserve in the Chinese province of Sichuan.
The lifestyle and behavior in nature of a snub-nosed monkey
Roxellanic rhinopithecus are social animals that prefer to live in large groups. Moreover, the number of individuals in these monkey groups can be very different. The maximum number of such a community, officially recorded by scientists, was about 600 animals. However, in spring, animals are always divided into smaller detachments-families of 40-60 individuals, and sometimes even fewer.
The usual family of rhinopithecus consists of a dominant male, five to six adult females and their young of all generations, which in total adds up to those same 40-60 individuals. The habitat of one such family occupies from 15 to 50 square meters. km, depending on the terrain and the availability of food.
These primates spend almost all their time in the trees, descending to the ground only for some special food or to sort out relations in the family and between monkey clans.
It rarely comes to serious clashes in the environment of these animals. Usually, territorial or other conflicts are limited only to mutually threatening postures and loud shouts. When a real danger appears, the monkeys immediately return to the trees.
Despite the fact that "snub-noses" prefer the upper tier of the forest for their existence and do not like to travel on land, as it was recently found out, they are not at all afraid of water and are able to swim well. Communication of primates and the regulation of their social hierarchy occurs with the help of special postures, gestures, grooming each other's hair, giving sound signals and loud cries.
In general, the lifestyle of these amazing animals has not yet been fully studied. Also, their real life expectancy has not been precisely established. Zoologists so far only assume that it may be approximately 19–20 years old.
Primate feeding
Snub-nosed monkeys are 100% vegetarians, but the diet of these funny-looking animals depends entirely on the season.
In the summer, their diet is quite rich - edible fruits of trees, succulent plant leaves, nuts, berries, fruits, wild onions, young shoots of bamboo, iris and saffron bulbs.
In the cold winter season, even going down to the warmer lower forests, primates are forced to be content with the remains of grass, thin branches and bark of trees, lichens and pine needles.
Reproduction of snub-nosed monkeys
The females of this cute creature reach sexual maturity at the age of 4–5 years of age. Males, a little later - at 7 years old.
Despite the fact that they can mate throughout the year, the main mating season, as a rule, occurs in late summer and early autumn. Females of the same family "harem" are quite tolerant of each other, without entering into conflicts for the sexual attention of the head of the family.
The female, capable of conception, with her specific behavior, assuming appropriate postures and giving signals unambiguous for the male snub-nosed monkey, calls on the leader of the family to mate. True, this does not always work. The male, according to the observations of zoologists, reciprocates her only in half of the cases.
Pregnancy of female rhinopithecus lasts for 7 months. As a result, usually in the middle of spring, from one to two cubs are born.
Nursing Sichuan offspring
The period of milk feeding of young snub-nosed monkeys by the mother lasts for 1 year. After that, the diet of babies is no different from the diet of adults of the flock.
Both parents are engaged in raising little "snub-noses". As needed, other females of the monkey family provide care for the maturing cubs. In especially harsh winters, the whole family tightly hugs each other, trying first of all to warm the kids.
Natural enemies of the snub-nosed monkey
Natural enemies in nature in this species of monkeys are few. Not every predatory animal is able to reach them in mountainous areas.
In the central and southern parts of China, the most dangerous enemy of the rhinopithecus is the clouded leopard, capable of tracking and easily catching even the nimblest of monkeys in a tree.
The small Chinese tiger, which lives in the same upland forests as the primates, is also dangerous. But the population of the striped predator itself is under the threat of extinction (there are about 20 individuals in total) and therefore does not pose a particular danger to rhinopithecus.
But until recently, the main enemy of these magnificent cute animals was man. For centuries, hardworking Chinese lumberjacks and peasants conquered new lands from the wild forest for their needs, depriving the animals inhabiting the forests of their habitual habitat and food, forcing them to leave their usual habitats.
In addition, the barbaric extermination of snub-nosed monkeys by people took place for their meat. Specific Chinese cuisine, considers all the monkeys in the world only from a gastronomic point of view. Rhinopithecs, in this sense, were not a happy exception. On the contrary, this trophy has always been considered very valuable. The lucky hunter, in addition to tasty meat, also got the magnificent fur of Roxellan's rhinopithecus, which, according to popular beliefs in China, “helps” well against rheumatism.
Only recently, when the snub-nosed monkey approached the brink of extinction, did the Chinese authorities wake up. Nowadays, rhinopithecus is widely taken under the protection of the state, and poaching has become severely punished. The measures taken paid off, the primate population began to slowly recover.
Keeping an exotic primate at home
The snub-nosed monkey was listed in the Red Book of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources in 2008.
According to the legislation of the People's Republic of China, trade in this rarest animal is strictly prohibited, which excludes the possibility of legal acquisition of it as a pet.
Learn more about snub-nosed monkeys in this video:
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