﻿ Snub-Nosed Monkey Facts, History, Useful Information and Amazing Pictures

Snub-Nosed Monkey

This is one of the few species of primate living exclusively outside the tropics, inhabiting the cold mountain forests on south-eastern slopes of the Tibetan plateau in China.

Snub-nosed monkeys are mostly tree-living, but will come to the ground occasionally to search for wild onions and to eat grass. In summer, when food is relatively abundant, up to 600 snub-nosed monkeys may live together, but as winter falls and food becomes more scarce, these large gatherings split up into smaller groups of 60 - 70 animals.

Snub-nosed monkeys have many vocalizations, the most common being a loud "ga-ga" call made when food is found.

There are probably fewer than 15,000 left in the wild because they have been hunted for their beautiful fur and for other parts that are used in medicines.

Although snub-nosed monkeys have dull, grey-black fur on the top of their head, shoulders, back and tail, other parts of the body are covered in a rich, golden fur, giving them their other name, the golden monkey.

Distribution: Mountainous areas of the Tibetan plateau in south-western China.

Habitat: Mountain broadleaf and conifer forests.

Food: Leaves, buds, bark, grass and lichens.

Size: 57 - 76 cm (22 - 30 in); 12 - 21 kg (26 - 46 lb).

Maturity: Females 4 - 5 years; males 7 years.

Breeding: 1 or occasionally 2 young.

Life span: Unknown.

Status: Vulnerable.

Snub-nosed Langur

This large, longtailed monkey has a distinctive upturned nose, hence its common name, and golden hairs on its forehead, throat and cheeks. Because of their remote, mountainous range, few snub-nosed monkeys have yet been observed or caught. They are said to live in troops of 100 or more and to feed on fruit, buds, leaves and bamboo shoots.

Range: S.W. and S. China, Tibet.

Habitat: Mountain forest; winters in lower valleys.

Size: Body: 197 - 327 in (50 - 83 cm). Tail: 20 in - 3 1/4 ft (51 cm - 1 m).

Gallery of Snub-Nosed Monkey