Monkeys that are adapted to colder/temperate climates interest me a lot. Asia seems to have pretty much the monopoly on them though- Tibetan and Japanese Macaques, the Chinese Snub-nosed species. I'm guessing those strange nasal slits must be some sort of adaptation to the temperature and/or altitude they live in. The rest of the animal is covered in thick woolly fur which is obviously heat retentive. The blue/black colour scheme of this species is attractive too- did they seem well camouflaged in their environment?
I have always imagined that the form of the nose is to reduce the amount of flesh that can be frost-bitten!
They are well-camouflaged, but at the same time I doubt they have many predators anyway. I'm not sure how camouflaged golden snub-noses would be though!!
What a lovely shot! You were so lucky to have seen them so close...
I'v been in China for quite a bit, but I'm in the Shanghai region, and the only truly wild monkeys anywhere near here are the Anhui subspecies of the Tibetan Macaque in the Yellow Mountains..
Great shot. Have you any that show the set-up at the baiting area with the people watching etc, as described in your blog? I'd be interested in the wider picture too.
