Snub-nosed monkeys
| Snub-nosed monkeys | ||||||||||||
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Gold blunt noses ( Rhinopithecus roxellana ) |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Rhinopithecus | ||||||||||||
| Milne Edwards , 1872 |
The snub-nosed monkeys ( Rhinopithecus ) are a genus of primate from the group of the slender monkeys within the family of the vervet monkeys (Cercopithecidae). The genus includes five species that live in China, Vietnam and the north of Myanmar and are sometimes very rare.
description
The snub-nosed monkeys get their name from the short, snub-noses that barely protrude from the round face and whose openings are directed forward. They are relatively colorful monkeys with long fur, especially on their shoulders and back. They reach a head body length of 51 to 83 cm and a tail length of 55 to 97 cm.
distribution and habitat
Snub-nosed monkeys live in Asia, their range includes relict forests in the central and southern regions of China and northern Vietnam . They inhabit mountain forests up to an altitude of 4500 meters. The three Chinese species live in temperate conifers - or mixed forests, where it often snows and gets very cold in winter, they are among the most cold-tolerant primates of all.
Lifestyle and diet
Two species, the golden and black snub noses, live partly on the ground and partly in the trees (semi-terrestrial), while the gray and tonkin snub noses are mostly found on trees. All species live together in variable groups of sometimes 600 specimens, which split up into smaller subgroups in times of food shortage (especially in winter). Subgroups consist of 5 to 75 animals and are mostly harem groups with only one male. Blunt noses are territorial animals that defend their territory primarily by shouting against others. In general, they know a variety of sounds, which are sometimes performed almost like a choir by several animals at the same time.
Snub noses are herbivores, their food consists of tree needles, buds, fruits, leaves and seeds. In winter they often eat lichen or tree bark. A multi-chambered stomach helps them digest their food.
Reproduction
The impulse to mate comes from the female. It makes eye contact with the male and then walks away a short distance, sometimes showing him her genital area as well. When the male shows interest, which is not always the case, mating occurs. After around 200 days of gestation, a young is usually born in spring or early summer. Young animals become sexually mature at five to seven years of age. Nothing is known about breastfeeding or life expectancy.
threat
The snub-nosed monkeys are among the most threatened primates. In the past, the hunt was partly to blame for this, and the fur of these monkeys is also considered a remedy for rheumatism and was made into ceremonial clothing in the Chinese Empire. Today the clearing of the forests is the main culprit for the threat. Fewer than 1500 of four of the five species live today, only the golden snub nose is more common.
Types and systematics
Five species are distinguished within the genus of snub noses:
- The golden snub nose ( Rhinopithecus roxellana ) is predominantly golden yellow and the most common and best-known species.
- The black snub nose ( R.ebei ) lives in Yunnan and Tibet.
- The gray or Guizhou blunt nose ( R. brelichi ) occurs only in the Fanjin Mountains in the Chinese province of Guizhou.
- The Tonkin snub nose ( R. avunculus ) does not live in China, but in northern Vietnam. With only around 300 animals left, it is the rarest species.
- The Burmese snub-nosed monkey ( Rhinopithecus strykeri ) from northern Myanmar
The Pageh snub nose , which forms its own genus ( Simias ), does not belong to this genus .
Their closest relatives are the robed monkeys , sometimes they are even placed in the same genus as this ( Pygathrix ).
literature
- Thomas Geissmann : Comparative Primatology. Springer-Verlag, Berlin et al. 2003, ISBN 3-540-43645-6 .
- Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World. 6th edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 1999, ISBN 0-8018-5789-9 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Geissmann. T et al .: A new species of Snub-nosed monkey, Genus Rhinopithecus Milne-Edwards, 1872 (Primates, Colobianae), From Northern Kachin State, Northeastern Myanmar. In: American Journal of Primatology, Wiley-Blackwell, doi : 10.1002 / ajp.20894
