The Golden Monkey
The Golden Monkey is also known as the Sichuan Snub-nosed Monkey.
The Golden Monkey is one of the most beautiful and rare animals in the world.Although it is said to be unique to China,it actually resides in the Albertines Rift in Africa.A great valley that runs north to south for some 5,000 kilometres,from northern Syria in Southwest Asia to central Mozambique in East Africa.Local people have long believed that Golden Monkey fur wards off rheumatism and in the past,only Manchurian officials were allowed to wear coats made of their pelts.
Endemic to Albertines Rift,the Golden monkey is confined to the Virunga Volcanoes.It lives at the highest altitude (over 10,000 feet) of any primate,and is one of the most endangered animals on earth,with only 1,500 individuals living in the wild in fragmented populations.Golden monkeys live mainly in the trees,although Golden Monkeys also spend a great deal of time on the ground.
The Golden monkey has a soft pelt,a round head,short ears and a tail as long as or longer than its body length.Golden Monkeys vary in length between 57 and 76 centimetres with a tail of up to 72 centimetres long.A pair of bright and beautiful eyes sparkles on its azure-blue face.It has a small snub-nose and a sarcoma at the corner of its mouth,which becomes bigger and harder with time.Its long tresses resemble shiny,gold wool.
Golden monkeys live in very large groups of up to 600 individuals dividing into bands of 60 - 70 individuals in the winter.Males and females make different calls,while it is known that members of the same group sing together.Grooming develops bonding between offspring and female adults.
Golden Monkeys live in a harsh environment so they have adapted to a varied diet,ranging from tree leaves,pine and fir needles,bamboo shoots,buds,fruits,lichens,tree bark,insects,worms,small birds and their eggs.
Female Golden Monkeys mature at about 4 - 5 years and produce one offspring after around 7 - 8 months gestation.Golden Monkeys have a life span similar to its relatives - 20 - 25 years.
The Golden monkey is an endangered species and faces a range of ongoing threats and the persisting effects of past disturbances,including habitat loss,human predation and the biological vulnerability associated with having the entire species occur in eleven small,isolated populations.As is true for other forest dwelling monkeys,Golden monkeys fall prey to leopards.Other potential predators include snakes and birds of prey.
