Pro: Yunnan Snub Nosed
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10 OF THE WEIRDEST PRIMATE SPECIES
#8 YUNNAN SNUB-NOSED MONKEY
Rhinopithecus bieti
YES!
Also called the BLACK SNUB-NOSED MONKEY
and the BLACK-AND-WHITE-SNUB-NOSED-MONKEY
Common names are not officially defined. They are based on everyday conversational language and may differ by country, region, profession, community, or other factors. As a result, it is not unusual for a species to have more than one common name.
Scientific names are in Latin and they are written in italics. They are standardized and for everyone, no matter what language you may speak. They are bound by a formal naming system, called binominal nomenclature, that has strict rules. Scientific names prevent misidentification. Those names only change if a species, or its genus, is officially redesignated by experts.
Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys are endemic to the Yunnan Province of China, in the Yunling mountain range in northwestern Yunnan and southeastern Tibet. This region borders the Tibet Autonomous Region to the northwest, the provinces of Sichuan to the north, Guizhou to the east, and the Zhuang Autonomous Region of Guangxi to the southeast, as well as the countries of Vietnam, Laos, and Myanmar.
- Only found in the Trans-Himalayas in China’s Yunnan Province; a region characterized by isolated forests, inaccessible canyons, and deep valleys
- They are the only nonhuman primates that live at such high altitudes and low temperatures
- It is speculated that their flat noses protect them from frostbite
- One of the most protected species in China, only an estimated 2,000 individuals remain
Deforestation and climate change are the main causes of the species’ decline. Habitat fragmentation and the lack of forest corridors contribute to the genetic isolation and inbreeding of southern troops, especially because the southern Yunnan region is most influenced by human presence. These gentle creatures are also at risk from poaching, many losing limbs in snares set for deer, and sometimes become poisoned by pesticides used by the forestry department for pest control.
- Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys have very specific climatic, environmental, and dietary needs that cannot be replicated or met in human living conditions.
- To become pets, baby primates are stolen from their mothers. As a result, they do not develop normally emotionally.
- When taken from the wild, their mothers are killed to capture the baby.
- Primates are never domesticated. They always remain wild.
- Caged primates are very unhappy and frustrated. They are likely to resist confinement. They are quick and cause damaging bites and scratches. Some die as a result of their captivity.
- Many locations have strict regulations that prohibit trading in or keeping primates and endangered species are pets.
- Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys belong with other snub-nosed monkeys high in the mountains of China. They and their habitats must be protected, not exploited.
Visit the YUNNAN SNUB-NOSED MONKEY Primate Species Profile