Golden snub-nosed monkey

The golden snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus roxellana) is an Old World monkey in the subfamily Colobinae.[1] It is endemic to a small area in temperate, mountainous forests of central and Southwest China.[3] They inhabit these mountainous forests of Southwestern China at elevations of 1,500-3,400 m above sea level.[4] The Chinese name is Sichuan golden hair monkey (四川金丝猴). It is also widely referred to as the Sichuan snub-nosed monkey.[4][5][6] Of the three species of snub-nosed monkeys in China, the golden snub-nosed monkey is the most widely distributed throughout China.[4]

Snow occurs frequently within its range and it can withstand colder average temperatures than any other non-human primates.[7] Its diet varies markedly with the seasons, but it is primarily an herbivore with lichens being its main food source. It is diurnal and largely arboreal, spending some 97% of its time in the canopy. There are three subspecies. Population estimates range from 8,000 to 15,000 and it is threatened by habitat loss.[2]