Golden snub-nosed monkey

The golden snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus roxellana) is an Old World monkey in the subfamily Colobinae. It is endemic to a small area of temperate, mountainous forest in central and southwest China, in the provinces of Sichuan, Gansu, Shaanxi and Hubei, at elevations of about 1,500 to 3,400 metres, where vegetation changes from broadleaf forest through mixed forest to conifers. Adult males have long golden guard hairs and weigh about 16 kilograms, roughly twice the size of females. The species is diurnal and largely arboreal, spending about 97 percent of its time in the canopy, and eats mainly plant matter, with lichens as its chief food. Groups range from 5 to 10 animals up to bands of about 600. Population estimates run from 8,000 to 15,000, habitat loss is a threat, and the species is listed on Appendix I of CITES.