Monkeys also need to treat mental internal exhaustion
Monkeys soaking in hot springs seem to be at ease, but in fact, monkeys are not easy to live. Monkeys also worry about status and singleness Author: JASON BITTEL, LINDA POON, SARAH GIBBENS Compilation: Red Queen Tips: It takes about 15 minutes to read this article in Jigokudani Wild Monkey Garden (Jigokudani Monkey Park), more than 100 monkeys bathing in hot springs, has become a special local scenery. The water temperature of the hot spring reaches over 38°C, and sometimes monkeys fall asleep in the steaming water. Photo: JASPER DOEST The monkeys here belong to the Japanese Macaque (Macaca fuscata), the most northerly distributed monkey in the world. Winters here are quite cold, sometimes dropping below -10°C. So soaking in hot springs is a rare treat for monkeys. At high altitudes, life is quite tough, and the baths provide protection for the monkeys. Although the body was soaked in hot water, the monkey's head was covered with snowflakes. PHOTO: JASPER DOEST Hot springs are still a luxury in the monkey world: Monkeys with high status can scare away monkeys with lower status and go into the water first. A young monkey emerges from the bottom of the water. PHOTO: JASPER DOEST Scientists examined monkey feces for glucocorticoids, which are produced when the body is under stress to maintain body temperature. The glucocorticoids produced by the monkeys in the hot springs will be reduced, indicating that the hot springs are their way of keeping warm. "Bath Uncle Monkey" relaxes in the hot spring. PHOTO: TIM LANMAN, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC Glucocorticoids are not only associated with physical stress, but also with psychological stress. So soaking in hot springs may not only be beneficial to the monkey's physical health, but also to relax and relieve stress. Another way for monkeys to relax is by combing to catch lice. Monkey grooming is not only for hygiene, but also to relieve tension and enhance companionship. PHOTO: JASPER DOEST What more pressure can a monkey have? "Hug man, it's not easy." The two Japanese macaque cubs hugged each other for warmth. PHOTOGRAPH BY JASPER DOEST Perhaps the pressure comes from the fear class slipping. A study of the Japanese macaque's relative, the Barbary macaque (Macaca sylvanus), showed that monkeys in the middle of society secrete more glucocorticoids than monkeys at the bottom of society, indicating greater psychological stress. A group of Barbary macaques in Morocco. PHOTOGRAPH BY FRANCISCO MIGNORANCE, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC This is because the monkeys in the middle class of society have a lot of instability, the monkeys in the upper class oppress them, and the monkeys in the lower class may overthrow them. Whether it is a human or a monkey, the "middle" class is not easy to be. "Come on, loosen the tendons for the boss!" Photo: TIM LAMAN, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC Perhaps the pressure comes from being single. In 2017, Alexandre Bonnefoy photographed a male Japanese macaque on Yakushima Island, trying to get along with a female sika deer For mating, it rides on the deer's back and does not allow other monkeys to approach the deer. Low-status male monkeys generally do not have the opportunity to mate. In the pain of love setbacks, the monkeys use deer as a substitute. "Weak, pitiful and helpless". A monkey crawled out of the hot spring in the strong wind and snow. Photo: JASPER DOEST In Minoh the same year, another female monkey was photographed riding on a stag in an attempt to mate... Don't you monkeys have something else to do? ! Monkey riding a stag. Photo: NOËLLE GUNST In short, the life of a monkey is really not easy. Our other relative, the Saguinus imperator (scientific name Saguinus imperator) takes its name from its moustache like Kaiser Wilhelm II. Photo: THOMAS KIENZLE, DAPD/AP The Rhinopithecus roxellana baby looks pitiful. Source: MINDEN PICTURES The white-headed langur (Trachypithecus poliocephalus) cubs are golden yellow and turn black when they grow up. PHOTO: JED WEINGARTEN, NATIONAL GOEGRAPHIC The black-crowned macaque (Macaca nigra) has a face that can be called an "expression pack among monkeys". Photo: STEFANO UNTERTHINER The lion-tailed baboon (Theropithecus gelada) is as domineering as a lion. Finally, please enjoy the "tail lights" of Mandrill (scientific name Mandrillus sphinx) ~Photo: Robert Young, wikimedia, CC-BY-2.0 Mid-Autumn Festival & Teacher's Day--Special Area