The world's top ten most beautiful monkeys

Monkey ranks ninth in the traditional Chinese zodiac, and its corresponding earthly branch is Shen. There are 277 species of monkeys known to exist. Molecular evidence suggests that monkeys originated at the end of the Cretaceous, but this record has not been fully confirmed. The oldest primate or the earliest monkey in the world that can be confirmed should be Atlas monkey (Altiatlasius), based on ten isolated cheek teeth and a fragment of a juvenile tooth bone from the Upper Paleogene of Morocco. Atlas monkey was identified as a proto-mirrorhynchus.

Atlas monkey fossil

Monkeys have long been mentioned in ancient Chinese literature and legends, such as the ancient "Classic of Mountains and Seas" and "Huainanzi" and other ancient books. In Western culture, there are also descriptions of monkeys in the literature of ancient Greece and ancient Rome. In the development of modern science, monkeys have been formally named and classified as an animal category. Modern biology classifies monkeys as primates, including many different species, such as macaques, orangutans, gibbons, etc.

Gibbon playingPicture, Emperor Xuande made in 1427

So what are the monkeys with high appearance? Which monkey is the most beautiful? Today, we will take stock of the world's top ten most beautiful monkeys, let's take a look.

1. De's long-tailed monkey

De's long-tailed monkeyis a species endemic to rivers and swamp forests in central Africa. Endemic to rivers and swamp forests. Also known as white-butted long-tailed monkey, red-fronted long-tailed monkey, white-bearded long-tailed monkey, etc.,It is the largest species in the long-tailed monkey family and one of the most widely distributed African arboreal primates.

In addition to its size, it is distinguished from other monkeys by its orange crown and white beard. Its fur is gray with spots, its head is black, and there is an orange band with white edges on the forehead; the upper lip and chin are covered with blue-white hair; a narrow white band passes through the thighs, and the tail and limbs are darker in color; there is a tuft of white hair on its chin, which looks like an old scholar, so it is also affectionately called "Doctor Monkey".

Due to their small size, De's long-tailed monkeys mainly live in trees and occasionally go down to the ground to find food. They have good tree climbing ability, and even the most agile animals find it difficult to catch them.

2. Mandrill

Mandrill,commonly known asColored Baboon,<span style="color: It is the largest monkey in the world and lives mainly in southern Cameroon, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea and Congo. They can be found in tropical rain forests. They have large and long heads, olive-colored hair, and richer colors on the faces of males. As sexual maturity increases, this colorful special pattern resembles a Peking Opera mask. Their buttocks are purple because of the large number of blood vessels. When they are excited, the color becomes more obvious, which is very beautiful.

Mandrillis a matriarchal society, and the tribe is mainly composed of several female mandrills. A tribe usually has only one adult male mandrill, and most of the other adult male mandrills need to leave and live alone. The natural enemy isleopard, but the adult mandrill is ferocious, and the leopard dare not provoke it easily.

3. Golden Monkey

Golden Monkey(Scientific name：Rhinopithecus) is directly translated into Chinese asSnub-nosed monkey,There are five species in total, three of which areDian golden monkey,Guizhou golden monkey,Sichuan golden monkey. style="color: #202122; --tt-darkmode-color: #A2A3A5;">) is distributed in the southwestern mountainous areas of China, and the other  Vietnamese golden monkey is distributed in the northern part of  Vietnam. The Burmese golden monkey is distributed in northern Myanmar. It is rare and endangered.

Golden monkeys have soft fur, and their nostrils are almost parallel to their faces, commonly known as "upturned noses". This feature is an adaptation to the hypoxic environment of the plateau. The degeneration of the bridge of the nose helps reduce the resistance to breathing in thin air.This is an evolution to adapt to the hypoxia of the plateau. They are covered with yellow silk-like hair that is more than 30 cm long. Adult golden monkeys look luxurious and beautiful, while young golden monkeys are very cute.

4. White-shanked leaf monkey

White-shanked leaf monkeyis a monkey with extremely rich colors, so it is also calledYellow-faced langur,Hairy-rumped langur,Seven-colored langur. It is named because there is a white triangular area at the base . It is a very good-looking monkey. Its appearance is like a Buddha with a gray upper body and black lower body. It is chestnut red from the knees to the ankles, white forearms, black hands and feet, golden face, pink-blue eyelids, and white tail. It is one of the most colorful primates.

It is distributed in Southeast AsiaVietnam, Cambodia, Laosand Chinasouthwest. They can be found in deciduous forests from plains to 2,000 meters, rainforests, and mountains. They are China's first-class protected animals.

5. Imperial Tamarin

Emperor TamarinAlso known asEmperor Tamarin, Emperor's Mustache Tamarin, Bearded Tamarin, Emperor TamarinorEmperorTamarinis amarmoset. It is called "emperor" because its beard resembles the German Emperor Wilhelm II. This name was originally just a joke, but later became the official scientific name.

Emperor tamarins live in the southwestern part of the Amazon Basin, east  Peru, north Bolivia, and Brazil<span style="color: #202122; --tt-darkmode-color: The most important feature of the emperor tamarin is its two long white whiskers, which make it look elegant and cute. With the shrinking and deteriorating habitat and excessive hunting by humans in recent years, the endangered level of the emperor tamarin is gradually increasing.

6. Versailles's crowned lemur

Versailles's crowned lemurlive in Madagascarrainforests, western dry deciduous forests and dry coniferous forests. It has thick and soft white hair, and looks like a ball of cotton from a distance. It is very pleasing and is called the "white elf" locally.

In addition to the white hair, the top of the head, face and palms of the Versailles' lemur are dark brown, which is very contrasting and easy to identify. Some individuals have dark brown areas on their backs, chests, upper arms, thighs or tails, which looks even more charming. They have long tails, which are used for balance when jumping between trees.

7. Golden-headed black leaf monkey

Golden-headed black leaf monkeyis one of the most endangered primates in India, scientifically The world first knew about their existence in the 1950s. The golden leaf monkey has a lot of golden to creamy white fur, a black face, and a very long tail, up to 50 cm. It is worth mentioning that although the adult golden leaf monkey is black, their cubs are golden all over, which is better looking than golden monkeys. However, when the cubs reach two years old, the golden fur will gradually fade and slowly turn black and white. For this reason, they are also called "chameleons."

The distribution area is very small, extending to the Yarlung Zangbo River in the south, the Manas River in the east, the Sankoshi River in the west, and the Black Mountains in Bhutan in the north. They are endangered, with a population of only 1,064 in 2001, and their numbers are estimated to be declining due to a lack of young monkeys.

8. White-bellied Long-tailed Monkey

White-bellied Long-tailed MonkeyDistributed in West AfricaGhanaprimitive forest,because their eyebrows resemble the bow ofDianain Roman mythology, hence the name.Dianais also a good-looking monkey. Their hair is generally black or dark gray, their throat is white, their eyebrows and beards are crescent-shaped, they also have a slender figure and long legs. When walking, the whole body and tail form a long "question mark" curve, which looks very charming.

10. Colobus

Among the many monkeys, colobus is undoubtedly the most ornamental one. Their hair is rich in color and bright in tone, and their appearance is both interesting and eye-catching. The genus Colobus contains a total of 5 species, among which the black and white colobus is the most eye-catching: they have black and white hair, and the sides of their bodies are covered with long white hair like a cloak, which hangs from the shoulders to the back, looking very imposing. Their tails are also particularly eye-catching, usually longer than the body itself, and some can even reach more than one meter, showing a black and white segmented structure. The tuft of thick white hair at the tip of the tail is the finishing touch, full of beauty.

The distribution range of colobus monkeys is very limited, and their numbers are decreasing. And because of their beautiful fur and meat, they are hunted by humans, and their population is seriously threatened. African countries have listed colobus monkeys as precious protected animals.

animal tags： monkeys