What Is a Snow Monkey's Habitat?
The nick name snow monkey suggests that this species, formally known as Macaca fuscata, prefers a predominantly cold climate, while another common term for the species, Japanese macaque, provides a significant clue as to their geographic range. The Japanese designation is accurate, since the monkeys' native range is entirely in Japan, but the "snow monkey" moniker is a bit limiting. In truth, snow monkeys demonstrate natural adaptability to various weather conditions and surroundings and can survive in widely variable climates, ranging from subtropical to subarctic forested areas throughout all but the northernmost Japanese island. Their claim to fame as snow monkeys stems from the fact that, apart from humans, they are the most northerly dwelling primate species.
Other People Are Reading
-
Preferred Surroundings
-
Snow monkeys prefer to live in large troops in mountainous regions that are forested with broad-leafed trees, which provide them with shelter and a degree of isolation. Various troops of snow monkeys can be found within the latitudes of 41 degrees to 31 degrees north of the equator, on all of the Japanese islands except Hokkaido, the northernmost Japanese island. They survive in conditions ranging from subtropical lowlands, where temperatures may reach up to 73 degrees Fahrenheit in summer, to mountainous regions covered in nearly 3 feet of snow, at temperatures as low as 5 degrees Fahrenheit in winter. The two most important habitats for these monkeys are warm, temperate broad-leaf evergreen forests and cool, temperate deciduous forests.
Four Regions Inhabited by Snow Monkeys
-
Observers have identified four main areas inhabited by Japanese macaques, or snow monkeys. These include the Shimokita Peninsula at the northern end of the Japanese mainland, the Nagano Mountains in central Japan, the seaside island of Oshima, and the southern island of Yakushima.
-
The Shimokita Peninsula
-
The northernmost range of snow monkeys is in the northwest area of the Shimokita Peninsula. This peninsula lies on the northern end of the Japanese main island of Honshu. Snow monkeys in this region reside in deciduous and conifer forests.
Island of Oshima
-
Snow monkeys are also known to reside in temperate forests on the seaside island of Oshima, near the Hanto Peninsula.
Nagano Mountains
-
The snow monkeys residing in the Nagano mountain regions of central Japan have gained a measure of renown for their fondness for bathing in the natural volcanic hot springs in the region. Residents of the region worked to develop better access to natural springs for these monkeys after they were observed invading their human neighbors' spas and hot tubs.
Island of Yakushima
-
The southernmost limit of the snow monkey's habitat is the southern Japanese island of Yakushima, where they live in forests of subtropical and temperate plants and broad-leafed evergreens. This is the region with the greatest number of Japanese macaques.
-
