Native to Japan, Japanese Macaques are the most northerly non-human primates and the only ones regularly found in snow and ice.
The iconic picture is of these intelligent monkeys sitting in hot thermal pools with frost and ice on their fur. They have a well-developed,
hierarchical social structure and the elite sit in the hot springs while the lower orders freeze.
They usually walk on all fours, have only a stump of tail and are mainly terrestrial, especially the larger, heavier males;
the lighter females will spend time in trees.
Their pink faces and bottoms grow more red when ready to mate. Grooming is a key social activity reinforcing group bonds and social status.
The babies have much darker fur.