Chinese monkey Roxellan rhinopithecus
• The origin of its name has a rather interesting history. A priest from France Armand David is the first European to get acquainted with these unique representatives of the animal world. He arrived in China in the 19th century as a missionary to popularize Catholicism in this distant country.
• Later, a priest with a strong interest in zoology brought to Europe some materials about a new species of monkeys, which became interested in the famous zoologist Milne-Edwards. He was especially impressed by the noses of these animals, they were so bent upward that in some old individuals they reached the forehead. Thanks to this feature, the scientist gave these animals such a Latin name (Rhinopithecus roxellanae), where the first word is a generic name and means "long-nosed monkey", and the second is a species (roxellanae) - on behalf of Roksolana, the wife of Suleiman the Magnificent (Ottoman sultan).
• Roxellanic rhinopithecus live in the territories of Central and Southern China (Hubei, Sichuan, Shaanxi, Gansu). Of the three varieties of snub-nosed monkeys in China, it is this one that is most widespread throughout the state. They inhabit mountain forests located at an altitude of 1500 to 3400 meters. In these places, the snow cover lasts up to six months a year.
• Rhinopithecus is a large monkey. The length of her strong body is about 80 cm, the weight of an adult male is up to 15 kg. Females are larger. A female representative can weigh over thirty kilograms.
• The life of the unique monkey was out of danger until the hardworking Chinese began to develop more and more forest areas. Groups live separately, there is no gene exchange between them, which also negatively affects the number. Unfortunately, there is not enough knowledge about habits and lifestyle for breeding in captivity or resettlement of groups.