(Image: Diane McAllister/naturepl.com)
WELCOME to hell. This is the in Nagano prefecture, Japan. “Jigokudani” means “hell valley” – so called because of the rocky terrain and volcanic springs – although it is actually a rather heavenly place for monkeys.
Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata fuscata) are the only monkeys native to Japan, and live further north than any other non-human primate. Famous for their habit of bathing in hot springs, they can also leap, as can be seen in this shot by US photographer . The monkeys are strong swimmers, so if the one in this photo didn’t make the leap, it would be fine.
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I once swam out to an uninhabited island off the Izu Peninsula south of Tokyo and encountered a troop of macaques. The alpha male didn’t notice me, he was happily copulating with his females. The females, for their part, seemed unperturbed by his attention. I later learned that bisexuality is often seen in Japanese macaques.
These monkeys can also use tools – something more commonly associated with apes. They have been spotted , perhaps even . I wouldn’t fancy sharing a hot spring with them, though, because they have the unpleasant habit of turning the spring into a giant, bubbling latrine. Come to think of it, that would be quite hellish.
This article appeared in print under the headline “Mind the gap”
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