What do hot springs do to snow monkeys?
Japanese macaques, widely known as snow monkeys, are famous for relaxing in steaming hot springs during winter. Scientists have now discovered that these baths may do more than help the animals stay warm, Qazinform News Agency correspondent reports.
Researchers from Kyoto University studied the behavior of snow monkeys at Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. Over 2 winters, they observed female macaques and compared individuals that regularly bathed in hot springs with those that rarely or never did.
The team monitored the monkeys’ behavior and examined parasites such as lice along with bacteria living in their digestive systems. According to lead researcher Abdullah Langgeng, hot spring bathing is one of the most unusual behaviors seen among nonhuman primates, prompting scientists to explore whether it affects the animals’ health in less obvious ways.
The study found that monkeys that frequently soaked in the hot water showed different patterns of lice on their bodies. The warm baths may disrupt lice activity or influence where they lay eggs.
Researchers also observed small differences in gut bacteria. Overall levels of bacterial diversity were similar between bathing and non-bathing monkeys, but some types of bacteria were more common in animals that avoided the hot springs.
Importantly, sharing the hot spring pools did not appear to increase health risks. Monkeys that bathed did not show higher rates or greater severity of intestinal parasite infections.
Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that Monkey Punch triggered sell out at IKEA stores.