In Maguan County, Yunnan Province, the locals will call a kind of small monkey "Little Wind Monkey", even if it is small, it looks very pitiful, and the pattern on the face and the big eyes always make people feel that it is particularly aggrieved.
This kind of "little wind monkey" is almost the size of a human palmIs such a small monkey really a monkey strictly speaking? It's so small and cute, maybe it can be domesticated as a pet?
"Little Wind Monkey" scientific nameWobe monkeys, a small monkey belonging to the genus Bee Monkey in the slow loris family, is mainly found in the humid tropical rainforests of Laos, Vietnam, and Yunnan, China. They usually prefer to inhabit dense vines and thick foliage to prevent predators.
In terms of appearance, there is not much difference between the bee monkey and other monkeys. Its face is peach-hearted, and its body shape is not much different from that of a normal monkey.
The only thing that is special is that the bee monkeys are particularly small. The adult bee monkey is only 20-25 centimeters long and weighs only 120-250 grams, which is even inferior to the large rats in the south.
Although the bee monkey is very small, it is not at all clever and moves unusually slowly. Usually staying motionless in the tree is like a sloth.
Even when it comes time to forage for food, the bee monkey is slow-moving, and it doesn't seem to be in a hurry whether the prey in front of it will run away.
The reason why the bee monkey is so unhurried is mainly related to its predatory behavior. For example, before approaching their prey, the monkeys will take a "urine bath" to mask the smell of their bodies, so that they can hide invisibly.
In addition, the bee monkeys sometimes squeeze the insects to death, and then smear the volatile substances on the insects as a kind of scent camouflage. In this case, the bee monkey can launch a surprise attack on the prey when it is unprepared.
Judging from the hunting recipes of the monkeys, the three meals a day of this little monkey are mainly insects, such as dragonflies and grasshoppers, which are eaten as a staple food.
Of course, if some of the bee monkeys are larger, they will prey on creatures such as geckos and tree frogs. If they find a bird or an egg, they will feast on it. For the bee monkeys, these delicacies are equivalent to daily meals, and the more the better.
In addition, if there is really no meat to eat, the bee monkeys will occasionally eat some vegetarian food. For example, all kinds of fruits, bamboo, and gums are the favorite of the bee monkeys.
In other words, the bee monkey is a typical omnivorous animal, as long as it is given what it can eat, it can basically show off the food, and the main thing is what one eats.
Of course, routine predation like these usually only occurs in the summer. In winter, the bee monkeys are not as active. At this time, the bee monkey will stay motionless in the tree and sleep all day long, as if drunk.
If there is nothing to eat, it lives by consuming fat in its body. Often in a winter, the monkeys can lose about 20% of their body weight.
And because the soles of the monkey's feet are pincer-shaped, it can easily grasp trees and vines while hibernating. No matter how long the hibernation lasts, the bee monkeys will not fall. It can be said that on the road of winter **, the bee monkey really does what it means to be "hungry and thin".
In addition to skipping meals in winter, the other habits of the bee monkey are also very different from those of ordinary monkeys. In the case of monkeys like snub-nosed monkeys and macaques, they tend to be more active during the day. At night, the monkeys fall asleep or hang upside down on the branches like bats and starry at the stars.
But the bee monkey is different, and its schedule is completely different from that of other monkeys. Others are early and late home, it is late and early back. During the day, the monkeys sleep in groups, and at night the monkeys forage and socialize.
For example, at dusk, when the other monkeys are ready to go back to sleep in the trees, it is then that the bee monkeys start their activities collectively and assign the whole day's work: who is responsible for hunting, who is responsible for keeping guards, who is responsible for cleaning up the battlefield, etc., and the assignment is clear.
After a night of hard work, the monkeys gather for celebrations such as playing and grooming. For example, they use the second finger on their foot as a grooming claw to groom themselves or their companions.
If there are any more energetic people, they can even shout and dance in the open space, bringing a joyful atmosphere to the group. At first glance, the group of bees and monkeys are living like a human community, enjoying each other.
According to scientists' analysis, the habit of the monkey at night is mainly related to their body structure. Behind the retina, there is a reflective layer called the transparent felt layer. This reflective layer can act like a night vision device, bringing more light to the night vision of the bee monkeys.
In this case, the bee monkey can see much more at night than other monkeys. In this case, the bee monkeys are simply active at night. In any case, there are few natural predators at night, and there are not many humans, which is why the bee monkeys concentrate on "American time".
It is worth mentioning that as a social animal that shares a habitat, the bee monkey strictly follows monogamy. Each adult male is assigned his own female, and sometimes the pair lives with several young.
Under normal circumstances, the number of their family members is generally between 2 and 5. Just like the current human family, with husband and wife as the main body and children as vassals, they jointly maintain the prosperity of the whole family.
In addition to the same family structure as humans, the various social manifestations of the bee monkey are not much different from those of humans. For example, the bee monkey will use various communication postures to express its mood at the moment.
If you are squatting in front of the other person, it is a sign of obedience. If you are kind and pleasant in front of the other person, accompanied by soothing movements, it is a sign of satisfaction. If you grin at the other person, it means anger.
Even including behaviors such as sexual intent and sexual preparation, the monkey has a complete set of deductive mechanisms. For example, during mating, male bony bee monkeys will constantly shake branches and roar loudly on the branches. This attracts female bee monkeys and deters competitors and foreign invaders.
Sometimes the "brothers" of the bee monkeys will even stay under the trees to prevent competitors from disturbing their big brothers' mating behavior. It can be said that through this mechanism, the bee monkey has maximized the efficiency of communication between the population, so as to ensure the continuation of the entire population.
Unfortunately, although the population protection mechanism of the bee monkey itself is relatively advanced, their current population is still worrying. According to 2015 statistics, the number of bee monkeys in the world has plummeted to about 2,000. And the population is expected to halve in the next 20 years.
A large part of the reason for this is related to the destruction of the habitat of the bee monkey. For example, in countries such as Cambodia and Laos, the forests in the habitat of the bee monkey have been cut down by humans.
Since the 80s of the last century, the number of habitats of the Womb monkeys in these countries has decreased by 2 3. In this case, the population of the bee monkey has been decreasing.
In addition, human hunting activities are also an important reason for the decline in the number of wobo bee monkeys. For example, some Southeast Asian countries will kill the bee monkeys and make them into medicinal materials, and then sell them to European countries.
What's more, poachers in some countries even hunt the bees with electric shocks. The main reason for this approach is that some buyers want to catch it alive and bring it back as a pet.
In this case, you can't kill with a shotgun. However, it cannot be caught at will, because the humeral gland of the upper arm of the monkey can secrete a yellow oil. This yellow oil, when combined with saliva, forms a toxic substance. Once splashed into the human body, it can easily corrode the human ** into a wound.
Therefore, for safety reasons, many poachers simply hang a low-voltage power grid in a place frequented by bee monkeys, so that they can be wiped out.
It has to be said that in terms of catching bee monkeys, some poaching methods are simply better than those of the nets.
What's even more cruel is that some buyers will pull out their canine teeth in order to prevent the possibility of hurting people like a pure wild animal.
Of course, in the face of this heinous behavior, China and Southeast Asian countries have also adopted a series of rectification measures and promulgated relevant laws to protect the survival status of the widowed bee monkey. For example, in 2021, China included the bee monkey in the "List of National Key Protected Wild Animals" and listed itNational first-class protected animals
In China's Yunnan Province, Pingbian Dawei Mountain Nature Reserve and Maguan Laojun Mountain Nature Reserve have also been designed. In these protected areas, there are forest scouts composed of mountain rangers who conduct daily checks for poaching activities. Once someone is found to be poaching, they will be immediately reported and the public security organs will arrest the criminals.
In addition, Vietnam has also set up institutions such as the Ju Phuong National Park Endangered Primate Rescue Center. The effect is the same as that of the Wobe Monkey Nature Reserve in China, which can carry out a reasonable supervision of the Wobe Monkey, so as to avoid more harm to the Wobe Monkey.
It can be said that countries around the world have a long way to go in protecting the bee monkeys. It is hoped that in the coming days, the precarious population of the bee monkey can be maintained under the protection of various countries. Otherwise, the bee monkey is likely to be the next dodo. In the end, it can only appear in people's textbooks, bringing endless regrets to mankind.