monkey+sanctuary

Done by Drew, Conrad, Blair, Austin and Lysette
=The Monkeys= The Japanese macaque used to be known as saru, but are now known as nihonzaru. They are sometimes called snow monkeys, because of the fact that they live in areas where snow covers the ground for months each year—no primate, with the exception of humans, is more northern-living, nor lives in a colder climate.

The Japanese macaque is a very intelligent species. They are omnivorous and will eat a variety of foods, and researchers studying this species have witnessed the monkeys washing their food and even seasoning it in the sea. After a while, other monkeys started to copy that behavior. The macaque has other unusual behaviors, including bathing together in hot springs and rolling snowballs for fun. Also, recent studies have found that the Japanese macaque can develop different accents. It was found that macaques in areas separated by only a few hundred miles can have very different pitches in their calls, their form of communication.

The macaques live in monkey sanctuaries because the Japanese believe them to be sacred. In Miyajima, there is a ropeway that runs from Momijidani Park to Mount Misen, which on a clear day, provides an excellent observation point for the monkey sanctuary. In Shinto belief, mythical beasts known as //raiju// sometimes appeared as monkeys and kept Raijin, the god of lightning, company.