A Baby Golden Snub-Nosed Monkey | Hidden Kingdoms of China

NARRATOR: Thousands of feet higher up, in an altogether different type of forest, there lives another very special creature that is also unique to China. The golden snub-nosed monkey only lives here in the high mountain forests of central China. [music playing] Up to 13,000 feet above sea level, this is the world's largest high-altitude forest, where there are more tree species than in any other deciduous forest on earth.

It's spring, and these monkeys are making the most of it. This troop has five families. Each family has one male and several females with their young. Males that don't belong to these families hang out together in a monkey bachelor gang. They're an unruly bunch, but for now, the focus is not on them. It's on the latest addition to the family, a brand-new baby girl. She happens to be the first born this spring.

So all the females in the family want a cuddle. This auntie is first. Then auntie number two wants a hold. And auntie number three. Enough. It's Mom time, meaning lunch time. In fact, all the monkeys want lunch. At this time of year, they spend a quarter of daylight hours eating the fresh, new leaves. A good source of protein and their favorite food.

As temperatures rise, the monkeys follow the leaves as they spring to life further and further up the mountain. But eventually the trees stop growing.