00:00Primates of the Heights. How monkeys and apes thrive in thin air.
00:05Some primates live so high that ordinary humans start struggling to breathe.
00:11Gelatus graze across Ethiopia's highlands, often above 10,000 feet,
00:16using strong social groups and grass-rich plateaus to survive.
00:20Golden snub-nosed monkeys endure snowy mountain forests in China,
00:25with thick fur and social huddling that help them handle cold.
00:30Tibetan macaques live in high-elevation forests where winter temperatures and thin air test every animal.
00:37Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys survive in rugged mountain zones near the edge of the Tibetan plateau.
00:43Japanese macaques do not reach the highest altitudes on Earth,
00:47but they are famous for surviving snowy winters, even soaking in hot springs in some regions.
00:53Mountain gorillas live in cool volcanic forests at high elevations in Central Africa.
01:00Black snub-nosed monkeys, grey languors, and other mountain primates show the same truth in different ways.
01:07Primates are not only tropical tree animals.
01:10Some are cold-weather strategists.
01:13They change diets.
01:14They change diets.
01:16Grow dense coats.
01:18Use cliffs, forests, and group behavior.
01:21And move carefully through landscapes where oxygen, food, and warmth are never guaranteed.
01:27High-altitude life is not just about toughness.
01:30It is about timing.
01:32Eat when plants are available.
01:34Shelter when cold becomes dangerous.
01:37Stay close when the mountain turns hostile.
01:40These primates prove that even our closest animal relatives can thrive where the air itself feels thin.
