COP15: Bear or monkey? Assam macaque first spotted in Baoshan

A macaque that looks like a bear was spotted by a local photographer in the Xiaoheishan nature reserve of Longling county, southwest Yunnan’s Baoshan city on Sept 22. And it was later identified as an Assam macaque by Sun Guozheng, a zoology PhD holder at the China Forestry and Grassland Administration.

Native to South and Southeast Asia, the Assam macaque is a national second-level protected animal and has been listed as a Near Threatened species by the IUCN since 2008.

People call them bear monkey because of their plump body and bear-like appearance. They mainly inhabit the 2000m mountains and forests in the tropics or subtropics. They tend to perch on trees.

Reporting by Li Jianguo (Yunnan Daily app); Trans-editing by Mo Yingyi