Author/Gu Qingsheng Photography/Yang Jingyuan
Drawing/Sun Yuanyuan Executive/Tang Jianhua
Survival of the fittest
Shennongjia golden monkey belongs to the primate monkey family, a subspecies of Sichuan golden monkey, which is the easternmost branch of golden monkey population distributed in Sichuan, Hubei, Guizhou and Yunnan. Shennongjia is the first peak in Central China, and the Shennongding is as high as 3,100 meters above sea level. The main living area of Shennongjia golden monkey is the alpine zone with an altitude of 2,200 to 2,400 meters. The extreme low temperature in Shennongjia high altitude area can reach -40℃, and the usual low temperature in winter is -15℃ to -20℃. Winter begins in November every year, and spring does not begin until April next year. Every winter is a severe test for Shennongjia golden monkey.
Perhaps it is the living environment that shapes the Shennongjia golden monkey. The pregnant period of Shennongjia golden monkey is autumn every year. After pregnancy in July, the baby monkey is born in April of the following year. When the baby monkey is born, the abundant food in spring ensures that the female monkey has enough milk to feed the baby monkey. By the time the winter of the new year comes, the young monkey has grown to seven or eight months and has enough ability to resist the cold in winter.
Golden Monkey’s "Forest Republican Alliance"
The golden monkey is a human cousin. It belongs to the primate, has a fairly strict social structure, is similar to the ancient tribes of human beings, has a unique code of conduct, language system and recipes, and migrates and inhabits in the selected circular circle. In this high-altitude virgin forest and virgin sub-forest, there are eight groups, that is, eight golden monkey tribes. There are no elders or chiefs in these tribes, that is to say, there is no monkey king in the golden monkey group. Now it seems that the social system of Shennongjia golden monkey is a forest-type Republican alliance.
The golden monkey family is polygamous, the youngest family is monogamous, and the members of the extended family can reach 20 monkeys. The law of the jungle is still the law of the golden monkey population. Parents don’t have life tenure. Male monkeys in the all-male unit can challenge their parents every July. The winner replaces the parents, and the defeated parents become solitary monkeys or go to the all-male unit.
Judging from the birth of a new family of golden monkey population in Dalongtan, the male monkey has a new way to set up a family, that is, to pursue the female monkey who leaves the family. If the female monkey is pleased and willing to be with the male monkey, a new family will be announced. However, there is still a trial period here, which is equal to the cohabitation stage, and it is not a formal marriage. If the male monkey shows poor strength, the male monkey is repeatedly chased by other males in love, or always takes the disadvantage when choosing foraging and habitat, the female monkey will resolutely choose to leave.
All the males of a population who are not parents enter the all-male unit. All-male unit means that this unit is all male monkeys, and it is also a paramilitary organization, which is responsible for standing guard, guarding, organizing migration, reconnaissance and guarding the female monkeys leading the young monkeys during migration.
In the golden monkey tribe, the members of the all-male unit have the lowest social status. They must guard the monkeys in the most dangerous places and eat the worst food. Whenever they meet a good food source, they must immediately avoid it as long as the parents of the golden monkey come, and if they leave later, they may get a beating. The habitat of the Andromeda unit is also the worst. The good habitat is often occupied by large families, and the worse is occupied by small families. The golden monkey of the Andromeda unit can only feed on food sources outside the family. When the enemy comes to invade on the same day, the golden monkey of the all-male unit must go to fight to cover the escape of family members.
In fact, every male monkey in the golden monkey must enter the all-male unit. When the Xiao Xiong monkey in the family grows to 3-4 years old, the parents will expel it from the house and let it go to the All-Male Unit. The old male monkey in the All-Male Unit will teach them the skills of fighting and killing, so that they can daily growing up, so that they can resist the enemy outside and compete with their parents inside.
Unscramble monkey language
Yang Jingyuan began to study the golden monkey in 1993 and collected a lot of golden monkey vocabulary. He has been able to use the golden monkey vocabulary to contact the golden monkey. "Eh ………" is most used in migration, which is to determine their respective positions in order to keep the contact between families and tribes. "Eh ………" is also used to show friendliness. When golden monkeys gather together, they will also "Eh ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… "Eh …" Sometimes, it is also used to indicate that there is abundant food here. Please come and have a taste.
"blare blare! Woo ga! Hey! " It is the warning language of the Golden Monkey Tribe in Dalongtan, Shennongjia, which is just the opposite of the meaning of "Eh ………", calling the police or warning the newcomers.
"Woo-hoo ……" needs to be carefully distinguished, and its frequency of use is not as high as that of "Eh ……". It is the little monkey who asks other partners in the forest: Where are you? "Wow … Wow …" This vocabulary is mostly used for adult golden monkeys to greet young monkeys. Whenever young monkeys run away, adult golden monkeys call them like this, hoping that young monkeys will not run out of their sight.
Some sub-adult golden monkeys and young monkeys will also make a long "ou…er" sound when they are a little far away from the monkeys, so as to contact the monkeys. The female monkey calls the young monkey, and the young monkey also makes this call when calling its mother. Golden monkeys often make a deep and long "yi…wu" sound when they are foraging and playing with each other. When having fun, young monkeys and sub-adult monkeys often say "wuer-!" Sound, frolicking with each other.
Male parents play a leading role in the activities of monkeys, and male monkeys send out "ge! ge！” Like a cock’s slight cry, the monkeys are called to move. When they meet other golden monkey tribes, the male monkeys will also send out an urgent and short "ge! ge!” Sound, remind everyone to pay attention to each other, don’t conflict. When the male monkeys in the all-male unit choose a good place to stay at night, they will give out a loud "ge! ge！” Sound, other monkeys have also issued "ye-! ,yiwu-! ,ouer-!” Sound, close to the night.
In the golden monkey tribe, golden monkeys also have threats, sadness, joy, surprise, comfort, love and comfort, coquetry and so on. The threat of golden monkeys is generally a roar of "gung-gung-".
This article is excerpted from the September 2007 issue of Civilization.
