Why do Japanese Hell Valley macaques soak in hot springs in heavy snow?

Because it's cold, I soak in hot springs, but not every monkey is qualified to soak in hot springs.

These Japanese macaques in the photo live in the ancient wild ape park in Nagano Hell, Japan. Photographer Jasper Doest wants to show these "snow monkeys" from different angles and capture their respective personality characteristics.

According to reports, Japanese macaques have a strict hierarchy, and monkeys with low status can't enter hot springs at all, so they can only hold themselves tight and tremble.

Macaca fuscata, also known as snow monkey, is a kind of macaque living in northern Japan. They are the northernmost nonhuman primates in the world. Japanese macaques have taupe fur, red face, limbs and lower abdomen, and a short tail. * * * There are two subspecies: named Macaca subspecies and Yakushima Macaca subspecies. Japanese macaques live farther north than other monkeys. People can find them in alpine forests and rocky slopes, because the snow is thick in these places, so they have thick coarse hair. A group of Japanese macaques consists of 20-200 monkeys. They eat fruits, insects, young leaves and small animals.

Scientists studied a group of Japanese macaques. They live by the sea and eat sweet potatoes. One day, a female macaque found that potatoes tasted better after washing, so this practice quickly separated them from the sand in the water. The female macaque has a close relationship with her children, which can last a lifetime. In the cold winter, Japanese macaques will soak in hot springs to keep warm. The pool water is heated deep underground to form a steam bath. Macaques often live with another kind of monkey called langur. These two kinds of monkeys can live together in an area of the forest, because langurs only eat leaves, and they don't have to compete for food.