Snow monkeys bathing in hot springs get health benefits

What’s Happening

Let’s talk about Snow monkeys stay warm in hot spring baths.

These baths also affect their parasites and gut microbes. It’s a cozy way to get a health benefit! (wild, right?)

The post Snow monkeys bathing in hot springs get health benefits first appeared on EarthSky.

The Details

Science news, solid photos, sky alerts. Snow monkeys soak in hot springs to warm up … and boost their health!

Japanese macaques, or snow monkeys, famously soak in hot springs to stay warm in freezing winters. A team at Kyoto University dropped on 6, that they studied macaques at Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park over two winters.

Why This Matters

They wanted to see if hot spring bathing does more than just keep them cozy. The researchers found soaking in warm waters also influences the monkeys’ parasites and the tiny organisms living in their digestive systems, which play a key role in shaping their health. The team published the study in the peer reviewed Springer Nature journal Primates on .

The scientific community tends to find developments like this significant.

Key Takeaways

• Researchers observed female macaques at the park over two winters.
• They compared individuals that bathed regularly with those that did not.
• The researchers looked at the monkey and also those things that live inside and on the monkey.
• So, they tracked the monkeys behavior, checked for parasites such as lice (tiny insects that live in fur) and analyzed gut bacteria.

The Bottom Line

These findings show that natural behaviors can shape health in subtle ways beyond their immediate purpose. In this case, hot spring bathing does more than help monkeys stay warm.

What do you think about all this?