Snow Monkeys Relax In Hot Springs- Video Pick Of the Day!

There are few things more relaxing than a hot bath. Watch as these Japanese macaques AKA snow monkeys,  take refuge from the cold in luxurious hot springs!

Snow monkeys live in many parts of Japan, including the snowy mountains of  Nagano. Besides humans, no primates live in colder climates than these monkeys.

Snow monkeys are really intelligent. They learn behavior by imitation, and often wind up mimicking human behaviors!

In 1963, a young female macaque that was named Mukubili went into one of the hot springs, at Jigokudani Monkey Park near Nagano. She was copying a human. These hot springs are heated naturally by the warmth from Shiga Kogen volcano.

The springs were so warm and comfortable that Mukubili  stayed in the water, and other monkeys in her troupe started to join her. Today, this is a common behavior in the region. It seems they all learned from example.

Eventually, the humans there built the monkeys a hot spring pool of their own, since the monkeys weren't very clean. The monkeys got their own hot spring, and the humans didn't have to share with them anymore.

Snow monkeys live in really cold temperatures, so keeping active helps them stay warm. They're one of the only animals that rolls up snowballs and throws them for fun!

These monkeys look super relaxed. We bet they hate when it's time to get out into the cold again! Share some of your favorite animal facts with us at SweetyHigh.com!