The Research On Diet Of Gray Snub-nosed Monkeys (rhinopithecus Brelichi) At Yangaoping, Guizhou

The Guizhou snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus brelichi), or the Gray snub-nosed monkey, is endemic to Mountain Fanjing National Nature Reserve, Guizhou province, China. The monkey has been relatively little known in the ecology and ethology so that it has not been effective pretected. From August 2007 to July 2008, feeding behaviors and diet compositon of the Gray snub-nosed monkey were studied by instantaneous scan sampling. The results were as follows:1 The diet of the Gray snub-nosed monkey was drawn out including at least 25 family 49 genus 70 species different parts of plants and one unidentifiable species of bamboo and invertebrates. The diet of the studied monkeys was selective and seasonal change. From February to October, the Gray snub-nosed monkeys mainly fed on tender leaves, flowers and fruits of some special plants or parts of them, such as Cerasus serrulata, Cyclobalanopsis argyrotricha, Cyclobalanopsis oxyodon, Quercus engleriana, Bothrocaryum controversum. From November the food became worse and less, when in December and January, there basically were not edible tender leaves and fruits, the Gray snub-nosed monkeys mainly fed on buds and barks of special plants, such as Magnolia sprengeri and Liriodendron chinense.2 The diet composition revealed that the Gray snub-nosed monkey mainly fed on leaves, buds, fruits and flowers, and accounted for 33.5%,29.1%,24.3% and 6.9% respectively, and the diversity index was 2.145. In spring, the Gray snub-nosed monkey mainly fed on leaves and flowers, and accounted for 61.74% and 32.21% respectively, and the diversity index was 1.201. In summer, they mainly fed on leaves and some fruits, and accounted for 57.97% and 38.41% respectively, and the diversity index was 1.209. In autumn, they mainly fed on fruits and leaves, and accounted for 61.74% and 32.21% respectively, and the diversity index was 0.995. In winter, they mainly fed on buds and accounted for 83.67%, sometimes fed on tree barks and flower buds, and the diversity index was 0.987. Besides, insects were eaten by the Gray snub-nosed monkey at all seasons during the year.3 The comparison and analysis showed that the food species/parts of the Gray snub-nosed monkey group in Mountain Fanjing were more adequate than Yunnan snub-nosed monkey group in Xiaochangdu and Sichuan snub-nosed monkey group in Shennongjia. Compared with Gray snub-nosed monkey group in Mountain Fanjing, the food of Yunnan snub-nosed monkey group in Mountain Longma was more adequate. Compared with Yunnan snub-nosed monkey group in Tacheng, the number of food parts of the Gray snub-nosed monkey group in Mountain Fanjing was more adequate, but the differences of food species were not significant.