Japanese macaques, the northernmost-living non-human primate, surviving below -20 in Japan.

Snow monkeys, or Japanese macaques, are highly intelligent primates, famous as the northernmost-living non-human primate, surviving temperatures below -20 in Japan. They are renowned for bathing in volcanic hot springs to stay warm and have complex social structures where females remain in the troop for life, with some even leading the group.  The famous Snow Monkeys of Jigokudani are in fact Japanese macaques. This is a highly intelligentspecies of monkey which lives in large troops of over 100 individuals and is what are considered to be 'matrilineal' societies, meaning that a specific monkey's lineage and status is traced through its mother. * Intelligent Social Behavior: They are known to wash their food in water, roll snowballs for fun, and in one instance, a female named Yakei overthrew the entire male hierarchy to become a troop leader. * Sika Deer Partnerships: They have been observed working with Sika deer, sometimes sharing food or using them for warmth.