When it’s cold outside, and someone mentions hot springs, I am there! It seems like these monkeys in Japan have the same idea. Recently, a new study suggests that they don’t just bathe in these hot springs to escape the cold. Find out the other surprising reason why they do.

Why Do Monkeys In Japan Use Hot Springs?

Japan’s snow monkeys are famous not only for their adorable appearance and pink faces, but because they love a good soak. Images of these monkeys soaking in the hot springs have surfaced across the internet and made many people smile.

Naturally, many people assumed that these monkeys in Japan went into the hot springs to help warm up from the frigid temperatures – and they are not wrong. The snow monkeys do use the hot springs to help them with thermoregulation and staying warm in the cold weather. However, researchers discovered there is another reason as well.

Discover Wildlife shared some of the findings from research in the journal Primates. That research showed that “bathing changes the microorganisms that live in and on the photogenic macaques.” Researchers studied both bathing monkeys and non-bathing monkeys, and they found a distinct difference.

“Bathers and non-bathers picked nits from different locations on their bodies, suggesting that the hot water has an effect on the behaviour and egg-laying of the lice that trouble them.” Additionally, the level of harmful gut bacteria in the bathing groups was less than that in the non-bathing groups. Therefore, it would appear that bathing is not only beneficial for staying warm but also beneficial to these primates’ health.

The Internet Reacts

The internet absolutely adores these snow monkeys. Honestly, it makes me want to travel to Japan just to see them living their best lives in the hot springs. Multiple videos of the monkeys bathing have been shared online, and the comments all show the viewers’ infatuation with these adorable creatures.

Here are some of the comments left under one of the videos showing an adorable baby monkey sitting near the hot spring.

• “omggg so cute.”
• “Those cute little feet
  
  
  
  .”
• “Dude this is awesome!”

The post Turns Out These Pink-Faced Monkeys In Japan Bathe In Hot Springs For More Than One Reason appeared first on Outdoors with Bear Grylls.