Scientists captured a rare footage of endangered Phayre's leaf monkeys eating fruits and playing in a nature reserve in southwest China's Yunnan province on Wednesday.

The video, filmed at Wuliang Mountain Nature Reserve in the countryside of Pu'er city, showed a group of wild Phayre's leaf monkeys eating wild jujubes and climbing trees.

Scientists said this is the largest group of Phayre's leaf monkeys that has been monitored in the region, with about 80 in the pack.

Wuliang Mountain is home to about 2,000 Phayre's leaf monkeys divided into 43 groups, which accounts for more than one third of its whole population in China.

The Phayre's leaf monkey is under first-class state protection in China. It is also listed as an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

(Editor: Zhu Yingming; Cover via VCG)

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