The origin and population history of the golden snub-nosed monkey has been revealed by scientists from Yunnan University and the Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences under the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

The research was published in the journal Molecular Biology and Evolution.

Multiple genomic markers of golden snub-nosed monkeys from different geographic populations were analyzed by scientists. The result revealed the species' diffusion process and the gene flow among monkeys from different geographic origins.

Scientists believe the ancestral population first widely lived in the mountainous areas of central and southwestern China, and then more diverse geographic populations arose with the influence of paleoclimatic changes.

The research can contribute significantly to the protection of Golden snub-nosed monkeys as well as the research in Chinese biogeography.

Golden snub-nosed monkeys are listed as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. They are mainly found in China's Gansu, Sichuan and Shaanxi provinces, as well as Shennongjia Nature Reserve in Hubei Province, with less than 20,000 living in the wild.

( with input from Xinhua)