With the aliases of Snub-nosed Monkey and Gold-threaded Monkey, it belongs to the Cercopithecidae family of Primates order. Its scientific name is Pygathrix roxellanae (Latin), or Chinese snub-nosed monkey, or golden monkey (English).        

The body length of the male is 52 to 78 centimeters and the length of the tail is 57 to 80 centimeters, weighing about 17 kilograms. The female is smaller and weighs about 8 kilograms. Due to protuberant mouth and obliquely upward nostrils, it is also called Snub-nosed Monkey. Its cheek is azure. The male monkey, from nape to tail dock, has light taupe coat hair mixed with golden long hair up to 30 centimeters in length and with flamboyant color. The female has no golden long hair.

Inhabiting in mixed broadleaf-conifer forests and coniferous forests at an elevation of 1,500 to 3,500 meters, it dwells on trees, seldom going down to the ground. It moves about in daytime, usually in groups of as many as 100 to 200 heads, or 20 to 30 heads. Its food scope is wide, feeding on young leaves, plumules and inflorescence, and once in a while preying on young birds, bird ova and insects, etc. Its oestrum is from August to October and the littering period is from March to May. Gestation period of female lasts 193 to 203 days with one baby each time. The suckling period is 5 to 6 months. Generally the female grows to sexual maturity at the age of 4 to 6. Under breeding condition, it has a lifespan of 20 to 25 years.

Golden Monkey is endemic to China with a small quantity, mainly distributed in Sichuan, Gansu, Shaanxi provinces and Shennongjia mountainous area of Hubei Province.

It has been listed in Appendix I of International Trade Convention on Endangered Wild Animal and Plant Species.