And one troop has become downright famous because they're the only monkeys in the world to spend hours in the winter soaking in hot springs.

其中有一群猴子變得格外出名，因為牠們是全世界唯一一種會在冬天泡上數小時溫泉的猴子。

Only recently, scientists have started investigating the behavior of the macaques.

科學家們在近期才開始研究這些獼猴的行為。

But before we get to that, here's a brief history of how a group of macaques developed the hot tub habit in the first place.

但在我們講到那裡之前，先簡單提點歷史，介紹一群獼猴一開始是怎麼發展出泡澡行為的。

Macaques live all over Japan.

獼猴居住在日本各地。

But this group's home is near Nagano, where the winter temperatures are often below freezing, but the landscape is sprinkled with natural hot springs.

但這群獼猴的家鄉在長野附近，那裡冬天的氣溫常在零度以下，但地形由許多天然溫泉點綴。

But it wasn't until 1963, so the story goes, that a monkey first joined human visitors in a hotel bathing pool.

不過據傳一直要到 1963 年，才出現第一隻在旅館溫泉池中加入人類訪客之列泡澡的猴子。

Of course, one macaque in the pool soon became many macaques, which upset the humans.

想當然的，池中的一隻獼猴很快地變成無數隻獼猴，這讓人類感到不悅。

The solution?

解決方法呢？

Build a park and hot spring bathing pools just for the monkeys.

專門為猴子們建立一座公園以及溫泉池子。

Happy monkeys, happy humans.

猴子開心，人類也開心。

The macaques soon became an attraction, drawing more attention and more visitors to the mountains of Nagano.

這些獼猴很快地變成了一個名勝，讓長野山間獲得更多關注、也有更多訪客前往。

Back to the present.

回到現代。

Researchers are now focusing on why the monkeys bathe.

研究人員們專注於這些猴子泡澡的原因。

Probably to stay warm, but that's just an assumption.

大概是為了保暖，但那只是假設而已。

Since cold causes stress, increasing levels of hormones called glucocorticoids, scientists tested levels of these hormones in the monkeys.

因為寒冷會引起壓力，提升體內稱為「糖化皮質類固醇」的賀爾蒙數值，而科學家在這些猴子體內偵測到這個賀爾蒙數值。

They didn't draw blood or collect saliva; they collected and tested feces.

他們並不是抽血或是收集唾液，而是收集並檢驗排泄物。

And since the monkeys are so used to human tourists, they paid no attention to the researchers.

而由於這些猴子非常習慣觀光客的存在，他們對於研究人員毫不在意。

As suspected, stress levels were lower during periods when the macaques were bathing.

如推測結果，獼猴們在泡澡時期的壓力指數較低。

Interestingly, the higher-ranking females had more access to the pool and more time bathing.

有趣的是，地位較高的母猴比較有比較多入池的機會，也有較多的泡澡時間。

Takeshita herself found a kind of non-scientific inspiration in the monkey-bathing.

Takeshita 自己則是透過獼猴泡澡找到了一個不具科學性的啟發。

Many times after coming back from the field, I would go to hot springs.

很多次從進行實地研究返回後，我自己會去泡溫泉。

They also show how a small group of animals can develop a unique behavior⏤their own kind of culture⏤passed down from generation to generation.

牠們也展示了一小群動物是如何能夠發展出獨特的行為，牠們獨有的文化，並代代相傳。

I wonder what they think about while they soak.

不知道牠們泡澡時都在想些什麼。

Hello, YouTube, I'm Jim Gorman, the host of ScienceTake, the show you just saw.

YouTube 的各位觀眾好，我是 Jim Gorman，各位剛看過的節目 ScienceTake 主持人。

If you don't mind snakes and you're not squeamish and you're curious about science, subscribe to the channel below.

如果你不介意蛇、不易受驚，也對科學有興趣，請訂閱下方頻道。