The difficulty of obtaining reliable individual identification of animals has limited researcher's ability to obtain quantitative data to address important ecological, behavioral, and conservation questions. Traditional marking methods placed animals at undue risk. Machine learning approaches for identifying species through analysis of animal images has been proved to be successful. But for many questions, there needs a tool to identify not only species but also individuals. Here, we introduce a system developed specifically for automated face detection and individual identification with deep learning methods using both videos and still-framed images that can be reliably used for multiple species. The system was trained and tested with a dataset containing 102,399 images of 1,040 individuals across 41 primate species whose individual identity was known and 6,562 images of 91 individuals across four carnivore species. For primates, the system correctly identified individuals 94.1% of the time and could process 31 facial images per second.

Depicting a taxonomic group's evolutionary trajectory as a function of changes in the geographical landscape and its historical distribution is critical for constructing informed conservation strategies. Based on fossil sites from the Pliocene to the Holocene, and historical records since 1175 AD, we established macaques’ dispersal pathways into and through China. These routes include internal pathways starting from the southeast corner of the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau and Mts. Hengduan in western China, and the routes through the estuaries of the three major rivers (Yangtze, Yellow, and Pearl). Our results indicate that macaques used the three rivers and avoided the higher elevation of the plateaus to promote their radiation. They occupied the whole mainland and islands in the Pleistocene and experienced shrunken distribution in the Holocene due to climate changes and human‐induced activities. A prominent China‐wide reduction occurred between 1817 and 1917; and a remarkable retraction from central China happened between 1918 and 2018 following further eco‐social development and human expansion in central China, particularly since the second half of the last century. Starting in 1175 there was a restriction of range to higher altitudes, so that macaques have contracted their range to the west, and the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau and Mts. Hengduan have become an important sanctuary. We predict that if the current climate and human‐induced changes are not reversed by decisive conservation actions, macaques in east and central China will likely be extinct in the near future.

Fallback foods (FBF), categorized into staple and filler types, are suboptimal food sources chosen by animals in response to a scarcity of preferred food items during specific periods. Using lichens as FBF by Yunnan snub‐nosed monkeys (Rhinopithecus bieti) represents a distinctive ecological adaptation and evolutionary development within nonhuman primates. This study delves into the annual dietary choices of the species to address issues, elucidate the nutritional value, and understand the ecological significance of lichens for this primate species, which resides at the highest altitudes and experiences the coldest weather among global primates. The findings reveal that the lichens consumed by the monkeys serve as the staple FBF, with Bryoria spp. and Usnea longissima being the primary dietary species. The former is the preferred choice, providing higher digestible fiber (neutral detergent fiber) levels but lower tannin, fat, ADF, and energy levels. During the dry season, lichens dominate as the monkeys' primary food and nutritional resources. In the wet season, they act as a fundamental food selection rather than an ideal dietary choice, substituting nutrients from fruits, seeds, and leaves. Compared to other Asian colobine counterparts, this species exhibits the highest lichen consumption but the lowest proportions of leaves, flowers, and seeds. This study provides valuable evidence and information for developing or amending conservation strategies and guidelines for the dietary management of captive breeding of monkeys, one of the world's critically endangered primate species.