Prof. LI Baoguo from Northwest University visited IHB on Sept. 22, 2026. (Credit: IHB)

On Sept. 22, 2026, Prof. LI Baoguo from Northwest University visited the Institute of Hydrobiology (IHB) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and delivered a lecture titled "Looking at the Evolution of Human Society from the Society of Golden Snub-Nosed Monkeys."

In his lecture, Prof. Li began with the evolution of human society and noted that studying primates helps understand the evolution of human societies. Using golden snub-nosed monkeys as a case study, he systematically introduced how the monkeys survive in harsh cold environments and maintain stable life in large groups. He also pointed out that golden snub-nosed monkeys have a unique multilevel social system and proposed a four-tier social structure for the Sichuan golden snub-nosed monkey, providing an important case for understanding the evolution of primate social systems.

On research methods, Prof. Li introduced how his team established a behavioral ecology research methodology for mountain primates and developed automatic individual identification technology for primates, building on this to advance research on the evolution of primate social systems.

The lecture also covered the formation and evolution of the multilevel social system in Asian langurs, and concluded with the driving forces of human social evolution, further discussing related decision-making and how humans and animals can coexist peacefully.

After the lecture, faculty and students held in-depth exchanges and discussions with Prof. Li on topics such as human feeding of animals, differences between human society and golden snub-nosed monkey society, and whether golden snub-nosed monkeys migrate due to climate change.

Prof. Li is a National Outstanding Science and Technology Worker. He currently serves as vice chair of the Primate Specialist Group of the International Union for Conservation of Nature Species Survival Commission (IUCN/SSC), a member of the executive committee of the International Primatological Society, and the first chairman of the Primate Branch of the China Zoological Society. His work has been reported by media including CCTV, NHK and BBC. After more than 30 years of arduous field tracking and observation, his team has unveiled the mystery of the social system of golden snub-nosed monkeys, proposed that they form a unique multilevel society, and advanced the development of primate behavioral ecology research in China. In recent years, related results have been published in international academic journals such as Science, Science Advances and Nature Communications, opening a new path for long-term monitoring and conservation research of wild animals.