These pictures show an adorable trio of new-born snow monkeys small enough to fit into the palm of a hand.

The Japanese macaques were born over the last two months to three different mothers at Highland Wildlife Park, Kincraig, Scotland.

Giichi, Goku and their yet unnamed peer, arrived between the end of April and the beginning of June.

The trio join a troop of 24 other monkeys at the park which first arrived there nine years ago.

Keepers said the babies are doing well, with the slightly older ones starting to learn how to jump around and forage for food, whilst the youngest still sticks close to mum.

Una Richardson, Head Keeper at Highland Wildlife Park, said: “The youngsters are doing very well and are growing quickly.

“They are extremely playful and the oldest two are lots of fun running around and playing with each other, whilst the youngest one is always near to his mum and is still quite shy.

“Once the youngest one is a bit older he will join in and play with the two older boys.

“What’s quite exciting for us is that Aimi is our first Scottish mother to give birth, she gave birth to the youngest one who we have yet to give a name to.

“They’re usually very dependent on mum for the first month or so but the older two have started to get a bit more adventurous and are running about.

“The macaque monkeys grow a really thick, soft winter coat which makes them the perfect primate species to deal with our harsh Highland winters.”

Japanese macaques are native to the islands of Japan and their habitats range across various climatic extremes.

They tend to be found in southern parts of the world where they live in sub-tropical forests, whilst those found in the north live in sub-arctic forests and mountainous regions.

Due to the great differences in their habitats, macaques have adapted to handle their respective climates.

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