The thorn-filled plains of South Texas are the epitome of biodiversity. From the gorgeous green jay to the massive indigo snake the region is a wildlife haven.

As a veteran bowhunter (who wishes to remain anonymous) climbed into a stand overlooking a drying creek bottom he wondered if the big whitetail buck he had been pursuing would reveal itself this evening.

It is after all what drew him here and with the wind blowing into his face and away from what he thought was the buck’s bedding area, everything was perfect.

There was one small glitch.

He did however get to the stand a late and he would only have about an hour before dark to make it happen.

That’s “ok” he figured as these are the minutes when the wild lands come alive.

Then he heard it.

A high-pitched bellowing scream that echoed throughout the bottoms.

As his adrenaline production went into overload, he pondered what might be making the sound and why it was coming his direction. The screams got louder and louder, so he readied an arrow just incase.

Suddenly from out of the underbrush walked a large monkey. With a pinkish-red face and gray body it walked along the edge of the treeline before eventually disappearing into the shadows.

It was a shocking sight for sure. How did a monkey end up in South Texas?

Well, at at least it was not the monster he had pictured in his imagination.

There exists an area in the South Texas Plains where a population of Japanese macaques live and they have a long, bizarre story.

National Geographic covered them in a documentary. Watch this clip to the get the basics.

The Snow Monkeys of Texas (National Geographic) from Harrison Witt on Vimeo.

One of our readers M. Odom snapped this photo of one of the monkeys on his deer lease near Dilley, TX so we had to share.

Have you ever seen a monkey in Texas? If so we would love to see the photos. Send to chester@kingdomzoo.com. If you would like to subscribe to this blog to keep up with these kinds of stories enter your email address in the form to the top right of this page.

(To subscribe to The Wildlife Journalist blog enter your email at the top right of this page.)

Chester Moore, Jr.