It's brass monkeys: The moment Japanese snow monkey sighs with relief as he plunges into hot spring to warm up

This little fellow looked a bit down in the dumps shivering in freezing cold weather in the mountains of Japan.

But these stunning photos captured the moment when it quickly changed to an expression of delight after he jumped in to a hot natural spring to warm up.

And if this young monkey's reaction to slipping into a warm bath is anything to go by, these primates really are like humans.

The juvenile Japanese snow monkey was photographed enjoying the famous hot springs at Jigokudani monkey park in Nagano.

Photographer Ben Torode captured these intimate scenes of grooming and social interaction among the group of Japanese macaques - who are drawn to the welcoming waterhole to warm up during the winter.    Full Read