In a strange case of monkey kidnappers, a population of white-faced capuchins living on an island off the coast of Panama has been abducting baby howler monkeys, and scientists don’t know why. Trail cameras captured the bizarre behavior, leaving researchers both intrigued and a bit stumped.
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In a study published yesterday by the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, researchers say they have documented five male capuchin monkeys carrying at least eleven different infant howler monkeys—”a behavior never before seen in wild primates.” A network of 85 trail cameras captured this behavior, which scientists is calling a new “social tradition” and a “fad.”
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“On an island off the coast of Panama, young male capuchin monkeys have been abducting baby howler monkeys and carrying them for days at a time,” wrote the Max Planck Society in an Instagram post sharing the footage. “Nobody was on the island to see which capuchin started the behavior and who copied him. But remote cameras were there.”
The researchers don’t know the “why” behind this puzzling behavior. The capuchins don’t hurt the howler babies, nor do they adopt them for more than a handful of days. They don’t eat them, play with them, or appear to gain social status by having them. It seems to be a random behavior that caught on amongst this particular population.
The abductions aren’t without consequence, though. The baby howlers’ parents felt their losses, as did the babies themselves. Scientists say they know at least four of the abducted baby monkeys eventually died. In fact, the researchers believe all 11 likely died.
Watch trail-cam footage of capuchins “abducting” baby howler monkeys here:
Read the full research study here.
Header stock image by wellsie82/Getty Images
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