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Young Male Capuchins on Jicarón Island Abduct Howler Monkey Infants in Lethal New Behavior

Researchers document at least eleven fatal abductions over 15 months, tracing the socially learned behavior to a single innovator named 'Joker.'

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Die undatierte, vom Max-Planck-Institut für Verhaltensbiologie veröffentlichte, Aufnahme zeigt wie ein junges Männchen einer Kapuzineraffen-Gruppe einen kleinen Brüllaffen verschleppt und ihn herumträgt.
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Overview

  • Panama capuchin monkeys on Jicarón Island have been observed abducting howler monkey infants, a behavior that results in the infants' deaths due to lack of care and nourishment.
  • The behavior originated with one young male capuchin, nicknamed 'Joker,' and has since been adopted by at least four other young males in the group.
  • Ground-based camera footage recorded over 15 months has confirmed at least eleven abductions, with infants carried for up to nine days before dying.
  • Researchers hypothesize that the behavior may stem from boredom in the resource-rich, low-threat environment of the island, where the capuchins have also developed tool-use traditions.
  • This phenomenon highlights the role of social learning and cultural transmission among animals, with parallels drawn to other species' 'fashion' behaviors, such as orcas balancing salmon or chimpanzees using grass stems as accessories.