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May 20 2025
3A curious and troubling phenomenon is unfolding on Jicarón Island, located off Panama’s Pacific coast. A group of juvenile capuchin monkeys has begun abducting infant howler monkeys, a behavior researchers describe as both unusual and alarming.
The discovery was detailed in a study published on May 19 in Current Biology. Over a span of 15 months, five young male white-faced capuchins (Cebus capucinus imitator) were observed kidnapping 11 infant howler monkeys (Alouatta palliata coibensis). The motives remain unclear, but the trend has proven deadly for many of the abducted infants.
“Capuchins are known for their odd, inventive, and sometimes unsettling behaviors,” said Brendan Barrett, an evolutionary behavioral ecologist at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior in Germany. “This case offers a dark mirror for examining our own social behaviors.”
Infant abduction isn’t unheard of in primates. Macaques and even capuchins themselves have been seen taking infants within their own groups, often as a form of playful caregiving. These interactions, typically benign, usually end when the infants call for their mothers. However, interactions between primates and the infants of other species are far rarer. One such case was documented in 2004 when female capuchins in Brazil were observed raising a baby marmoset.
The behavior on Jicarón Island was first spotted when a capuchin named Joker was seen carrying a baby howler on his back. Initially believed to be an isolated incident, further review of 19 months of camera trap footage revealed Joker had carried at least two different howler infants. By September 2022, four other young male capuchins joined in, treating the infant howlers more like accessories than dependents.
Unlike typical interspecies care, the abductions frequently resulted in harm. At least four of the 11 abducted howlers died while in the capuchins’ possession. In some cases, the capuchins were seen carrying the lifeless bodies of the infants, treating them as though they were dolls or playthings.
“It was emotionally challenging to review the footage,” Barrett admitted. “At times, it felt like watching a horror movie.”
Evidence suggested that these were not abandoned infants. In one instance, an infant was seen calling out while adult howlers responded from nearby trees, seemingly searching for their young. Capuchins were also documented threatening the adult howlers during these incidents, confirming the behavior as deliberate abduction.
Scientists have not found any signs that the capuchins consumed the infants or gained any clear advantage from the activity. The two species don’t compete for food, and carrying the infants did not appear to offer social benefits within capuchin groups.
One possible explanation, Barrett speculates, is that the capuchins, living on a predator-free island, may be acting out of boredom. “It could be that this behavior is simply novel and stimulating for them,” he said. “It makes me wonder what else they’re up to.”
Susan Perry, an evolutionary anthropologist at UCLA, described the trend as deeply concerning for the endangered howler population and a rare example of non-human primates creating a puzzling tradition with no apparent purpose.
Source:https://www.sciencenews.org/article/capuchins-kidnapping-howler-monkeys
This is non-financial/medical advice and made using AI so could be wrong.
