‘Shocking’ Monkey Kidnappings Baffle Scientists In First-Of-Its-Kind Footage

A baby howler monkey was seen clinging to an older male monkey on a small island in Panama, even though they are not related and are not the same species. Researchers were surprised to witness what they describe as monkey kidnappings, where capuchin monkeys were observed carrying at least 11 howler babies between 2022 and 2023. This unexpected behavior was captured on video footage studied by scientists, prompting astonishment among experts. The motivations behind these actions by the capuchin monkeys are still being investigated, as they are known for their intelligence and ability to learn new behaviors from each other. The findings of this study, conducted by researchers from the Max Planck Institute and the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, were published in the journal Current Biology. The research sheds light on the diverse social behaviors exhibited by different groups of the same species of monkeys.