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A bizarre example of infant howler monkeys being abducted by five capuchin monkeys was recently described in a study paper published in Current Biology on May 19, 2025. This occurrence occurred on Jicron Island, located off the coast of Panama and home to capuchin monkeys. However, this is not the aim of the abduction; rather, it is fatal for the smaller ones that were snatched. Brendan Barrett, an evolutionary behavioural ecologist at the Max Planck Institute in Germany, stated that capuchins have been witnessed performing strange, unusual, and dark things. Such actions may be a mirror of what people do, he suggested.
Abduction: Common Cases in Primates Showing Care
Abductions by primates have also been observed in recent decades, and it is not uncommon. Macaques have been observed snatching their infants from one another. Young male capuchins abducted newborns to keep in a babysitting area. An evolutionary anthropologist at UCLA stated that they also do similar abductions to care for children, snatching them from their moms and running away for a bit. However, when the newborns become hungry, they return.
The abduction of Baby Howler is still a surprise.
According to Barett, seeing a member of the capuchin group carrying a howler monkey on its back was really unusual. They initially assumed the howler capuchin was a one-of-a-kind pair, until they spotted another photo of him carrying it on his back.
Research Observation
According to Barett's research published in Current Biology, five male capuchin adolescents took 11 howler newborns with them. During the course of the trial, four infants perished. Some were just a day or two old when taken. The crew could not figure out where they acquired the infants. Then scientists discovered film of a howler monkey's lost call from a tree to its infant. Meanwhile, one of the capuchins issued a threat to the howlers. This clarified the situation about kidnapping.
Reason Still Unknown
The cause for their kidnapping is unknown, as they do not consume the deceased. However, there is a possibility that Jicarón capuchins lack predators and hence wish to eliminate the monotony of their island. Barrett suggested that infant thieving might be entertaining for them. There is still time to find out what they do on the island.
