Monkeyin' Around on the Devil's Island

It started as a rumor in the cafeteria of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama: monkeys on an island in the Pacific were doing something no one had ever seen them do before. But when researchers went searching for these elusive capuchin monkeys, they discovered more questions than answers.

Transcript

Guests:

• Claudio Monteza, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute fellow and researcher at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior
• Brendan Barrett, researcher at the University of Konstanz and the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior
• Meg Crofoot, director of the Department for the Ecology of Animal Societies at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior. Former Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute fellow.

Smithsonian Links:

• The Barro Colorado Island Research Station in Panama recently turned 100! Learn more about the station’s history of scientific discovery, current projects, and the unique characteristics that have made Barro Colorado Island a mecca for generations of tropical biologists.
• Watch footage of a young capuchin monkey utilizing a stone tool and read more about the team’s findings from the Smithsonian Tropical Research institute.
• See more photos and video of capuchin monkeys on Coiba Island exploring their surroundings in a conversation with Claudio Monteza.
• Investigate the importance of social bonds and status for capuchin monkeys in a short video on troupe grooming rituals from the Smithsonian Channel.