White-Faced Capuchins are known for their agility and beautiful fur. With an average weight ranging between 1.36 – 4.9 kg (3-9 pounds), the color of their fluffy fur is really what makes them the most appealing. They typically have a light tan or cream coloring around the shoulders, neck, and face, while the rest of its coat is dark brown.
The striking appearances of the monkeys have also earned them a place in several movies and TV shows. White-Faced Capuchins are omnivores; they feed on both plants and animals. Usually, they feed on fruit, flower, and leaves, but they can also eat various vertebrates and primates.
However, recently the scientists have found out about the first-ever incident of cannibalism among the species. It is unlike anything that they have seen before,
The Incident of cannibalism
The event first came to light in 2019, where a baby capuchin monkey was killed and cannibalized by its relatives. The incident occurred at Santa Rosa National Park in Costa Rica, a place where scientists have been studying capuchin monkeys for 37 years.
The details of the event were published in the popular science and wildlife journal, Ecology and Evolution. The baby capuchin fell from the tree, which caused loud vocalizations from other group members. It’s unclear why and how the baby fell; however, a group of females capuchins was seen chasing away an unrelated male monkey, an identified behavior against infanticide perpetrators.
Researchers believe that the baby might have been killed deliberately. The mother tried to carry the baby back to the treetop, but the infant could not cling to the mother’s body. After several unsuccessful attempts, other adults of the group joined and inspected the baby’s dead body. ?What came afterward shocked the researchers. A young male from the group starts cannibalizing on the corpse. He began by eating its toes. As per the witnesses, the baby’s mother didn’t attempt to retrieve the body, but she stayed close by and attentive.
A 23-year old alpha female seized the body from the male and started eating away the corpse. After half an hour, the baby’s entire lower body was consumed while the rest remain unconsumed.
Capuchins Cannibalism: Anomaly or common?
Previously, only eight cases of cannibalism have been recorded among the overall primate population in Central and South America. However, it was the first case witnessed among white-faced capuchins.
Another thing is that regularly the cannibal perpetrators were an adult relative consuming a dead infant. However, in the baby capuchin case, they were its grand-aunt (alpha female) and second cousin (the juvenile male).
Nevertheless, the collective behavior of the group suggests that the cannibalism incident was unusual for the capuchins.
When White-Faced capuchins feed on rodents or birds, they start by eating the face to silence the pray before moving on to the entire body. In the infant’s case, they began with their feet and didn’t consume the upper half of the corpses.
Furthermore, only two members engaged in it while the rest only inspected and made gestures.
Why did the alpha female eat the infant Capuchins?
Researchers have noticed that alpha-female only started eating the corpses as a matter of practicality. She was due to give birth two weeks later. The timing suggests that she might have engaged in obtaining the nutritional benefits for the imminent birth. The juvenile male, conversely, had also recently been weaned off his mother. It may have been an independent act for him.
The white-faced capuchins’ unusual behavior suggests that animals would even contradict their standard nature when faced with survival scenarios. More evidence overtime is required to confirm whether cannibalism is truly a rare event or a behavior that was just hidden until now.
Articles from MyViralBox’ contributors and guest bloggers.
