Capuchin Monkeys Abduct Baby Howler Monkeys on Panama’s Jicarón Island, New Study Reveals

A strange case of abducting baby howler monkeys by five capuchin monkeys has been reported recently in a research paper published on May 19, 2025, in Current Biology. This incident has been seen on Jicron Island, off the coast of Panama, where capuchin monkeys live. However, this is no purpose of this abduction yet, it is deadly for the smaller ones who got abducted. Capuchins have been observed doing quirky, weird, and dark things, said by Brendan Barrett, the evolutionary behavioural ecologist at the Max Planck Institute, Germany. Such behaviours can be a reflection of what we humans do, he further added.

Abduction Common Cases in Primates Showing Care

Primates have been seen abducting during the last decades, too, and it is not so rare. Macaques have been seen stealing their babies from each other. Young male capuchins snatched infants to keep at a babysitting spot. An evolutionary anthropologist at UCLA said that they also do such abductions to take care of the infants and thus snatch them from their mothers and run away for a while. However, when the infants are hungry, they come back.

Baby Howler Abduction is Still A Surprise

Barett said, when they saw a member of the capuchin group carrying a howler monkey on its back, it was really surprising. Initially, they thought the howler capuchin was a one-off pair, then they saw another picture of him carrying on the back.

Research Observation

Barett said in the research published in Current Biology that five male capuchin juveniles snatched 11 howler infants with them. Four of the babies died during the study period. Some were a day or two young when abducted. The team was not able to find out where they got the babies. Then they found footage of the lost call by a howler monkey from a tree for its baby. In the meantime, one of the capuchins threatened the howlers. This gave clarity about abduction.

Reason Still Unknown

The reason for their abduction is still know as they are not eating the dead ones. However, there can be a case that Jicarón capuchins lack predators and therefore want to kill the boredom of their island. Infant stealing might be stimulating for them, Barrett said. There is still scope to find what ese they do on the island.