Tufted Capuchin “Einstein” Monkey
The light definitely didn’t cooperate with me the day I visited the famous “Einstein” monkeys in northeastern Brazil making shooting conditions difficult (although I do like the final shot because I had time to get into a better position vis a vis the light). None the less, this is a sequence showing the unique behavior that has earned these monkeys the distinction of the most intelligent in the New World. “Einstein” is just a nickname, of course, and they are actually called tufted capuchin monkeys. They range throughout a large portion of northern and central South America, but only those in this remote area of Brazil display this particular behavior. Their favorite food is the palm nut and they harvest only the ripest nuts. They then tear the outer husk off the nuts and leave them in the sun to dry for about a week. When they return to the dried nuts, they place them on a large flat rock surface, which acts as an anvil. They then use much harder igneous rock boulders as their tool to smash open the nuts. It’s really pretty cool to see these wiry monkeys lifting large boulders over their heads and then smashing them down. Only chimpanzees are known to make more intelligent use of tools.
Fascinating!
this is the coolest thing i’ve seen in a long time! amazing!
A-MAZ-ING!!!!!!!!!!
i grew up with a kid who had one of these as a pet. He named it “George”…how creative. Nicer to see one in the wild.