The monkeys grab a long stout stick and dig away at a caiman’s nest mound, flicking the rotting vegetation aside until they reach the eggs – which they then eat one at a time.
It’s a risky strategy. The metre-high mounds are often guarded by mother caimans, who only leave them occasionally to feed. “The nests are large, the eggs are buried deep, and those mothers are really aggressive,” says Rafael Rabelo of the Mamirauá Institute in central Amazonia. He presented the discovery with his colleague Kelly Torralvo at the 16th Congress of the Brazilian Primatological Society from 9 to 13 November in Manaus.
Although individual caiman nests may be raided, the overall population is unlikely to suffer. The area has one of the highest caiman densities in South America. “The monkeys might get some, but that’s not even going to dent the population,” says Torralvo.
This article appeared in print under the headline “Monkeys use stick shovel to steal eggs”