Between 2022 and 2023, a rare behavior was seen on a small island in Panama. Male capuchin monkeys were recorded carrying baby howler monkeys. This was seen by researchers from the Max Planck Institute and the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. The team studied tool use but found something unexpected. Over 80 cameras showed 11 cases. Most baby howlers were very small and needed their mothers. Capuchins and howlers are not close species. Experts said this kind of action had not been documented before. The study was published in Current Biology.

The first case happened when a male capuchin showed care to a baby. Other young males copied this peculiar action. The monkeys did not try to eat the babies, so experts ruled out hunting. Many baby howlers may have died from hunger. Some monkeys even carried babies after death. This action has also been seen in whales and gorillas. Scientists said this showed the need to study how animals learn. Only one group of capuchins has shown this exceptional behavior so far.