Monkey Mystery: The Case of the Capuchin Kidnappers

Why are capuchin monkeys kidnapping howler monkey babies in Panama? We investigate this bizarre case of primate abduction with researchers working with the Smithsonian to get to the bottom of this bizarre behavior. We'll talk about their discoveries, the social dynamics between capuchins and howler monkeys, and the bizarre island conditions that might be driving this behavior. Is it boredom? Is it social learning? Or is something else entirely at play? Travel with us to the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) in Panama to uncover this monkey mystery! Guests: Zoë Goldsborough, visiting researcher at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama and a behavioral ecologist at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior Brendan Barrett, visiting researcher at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama and an evolutionary behavioral ecologist and evolutionary anthropologist at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior

You can listen to Monkey Mystery: The Case of the Capuchin Kidnappers online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Monkey Mystery: The Case of the Capuchin Kidnappers is an episode from Sidedoor by Smithsonian Institution .

This episode is 23:14 long.

This episode was published on Oct 1, 2025.

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