Mangabey monkeys get free access to fresh tropical nuts by profiting from the nut-cracking skills of chimpanzees and the strong jaws of hogs

An international team of researchers led by Karline Janmaat of the University of Amsterdam and the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology describes for the first time the scavenging behaviour of mangabey monkeys, guinea fowls, and squirrels on energy-rich nut remnants cracked by chimpanzees and red river hogs. The team used a unique set of data collected by camera traps in the rain forest of Taï National Park in Ivory Coast, which recorded the animals’ behaviour without humans being present. The results reveal new unknown interactions between, and potential trade-offs faced by different species and increases our understanding of the complex community of animals foraging around tropical nut trees.