Top 10 Bizarre Monkey Behaviors10. Antagonizing the Queen
The toque macaque monkeys of Sri Lanka — the stars of Dark Days in Monkey City — boast a highly complex society in which rank and hierarchy determine nearly every aspect of day-to-day life.
With the help of macaque expert Dr. Wolfgang Dittus, Director of the Smithsonian Primate Biology Program in Sri Lanka and Chairman of the Association for the Conservation of Primate Diversity, we've demystified some of their most bizarre behaviors.
10. SUBORDINATE MONKEY ANTAGONIZES THE QUEEN
Scene Description: Hector, a subordinate male monkey, antagonizes the queen, Gemini. King Lear, the dominant male, comes to her rescue and chases Hector off.
Why Do Monkeys Behave This Way? In toque macaque society, males sometimes slaughter the children of the ousted leader when taking over a troop. As a subordinate male who seeks to overthrow the established king, Hector is a serious threat to the troop's children, including the queen's.
So with the threat of infanticide looming, Gemini has likely been behaving in a hostile manner towards Hector.
In turn, Dr. Wolfgang Dittus says this hostility could provoke the subordinate male to "attack the dominant female or any other females that may be forming a coalition with the established male against him."
Hector has nothing to gain by attacking Gemini, as male and female hierarchies operate independently of each other; Hector may just be fed up with Gemini's hostility.
The established male, Lear, uses the situation to his advantage. He likely views Hector's aggression towards Gemini as an opportunity to challenge the upstart male and reassert his dominance. Thus Lear's intervention is less for the protection of his queen, and based more on self-interest in preserving his own dominant position within the troop.
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