Discovered a monkey that catches fish

Long-tail macaque macaque has long been famous for its skill in finding food, such as picking fruit or bananas of visitors. Recently, scientists have found a group of silver-haired monkeys in Indonesia who know how to catch fish.

Four times in the past 8 years, the science team from The Nature Conservancy and the Great Ape Trust observed this group of long-tailed monkeys poking small fish by hand and eating them along rivers in East Kalimantan and North provinces. Sumatra.

This animal was once known for its ability to eat fruits, crabs and insects, but has never been recorded in the river.

"It is interesting after such a long time that we can see new behavior," said Erik Meijaard, co-author of the study. "It also shows how little we know about this species."

A long-tailed macaque monkey is catching fish in the Lesan River, East Kalimantan, Indonesia.(Photo: AP, Mel White)

Meijaard, a senior scientific advisor at The Nature Conservancy, said it is unclear what motivates these animals to catch fish. However, he says that demonstrates the ability of long-tailed monkeys that are familiar to researchers - the ability to adapt to environmental changes and change food sources.

Other authors of the study describe this finding as a "rare and unique" behavior .

Some other primates also have fishing behavior, including Japanese macaque monkeys, chacma baboons, olive baboons, chimpanzees and orangutans.