Monkey poked my hand to get noticed

It sounds strange, but indeed many monkeys wash their hands and feet with their urine. Scientists now claim they know why.

Because this odd behavior was first observed, the explanatory theories are very different: some argue that it helps monkeys improve their grip when climbing, while others assume it is a way of cleaning. One of the most widely supported hypotheses is that monkeys use urine to cool their bodies when the temperature is too hot.

However, recent research suggests that all that is for social interaction.

(Photo: Nature) Epidemiologist Kimran Miller and colleagues at the National Institute of Animal Health Center in Maryland have observed capuchin monkeys for 10 months, in captivity. They record daily temperature and humidity, then note how often they wash their hands and feet with urine.

As a result, according to the group's announcement, the act of peeing up the limbs does not change with temperature or humidity. Instead, iller and his colleagues realized the relationship between hand washing with urine and finding attention.

For example, Alpha male monkeys will double the number of " hand washes " when they are noticed by females. The team thinks that is how the monkeys encouraged their children to continue to pay attention once they began to keep an eye on them.

And out of 87% of the battles between aggressors, losers often wash with urine. The team speculates that this is also an attention-seeking behavior - in this case sympathy. However, people still have to do further research to clarify this issue.

T. An