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Denver Zoo's howler monkey and capybara have become surprise best friends

Baya and Rebecca = "cuteness overload."

Photo Credit: Erik Bowker, Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance

A howler monkey naps on the back of a capybara.

One never knows when or how they will meet their BFF, but where better than the Tropical Discovery indoor rainforest at the Denver Zoo? It just so happened that a six-year-old capybara named Rebecca and a 16-year-old howler monkey called Baya, both needed a little sisterhood in a "pen packed with boys" as they were put together as part of the Conservation Alliance.

On the Denver Zoo's Facebook page, they share a cuddly picture of the besties and write, "You're welcome for the cuteness overload."

One Facebook commenter jokes, "Someone is definitely going to start making capybara-monkey plush animal sets now. And I’ll bet 'monkey-riding-a capybara' will become a motif in children’s pajamas. Just wait for it."

Another has actually met the pair. "We saw Rebecca giving Baya a piggyback ride one day! So funny!"

This commenter gives insight as to just how unique this paring is. "I studied wild (mantled) howler monkeys in Costa Rica, and the interesting thing about this is that howlers are some of the most anti-social monkeys. Even living in troops, they have < 3 min. of direct social interaction with one another a day. They spend all their time eating and sleeping--not cuddling, And they are some of the most averse monkeys to coming down to the ground, doing it only in the most dire of emergencies. So seeing one on the ground and cuddling with a capybara is quite unusual!"

howler monkey, zoo, monkey, trees, baby monkey Howler monkey holds their baby in a tree. baby commons.wikimedia.org

National Geographic somewhat backs up this claim. They also report that these are the loudest of monkeys (hence the name) and that they don't often interact with others below the treetops. "They are at home in the forest, they hardly ever leave the treetops. They don't move very far each day, feeding leisurely at the very top of the forest canopy. Howlers mainly eat leaves, as well as fruits, nuts, and flowers. Howler monkeys get almost all the water they need from the food they eat. One of the few times they can be spotted on the ground, however, is during very dry spells when they need to find extra water."

As for the capybara, the San Diego Zoo's website asks, "Is it a beaver without a tail? A hairy pig without a snout? No, it’s a capybara, the largest rodent in the world! At only two feet tall, they add, "Originally thought to be a pig of some sort, we now know that the capybara is a rodent, closely related to cavies and guinea pigs."

capybara, rodent, animals, big teeth, zoo A capybara yawns in the wild. Yawning Capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) | Cotsworld www.flickr.com

In an article for Axios Denver, writer Alayna Alvarez shares that, although the two cuties are South American, they most likely would not have met in the outside world. Alvarez spoke with Jessica Newell, the Denver Zoo's assistant Tropical Discovery curator, who says that it's the older monkey who seeks comfort in the larger capybara. "Rebecca's pretty calm, and Baya's able to go to her for comfort and support …They are very content with each other."

She also explains the timeline of their friendship. Baya is a single monkey-mom with three sons who came to Denver a few months back from the Florida Brevard Zoo. Rebecca has been in Denver a few years and came "with her mate Roy."

In just a few days, there are already tens of thousands of Insta-likes and tons of comments. Many ask questions, which are answered on the Denver Zoo Insta page. One asks, "Omg, do they live in the same enclosure?" A person answers, "Yes! They share a habitat with Rebecca's Cappy husband Roy and Baya's sons, (I don't recall their names.)

Another shares, "Capybaras are nature's universal moms. Every animal wants to get some of that nurturing love." This Instagrammer summed up the beautiful friendship, quipping, " "It's her emotional support capybara."

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How humans and monkeys are triggered by jealously in the same way.

Could jealously be a evolutionary advantage?

Image via Pixabay and Photo by Jeff Kubina/Wikimedia Commons/Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic.

The human game of love is a battle won and lost by more than just us.

The monkey had a busy morning, but it was finally time to go home.

He was a small creature, about the size of a rabbit, with a long prehensile tail and dusky red fur. Earlier that day, scientists had scooped him up from his cage and taken him away to get a shot. But now that was done, and just like for many of us, heading home meant that he'd finally get to rest and hang out with his mate.

This time, though, his scientist colleagues weren’t done with him. In fact, our monkey was being set up for an incredible betrayal.

As the copper titi monkey settled in, he spotted his mate — not at home, but in the cage of a romantic rival. Suddenly, circuits deep in his brain came to life. He arched his back and smacked his lips, his tail lashing wildly back and forth.

If he could have gotten over to that cage, he'd have pulled his mate away in an instant, shouted, maybe even fought off the rival.

If you think the monkey’s reaction seems a lot like human jealousy, you're probably right. The entire setup was part of an experiment by Nicole Maninger and Karen Bales of the University of California to figure out where jealousy lives in the brain and how it works.

When they looked at the jilted monkey's brain, two areas in particular lit up.

An MRI and blood draw afterward gave Maninger and Bales a peek at the animal's brain, and in addition to higher testosterone and stress hormones, two more areas deep within his brain were triggered. The first, the cingulate cortex, has a lot to do with social rejection. The second, the lateral septum, is connected to bonding.

"The approximate locations of the cingulate cortex (red) and lateral septum (green) in an MRI of the human brain.

Original image from Geoff B Hall/Wikimedia Commons.

Put together, these areas of the brain appear to show us what Victorian novels, romantic comedies, and reality TV shows have long suspected: Jealousy is intimately tied to monogamy.

Monogamy is interesting because it's actually very rare in the animal kingdom. Fewer than 1 in 10 mammal species mate and bond with a single individual. Even humans aren't strictly monogamous. But we do form uniquely strong, lasting bonds between individuals.

What the research hints at, says Bales, is that the pain of jealousy might actually be one of the reasons monogamous animals bond so strongly to each other. This might even confer an evolutionary advantage, since monogamous male monkeys help raise and feed their kids.

So that tail-lashing, lip-smacking monkey might just help us understand ourselves.

"Understanding the neurobiology and evolution of emotions can help us understand our own emotions and their consequences," says Bales.

It could even help us recognize how our brains form romantic relationships — and what happens when those relationships go terribly wrong. About 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men are victims of intimate partner violence in their lifetimes, and research has hinted that jealousy might play a major role.

Human emotions are incredibly complicated, of course, and we shouldn't suggest that monkeys experience the exact same feelings we do. Titi monkeys have very different lives, societies, and evolutionary histories than people do.

Still, Bales says that we have seen hints of similar brain activity in human studies.

As anyone who's ever felt it knows, jealousy can be an intensely dark, powerful emotion. The next time you feel it, maybe you can take some comfort knowing just what is going on in your brain.

Maninger and Bales' work was published in the journal Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution.

This article originally appeared on 10.19.17

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Over 200 new animal species have been discovered, and some have pretty interesting names

Instagram, Wikipedia

Images from Instagram and Wikipedia

It’s true that much of our wildlife is in danger. Like, an alarmingly large amount. In 2021 alone, 22 species were declared extinct in the United States.

And globally, Earth is facing what scientists refer to as its “sixth mass extinction,” primarily thanks to human activity. You know, deforestation, climate change, overconsumption, overpopulation, industrial farming, poaching … the usual suspects.

It sounds like dystopian science fiction, but sadly, it’s the reality we are currently living in.

But today, there is a silver lining. Because the World Wildlife Fund recently reported 224 completely new species.

From a snake who channels David Bowie to a monkey with ivory spectacles, there are a lot of newly discovered creatures here to offer a bit of hope to otherwise bleak statistics.

mekong, mekong wildlife

a map of the Mekong region

upload.wikimedia.org

WWF’s report, released on Jan. 19, covered the rich, biodiverse habitats of the Greater Mekong region, which includes China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand and Myanmar.

Mekong is home to many species both strange and peculiar. Among the 163 species reported in 2016 were the rainbow-headed snake of Laos, noted for its similarity to Ziggy Stardust, and a Klingon newt, pleasing Star Trek fans everywhere … including me.

Mekong is also where you might find the extremely rare saola, otherwise known as the Asian unicorn (oddly enough, it doesn’t only have one horn).

And let’s not forget the dementor wasp, a vicious insect named after the soul-sucking specters in “Harry Potter.” These gnarly creatures inject a paralyzing venom into their prey before gobbling them up alive.

If that’s not nightmare fuel, I don’t know what is.

The latest list includes a monkey with ghostly white circles around its eyes, dubbed the Popa langur, named after Myanmar’s once active Mt. Popa volcano.

The Popa langur also carries the title of “Only New Mammal Discovered.” It’s a bit of a mouthful, but still noteworthy.

upload.wikimedia.org

In addition, there's the bright orange twin slug snake, which consumes, you guessed it, slugs. You are what you eat, after all.

Plus a new ginger plant called the stink bug for its pungent odor, which wasn’t found in a jungle at all, but rather at a plant shop in northeastern Thailand.

Though these findings are extraordinary, K. Yoganand, regional lead of wildlife and wildlife crime for WWF-Greater Mekong, told Reuters that these plants and animals still face “intense threat,” saying that “many species [will be] going extinct even before they are described.”

The Popa langur, for instance, is already a candidate for extinction, as only 200-250 are estimated to survive in the wild, CBS reported.

That is a sobering reminder. But luckily there are ways our species can help.

On its website, WWF offers two options. Under the “Action Center,” you’ll find different ways you can actively join in on particular campaigns, like repealing oil and gas programs in the arctic.

Alternatively, under the “adopt an animal” section, you’ll find gift and apparel items available for purchase, where proceeds go toward helping those animals facing the threat of extinction. I’m personally eyeing the adorable plush black jaguar.

These amazing creatures provide so much beauty, awe and wonder to the planet. No action toward their preservation is too small.

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