Best Monkey Moments | BBC Earth

[Music] crested black macaques like to live in extraordinarily large groups sometimes numbering over a hundred but what sets them apart is their character something that's intimately connected to their home [Music] crested black macaques live only in northern sulawesi in rich forests that sit directly in the path of the monsoon torrential rains batter the forest for months on end [Music] but it's thanks to these monsoon rains that this baby will develop behaviors which more than other monkeys we might recognize in ourselves but first the youngsters have a lot to learn starting with the monkey basics like perfecting their climbing techniques but most important for the crested black macaque is to learn their code of etiquette lip smacking is a request for a hug showing a desire to be friends blowing kisses and sharing cuddles is not only reserved for close family anyone in the troop can join in they are amongst the most affectionate monkeys on the planet one reason is that with the coming of each monsoon the forest presents a banquet over a hundred varieties of fruit there is more than enough to go round so much that they don't need to fight over it instead they put their energy into the good things in life friendships and exploring their forest home a discovery draws them all close [Music] a tiny casualty on the forest floor [Music] sometimes their sensitive behavior can seem touchingly human [Music] the monkey's character is a result of the riches that the monsoon brings life with abundant food groups of mothers and their young gather together to form troops of up to 800 monkeys janada's hands are usually busy plucking grass instead of grooming so to keep in touch geladas have become the chattiest of all monkeys the gossipy banter can sound to scientists like sentences with words or even names for each other most agree it's often used to diffuse tension [Music] and in geladas there's a lot to be tense about there are gangs of young males trying to steal away the women from the family harems [Music] each handful of females is guarded by a single male the harem master the spare boys try and tempt the girls away hoping the resident father figure doesn't notice the males flash teeth at each other they may fight but it's usually just showing off in case the girls are watching [Music] there's a lot of flirting on both sides and then if an innocent looking female is tempted to wander off past her guardian he has to decide what to do girls mostly sneak off secretly for affairs this is a blatant challenge to his authority the illicit couple just sit the suitor seems to be using his hand to hide his grimace he probably doesn't want trouble chimps baboons and macaques may also try to look innocent when they break the rules this is a complicated social problem using your brain to control societies is called machiavellian intelligence after a 16th century courtyard who wrote on manipulating political power instead of launching into an attack the politician here tries to grab a baby monkey etiquette dictates nobody attacks anyone holding a baby so they're like living flat jackets the mothers are worried and quickly scoop up the youngest here the two males face each other the family man backs towards one of his more loyal wives calling for support one of the youngsters suddenly switches from mother to father this should calm things down with the youngster attached the father's protected and the harem should unite but it can go wrong the youngster is slipping off the family are frantic the harem master has no protection from attack [Applause] the bachelor is finally driven off with a little help from the mothers [Applause] but the fathers are meant to guard the precious young he knows he's in all sorts of trouble if the infant dies the mothers may not support him again [Music] our brain too wrestles with our own similar problems we are as social and as competitive okay oh good boy hey my darling horace was rescued about five months ago just like harriet it's thought his mum was hit by a car he was just found sitting by her body he was not even two weeks old he was very traumatized very dehydrated and he's made a really good recovery and he has created this amazing life for himself at twala but as much as it's lovely for horus to have a serval and a daika and a dog and domestic kittens as friends it would be really good for him to actually start learning about being a monkey and this could be his big chance another orphan has just arrived at the center this is jackie she is also an orphan vervet um a little bit younger than horace she's probably three and a half months old now what a clever girl hey [Music] jackie lost her mum too and is still very traumatized she's gonna need lots of love and reassurance but if she can form a relationship with horace that would also be great for her because obviously the most comforting thing for her would be to be with another monkey [Music] it's an important meeting good boy if they get on horus will help jackie become more confident i am right here jackie so you don't need to freak okay we can just do our own thing okay what do you think and jackie will teach horace what it's like to play climb and learn with his own kind hello horror special boy you mustn't be jealous gently jackie be nice come on let's be friends there we go oh good girl oh good girl well done horace nice and you're being such a gentleman i'm very proud of you they are getting on so well you know monkeys are into everything and now that we have twofold monkeys [Music] there's going to be no peace horus and jackie can now grow up together here at twala and sarah hopes that when they're older they will join the center's monkey troupe i do my best to teach them what what i can but there is no better way for them to learn than from each other so many females gather together on this cliff inevitably attract the attention of a rival adult male his aim is to defeat scarface and take over his females he leads a group of outcast bachelors into battle scarface spots them he has everything to lose because if the bachelors defeat him they won't just take his females they will kill his babies the bachelors tried to reach the high ground to launch their attack [Music] scarface warns them to keep their distance but the bachelors continue their advance uh scarface grinds his teeth to show him his business but the bachelor leader reaches the cliff top and grinds his teeth in response [Music] if scarface loses this battle he will lose his legacy [Music] time to strike [Music] [Music] he targets the bachelor leader [Music] [Music] okay [Music] scarface has won [Music] and he returns to a hero's welcome for our spy creatures being immersed in the world of animals is not without its hazards in rajasthan the temple langers have taken spy monkey into the heart of the family but some are keen to take the budding relationship to the next level and are getting a little too familiar one seems to want to babysit her but disaster strikes an injured baby is a cause for concern and this langer seems to believe she's died then something extraordinary happened the monkeys gather round the motionless spy creature as if it is a real baby [Music] they react just as they do when their own babies die [Music] [Music] a calm and contemplative mood descends on the colony there's a sense of grief as well as empathy for one another quite accidentally our spy creature is at the center of something extraordinary capturing emotions that have rarely been observed [Music] such apparent expressions of grief may not be unique to primates

Channel: BBC Earth

Views: 5,513,976

Keywords: bbc documentary, bbc, bbcearth, bbc earth, best of monkeys, animal compilation, best monkey videos, best monkeys bbc earth, monkey videos, monkey facts, facts about monkeys, monkey friends, monkey playing

Id: opyPkipNNhE

Length: 16min 57sec (1017 seconds)

Published: Wed Aug 05 2020