The first primate influencer? Joker the capuchin starts a deadly trend

A capuchin monkey named Joker started abducting baby howler monkeys – kicking off a deadly trend now spreading through his primate group.

If you’re tired of human influencers competing for your attention, then fear no more, as a monkey’s got your back.

Well, not strictly – more like it’s got an unusual passenger on its back. That's right, Joker the Capuchin (identified previously as a male), native of Jicarón Island, Panama, has been captured on camera carrying a baby howler monkey – behavior that was unheard of until 2022.

This brought about surprise and confusion, as normally it's the female of the species that carries infants.

Also, when caught on camera by researchers at the Max Planck Institute in Munich, the infant's coloration didn’t match that of capuchins.

In a first-of-its kind trend, capuchin monkeys on a remote Panamanian island are abducting babies from howler monkeys. https://t.co/U45Aqh3lIR

undefined New Scientist (@newscientist) May 20, 2025

Monkey see, Monkey do

Normally, by “influencer,” we mean viral online. But not this time.

Five months after Joker’s sightings, four other male capuchins were impacted (or influenced) by the behavior and also began carrying baby howlers on their backs.

Clearly, this is an example of social learning and imitation in the wild, and even draws parallels to humans being influenced by one another, regardless of how scandalous the behavior is.

While the sighting may seem rebellious at first – explained plainly as a monkey kidnapping another – the footage actually captured Joker treating the baby howler with tenderness and care.

A gentle touch, with fatal consequences

While this is cute and all, the biological reality is that male capuchins can’t produce the milk necessary to feed the baby.

The researchers' study, published on May 19th, revealed that four infants unfortunately died from malnourishment, with others presumed dead as well.

The observation came with an air of poignancy, as it was revealed that some capuchins had been carrying the dead infants for a few days, highlighting a deep attachment and emotional complexity.

Researchers aren’t sure exactly why this behavior occurred. He may have been lonely, curious or even practicing caregiving tendencies common in females. One researcher even described him as “a little quirky” showing that personality for sure played a role.

Any harm was clearly unintended, and this interspecies cultural transmission is scientifically significant, as behavioral norms can shift and evolve in the animal kingdom, too.

When a lot of what we watch on TikTok and Instagram reels consists of social dares and parenting fads – it could be said that primates are not that different from us.