Bearded capuchin monkeys in Brazil show systematic meat consumption

An international research team has documented systematic vertebrate consumption by bearded capuchin monkeys (Sapajus libidinosus) in Brazil, providing new insights into primate dietary flexibility and human evolution.

Based on 45 months of observations and over 5,000 hours of footage at Fazenda Boa Vista in Piauí, researchers recorded 446 predation events. The study, published in the journal PLOS One, found that these monkeys primarily hunt reptiles, such as lizards, snakes, and iguanas, as well as rodents, birds, bats, and opossums.

The frequency of hunting increases significantly during arid months when preferred fruit resources become scarce, suggesting that small vertebrates serve as a vital nutritional reserve. This behavior offers a comparative model for understanding how dietary shifts, such as the transition to meat consumption, may have influenced the evolution of early hominids.