High temperatures in Mexico have been linked to dozens and perhaps hundreds of deaths of howler monkeys
At least 83 of the midsize primates, who are known for their roaring vocal calls, were found dead in the Gulf coast state of Tabasco. Others were rescued by residents, including five that were rushed to a local veterinarian who battled to save them.
“They arrived in critical condition, with dehydration and fever,” said Dr Sergio Valenzuela. “They were as limp as rags. It was heatstroke.”
While Mexico’s brutal heatwave has been linked to the deaths of at least 26 people since March, veterinarians and rescuers say it has killed dozens and perhaps hundreds of howler monkeys.
In the town of Tecolutilla, Tabasco, the dead monkeys started appearing on Friday, when a local volunteer fire-and-rescue squad showed up with five of the creatures in the bed of the truck.
Valenzuela put ice on their limp little hands and feet, and hooked them up to IV drips.
So far, the monkeys appear to be on the mend. Once listless and easily handled, they are now in cages at Valenzuela’s office. “They’re recovering. They’re aggressive … they’re biting again,” he said, noting that was a healthy sign for the usually furtive creatures.
Most aren’t so lucky. Wildlife biologist Gilberto Pozo counted about 83 of the animals dead or dying on the ground under trees. The die-off started around 5 May and hit its peak over the weekend.
“They were falling out of the trees like apples,” Pozo said. “They were in a state of severe dehydration, and they died within a matter of minutes.” Already weakened, Pozo says the falls from dozens of yards (meters) up inflict additional damage that often finishes the monkeys off.
Pozo attributes the deaths to a “synergy” of factors, including high heat, drought, forest fires and logging that deprives the monkeys of water, shade and the fruit they eat.
“This is a sentinel species,” Pozo said, referring to the canary-in-a-coalmine effect where one species can say a lot about an ecosystem. “It is telling us something about what is happening with climate change.”
The planets most important stories. Get all the weeks environment news – the good, the bad and the essentialEnter your email address
Pozo’s group has set up a special recovery stations for monkeys – it currently holds five monkeys, but birds and reptiles have also been affected – and is trying to organize a team of specialized veterinarians to give the primates the care they need.
By 9 May at least nine cities in Mexico had set temperature records, with Ciudad Victoria, in the border state of Tamaulipas, clocking a broiling 117F (47C).
With below-average rainfall throughout almost all the country so far this year, lakes and dams are drying up, water supplies are running out and authorities have had to truck in water for everything from hospitals to firefighting teams. Low levels at hydroelectric dams have contributed to power blackouts in some parts of the country.
Humans are feeling the heat as well. On Monday, the nationwide chain of OXXO convenience stores – the nation’s largest – said it was limiting purchases of ice to just two or three bags per customer in some places.
We’ve all seen those funny videos and GIFs of monkeys falling out of trees. It’s an enduringly popular internet meme that never seems to get old. But why exactly do monkeys take those dramatic tumbles, and what’s going on behind the scenes when it happens? As a primate enthusiast, I decided to explore this question and share some monkey science.
Why Monkeys Fall
Monkeys are highly adapted for living in trees Their hands and feet grasp branches easily, and their tails provide balance. But they still lack wings or helicopter blades, so staying aloft requires constant effort. Monkeys can and do fall for variety of reasons
-
Slipping – Tree bark and branches get wet, mossy, and slippery in the rainforest. It’s easy for a monkey’s foot or tail to lose grip unexpectedly.
-
Breaking Branches – Monkey’s aren’t civil engineers. They don’t know the load-bearing limits of each branch they land on. If they leap onto a weak one, it can crack and send them tumbling.
-
Missing Jumps – Monkeys routinely leap and swing from branch to branch sometimes making daring leaps. But they misjudge distances and angles sometimes, especially young monkeys still learning the forest ropes.
-
Fighting – Monkey social dynamics often involve squabbles and even fights between troop members. The shoving and wrestling can cause one combatant to lose balance and fall.
-
Clumsiness – Monkeys, like humans, have their uncoordinated moments. Some are naturally more graceful than others too. An awkward monkey might just plain slip and faceplant off a branch.
Falling Physics
When a monkey loses its grip or footing in a tree, gravity takes over. Acceleration due to gravity on Earth is 98 m/s^2 That means a falling monkey rapidly speeds up as it plunges downward.
The height of a monkey’s fall determines the final velocity it reaches. For example, falling from 10 meters results in a final speed of 14 m/s, while falling from 20 meters leads to a much faster 19.6 m/s.
A monkey’s large, spread-out body also acts as an airbrake, slowing descent. But falling speeds easily reach 10-15 mph. At those velocities, impacts with the ground or lower branches can lead to sprains, broken bones, and other injuries.
Recovery Reflexes
Fortunately, monkeys have adaptations that help them survive and recover from falls:
-
Gripping hands and feet – Even during a fall, a monkey instinctively reaches out with all four limbs, desperately trying to grasp anything it can. This may slow or stop the descent.
-
Rotating – Monkeys often twist in the air as they fall, rotating their head and body to face the ground. This orients their arms and legs for landing.
-
Curling – Before impact, monkeys pull in their arms and legs, forming a protective ball. This helps them roll with the momentum and avoid injuries.
-
Relaxing – Monkeys tend to go limp right before hitting. This looseness helps them dissipate energy and reduces risk of fractures and muscle damage.
-
Pain tolerance – Like most wild animals, monkeys have a high pain tolerance and recover quickly from strains, bruises, and scrapes. So they can usually shake off a fall and climb again within minutes.
Viral Hilarity
When monkeys take a embarrassing tumble, it strikes our funny bone because we see so much of our own clumsiness and vulnerability reflected. The over-dramatic flailing and pratfalling seems hilariously human and relatable.
Monkey mishaps also tickle our schadenfreude – taking pleasure from others’ misfortune. Seeing such agile climbers mess up reassures us that nobody’s perfect. And the fact that the monkeys pop right back up, wounded only in dignity, gives us license to laugh at their slapstick predicament.
So while monkey falls are serious business for the primates involved, they’ll remain viral comedy gold for human viewers. We’ll keep watching those silly primates take literal and metaphorical spills, making safely from our couch a lesson in hubris. And monkeys will keep climbing, leaping, and occasionally falling, blissfully unaware of their accidental entertainment career.
Monkey Smells Finger, Falls out of Tree….epic!
FAQ
What does the phrase monkeys fall from trees mean?
It means that regardless of how capable or skilled anyone is, sooner or later, we all lose our balance and make mistakes. You have probably never seen a monkey fall from a tree, even in a zoo. But everyone has seen remarkably capable people and successful companies make mistakes – in other words, fall from their trees.
Who said even monkeys fall from trees?
The Japanese proverb “saru mo ki kara ochiru” translates as “Even Monkeys Fall Out of Trees” and reminds us that even experts make mistakes.
Do spider monkeys fall out of trees?
They do not normally descend from the trees. They will leap or drop spread-eagled from one tree to another. Spider monkeys are dextrous with their tail as well as their hands. They pick up objects with the tail, and they hang from branches by using the tail alone.