How Zanzibar Red Colobus Monkeys Use Charcoal for Survival
Clip: Episode 2 | 3m 4sVideo has Closed Captions
Zanzibar red colobus monkeys venture into the human world to find charcoal.
Zanzibar red colobus monkeys are facing deforestation of their native home range and as a result are turning to raiding crops to get enough food. These foreign crops however have an unfortunate side effect of making the monkeys ill. So, they seek an unexpected solution: venturing further into the human world to find charcoal. Eating this aids in detoxifying and ensuring the monkeys' survival.
How Zanzibar Red Colobus Monkeys Use Charcoal for Survival
Clip: Episode 2 | 3m 4sVideo has Closed Captions
Zanzibar red colobus monkeys are facing deforestation of their native home range and as a result are turning to raiding crops to get enough food. These foreign crops however have an unfortunate side effect of making the monkeys ill. So, they seek an unexpected solution: venturing further into the human world to find charcoal. Eating this aids in detoxifying and ensuring the monkeys' survival.
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Evolution Earth
Traveling to the far corners of the world, we discover the extraordinary ways animals are adapting to our rapidly changing planet. We witness nature’s remarkable resilience, as our perception of evolution and its potential is forever transformed. Read these interviews with experts to learn more.Providing Support for PBS.org
Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorship[Campbell-Staton] Now, you might think that one leaf is much like another, but leaves from farmed plants pose a real problem.
♪ Leaves, like on this mango tree imported from India, can contain toxins... like cyanide... that make the monkeys ill. ♪ Now you might ask: "How come they're still here?"
And there is a twist to the story.
♪ The red colobus monkeys have responded to the change by developing an extraordinary survival technique.
[Flames crackling] [Animals chittering] Their trick... head further into the human world... to find something totally unexpected.
Now, this thing is so important that they are willing to risk their lives, running the gauntlet.
[Traffic rushing] [Monkey screeching] ♪ ♪ ♪ Charcoal.
It seems like they just can't get enough of it.
♪ Now, I'd never heard of this crazy behavior before, but it turns out the monkeys are self-medicating.
The charcoal is actually neutralizing the toxins in their stomachs.
♪ As nasty as it looks, eating charcoal is something we humans also do when we've got what you call bad guts.
We just do it in pill form.
♪ We have no idea how the monkeys figured this out, but at some point, their inherent curiosity and intelligence came together.
They learned, and passed this knowledge down from one generation to the next... [Baby monkey whimpering] even if sometimes it looks like tough love.
Catching Darwin's Finches on the Galápagos Islands
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Local researcher Jaime Chaves catches Darwin's finches to study beak size changes. (2m 24s)
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Remarkable island wildlife reveals insights into our rapidly changing planet. (30s)
How Silver Key Anoles are Adapting to Tropical Hurricanes
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