Monkeys have a reputation for throwing poo at their enemies, or because they’re upset, or because they just feel like it. Monkeys are evil enough, but do they have a specific habit of throwing their excrement? Or do they throw whatever’s lying around, which sometimes happens to be their own waste?
I saw a monkey shit into his own hand, then fling it at the people watching him. Fortunately we were watching him through a window and not bars. The window was a bit smeary.
Political discourse over the last 10 years being what it is…yes, yes they do.
Years ago I saw a monkey throw something at some kids at the local zoo. I guess it could have been many things, but fecal matter seemed like the best guess.
Yes, they do. I have hepatitis A as proof. Mental note: wear googles and close mouth when visiting monkey cage.
I remember reading something a while back about a monkey (of some description i.e primate family) deliberately saving poo as a weapon.
I also remember the scene in Greystoke where Tarzan pees on his nemesis as an insult - has this ever been recorded behaviour amongst primates of any description (besides humans)?
When I was growing up in San Diego, my friend loved to piss of the gorillas and get them to start flinging crap at the other Zoo visitors.
they can also throw stones though BBC NEWS | Africa | Monkey misery for Kenyan women villagers . Throwing is just an additional technique for situations where you cannot or don’t want to do melee combat, and if their hands can work for this, why not? As far as feces, they probably always have them available, unlike other missiles.
I cannot seem to find mentions of chimps or anybody else using sticks as hand to hand weapons for fighting each other, although stick tools used for hunting and gathering are mentioned. Even if they don’t do it yet, I would guess they could be trained to, unless they would have too much trouble standing on hind legs for this purpose.
ETA: this link claims to have a story about a monkey using stick as melee weapon against human, but this could be a hoax Oh Great! Now Monkeys Are Using Sticks On Humans! | Innocent Bystanders
Malleus, Incus, Staples!: …Monkeys are evil enough…
“Evil” is not a concept that zoologists would apply to animals. It’s more of a moral concept and implies something more than instinct.
I know, I know, I was just kidding.
I think this is phenomenon that occurs in captivity. When you imprison higher primates, they eventually short circuit, and you get all sorts of aberrant behaviors.
Any prison yard in America is my cite.
However, feces flinging may not be aberrant behavior for monkeys.