Tolerant monkeys that shared shade after a hurricane increased their life expectancy
In 2017, Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico, killing thousands of people. It entered from the southwest, first destroying Cayo Santiago, a small island that is home to hundreds of rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta). For almost a century, they have been studied by biologists from all over the world. After the disaster, scientists found that these monkeys — one of the most violent primate species — had become more tolerance towards others and less aggressive. Now, in the second part of this work, published in Science, researchers have shown how animals that became more tolerant by sharing their main resource — the shade — have increased their life expectancy by almost 50%.In Cayo Santiago — also known as Monkey Island — the temperature in the middle of the day exceeds 40ºC (104ºF) almost all year round. Photographs (see below) of the island before the hurricane hit show that it was practically completely covered with trees. But the category-4 Hurricane Maria, it was covered with the ba...