<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=06l9YI_0uRoxpyA00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=06l9YI_0uRoxpyA00" width="1600" height="1067" ><figcaption>Catalin Talpos/Shutterstock</figcaption></figure>Help keep One Green Planet free and independent! Together we can ensure our platform remains a hub for empowering ideas committed to fighting for a sustainable, healthy, and compassionate world. Please support us in keeping our mission strong.In September 2017, Hurricane Maria unleashed its fury on Puerto Rico, leaving devastation in its wake. The nearby island of Cayo Santiago, home to hundreds of rhesus macaques since 1938, was not spared. Though devoid of human residents, the island’s primate inhabitants faced a dramatic upheaval.Lauren Brent, a behavioral ecologist at the University of Exeter, describes Cayo Santiago as a unique site for studying these monkeys. Since their introduction from India by an American primatologist, the rhesus macaques have become known for their competitive, hierarchical, and often aggressive behavior.However, Hurricane Maria’s impact brought about an unexpected shift. The island’s vegetation was nearly obliterated, stripping the monkeys of much-needed shade and exposing them to relentless heat. Despite the harsh conditions, the majority of the 1,800 monkeys survived, though researchers remain puzzled about how they managed this feat.In the aftermath, scientists like Camille Testard from the University of Pennsylvania observed a significant behavioral change. The previously intolerant macaques began displaying increased tolerance towards one another. Testard’s research, comparing pre- and post-hurricane interactions, revealed that the monkeys started to sit closer together and form larger social groups.This newfound cooperation was not limited to sharing scarce shade. The macaques generally became less aggressive, a surprising development for a species known for its competitive nature. Testard hypothesizes that aggression increases body heat, making it a disadvantage in the sweltering environment.The altered social dynamics had a direct impact on survival. Monkeys with more social partners, and thus better access to shade, were significantly less likely to die. This adaptation highlights the macaques’ social flexibility in response to environmental challenges.While the resilience of Cayo Santiago’s macaques offers hope, it also raises questions. Jorg Massen, an animal behaviorist at Utrecht University, wonders about the mechanisms behind this behavioral shift. Understanding the hormonal or genetic factors at play could provide deeper insights into primate social plasticity.<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=2SlUM7_0uRoxpyA00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2SlUM7_0uRoxpyA00" width="1920" height="1224" ><figcaption>Earthlings For Life by Tiny Rescue: Climate Collection</figcaption></figure>Being publicly-funded gives us a greater chance to continue providing you with high-quality content.Click here to Support UsEasy Ways to Help the Planet:<ul><li>Eat Less Meat: Download Food Monster, the largest plant-based Recipe app on the App Store, to help reduce your environmental footprint, save animals and get healthy. You can also buy a hard or soft copy of our favorite vegan cookbooks.</li><li>Adopt-a-Pet: Visit WildWatchers, a watchdog platform specifically designed for animal, earth, and wildlife warriors to actively give back, rescue, and protect animals and the planet.</li><li>Reduce Your Fast Fashion Footprint: Take initiative by standing up against fast fashion Pollution and supporting sustainable and circular brands like Tiny Rescue that raise awareness around important issues through recycled zero-waste clothing designed to be returned and remade over and over again.</li><li>Support Independent Media: Being publicly funded gives us a greater chance to continue providing you with high-quality content. Please consider supporting us by donating!</li><li>Sign a Petition: Your voice matters! Help turn petitions into victories by signing the latest list of must-sign petitions to help people, animals, and the planet.</li><li>Stay Informed: Keep up with the latest news and important stories involving animals, the environment, sustainable living, food, health, and human interest topics by subscribing to our newsletter!</li><li>Do What You Can: Reduce waste, plant trees, eat local, travel responsibly, reuse stuff, say no to single-use plastics, recycle, vote smart, switch to cold water laundry, divest from fossil fuels, save water, shop wisely, Donate if you can, grow your food, volunteer, conserve energy, compost, and don’t forget about the microplastics and microbeads lurking in common household and personal care products!</li></ul></div></body>

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How Hurricane Maria Transformed a Monkey Society

Help keep One Green Planet free and independent! Together we can ensure our platform remains a hub for empowering ideas committed to fighting for a sustainable, healthy, and compassionate world. Please support us in keeping our mission strong. In September 2017, Hurricane Maria unleashed its fury on Puerto Rico, leaving...