Wild Cat Observed Mimicking Monkey Calls

July 11th, 2010

If escaping a predator in the wild wasn’t hard enough…they are evolving into hunters like humans. Like humans who use all sorts of trickery to fool animals like duck calls, wild cats have been observed making monkey calls to lure and trap their intended prey.

Until now the legend of cats pretending to be monkeys was only that. Legend. Now a report in the June issue of Neotropical Primates include an amazing observation.

“Cats are known for their physical agility, but this vocal manipulation of prey species indicates a psychological cunning which merits further study,” said WCS researcher Fabio Rohe.

Researchers first recorded the incident in 2005 when a group of eight pied tamarins were feeding in a ficus tree. They then observed a margay emitting calls similar to those made by tamarin babies. This attracted the attention of a tamarin “sentinel,” which climbed down from the tree to investigate the sounds coming from a tangle of vines called lianas. While the sentinel monkey started vocalizing to warn the rest of the group of the strange calls, the monkeys were clearly confounded by these familiar vocalizations, choosing to investigate rather than flee. Four other tamarins climbed down to assess the nature of the calls. At that moment, a margay emerged from the foliage walking down the trunk of a tree in a squirrel-like fashion, jumping down and then moving towards the monkeys. Realizing the ruse, the sentinel screamed an alarm and sent the other tamarins fleeing.

While this specific instance of mimicry was unsuccessful, researchers were amazed at the ingenuity of the hunting strategy.

What’s next? They are going to get caught grooming with hair care products, acne face wash, and putting on perfume?