The Monkeys of Sri Lanka | Born Wild: The Next Generation
The tropics of South Asia are teeming with wildlife of all kinds. National Geographic Explorer Sandesh Qader travels to a magical setting in Sri Lanka, where different species of baby monkeys learn to navigate life in a complex community. I'm an incredible Paulaner over Sri Lanka. This place was once the ancient capital of the island; it was abandoned by humans long ago, but now it's home to a bustling society of primates.
I've come to see how the young of three species of monkeys can thrive in this one unusual habitat. This little guy is Paulo. He's a toque macaque, a species found only here in Sri Lanka. I'm here with Professor Wolfgang Peters; he's been studying toque macaques and knows them better than anyone else in the world.
"Looks like they're on a mission," Professor Peters observes. "They're on a mission to have a belly full of breakfast. Yes, that's what their mission is this morning."
In macaque society, your mother's place in the hierarchy determines everything from what you eat to who grooms your fur. Paulo's mother was the lowest-ranking female in the group. Now he's an orphan at the very bottom of the social order, while his peers are grooming and nursing their moms and playing. For Paulo, it's foraging, trying to find something to eat.
"Are there any chances of him being adopted by one of the females?" I ask.
"I'm not really adopted, but yeah, the aunts will sort of groom him. Yeah, and he's got protectors in here. He's not alone while the troop helps Paulo find his way."
At the other end of society, these little guys are doing just fine. Their mother, Jim Oosa, is the alpha female, which means they've got it made.
"His name is Jessie, right?" Professor Peters continues. "Yeah, he's only 3 years old, but he looks the size of a 4-year-old, and that's because he's got a privileged position in their society here."
"Mm-hmm. Priority of access to resources," I reply. "Yeah, that's how it goes."
In this monkey society, macaques are at the top, taking first dibs on any available fruits. But they can raise their young side by side with these grey langurs because the langurs can eat food that the macaques cannot. The langurs have evolved a four-chambered stomach filled with bacteria that help them digest leaves, which means for these langur babies, the whole forest is on the menu.
"We have this overlap of species. They share the habitat; they come into a bit of conflict, but generally it's a harmonious coexistence of these species in the same habitat." [Music] [Music]