Monkeys plunder shellfish to extinction

A MONKEY troop has become so advanced it is driving its food source to extinction, an Oxford University study has found.

Just as humans have depleted the oceans with hitech fishing gear, the stone-wielding macaque monkeys from Thailand are plundering the stocks of the shellfish on which they feed.

The 70 monkeys on the island of Koram use stones to crack open the shells of oysters, clams, sea snails and crabs but there is evidence that the animals have taken their use of technology too far. Their prey has become smaller as a result of larger specimens being plucked from the sea and could one day vanish altogether, the scientists said.

Dr Lydia Luncz, the lead researcher from Oxford University, told the British Science Festival in Brighton: “They’re basically heading into a dead end. One day ... their prey will go extinct on this island.”

The team made the discovery by comparing the monkeys on Koram with a much smaller population of macaques on neighbouring Nom Sao island. There, a handful of monkeys have made much less of an impact on sea life. As a result, the shellfish they hunt are larger and the stones they use much bigger than those used on Koram.

The findings are published in the journal elife.