Monkeys Use Urine to Signal for Attention

Many monkeys exhibit the unusual behavior of washing their hands and feet in their own urine. Researchers have long observed a curious behavior in monkeys, although they have been unsuccessful at proving a hypothesis. Some Capunchin monkeys held in captivity may have provided the answer to this puzzling behaviour.
Previous hypothesis on this behavior were that the animals were cleaning their feet with the urine, or cooling themselves off. This type of use of excretory substances is not entirely new among the animal kingdom. Antelope urinate on their throats and vultures put their own feces on their feet.
The cleaning and cooling hypothesis for monkey's use of urine were tested at the National Institutes of Health Animal Center in Poolesville, Maryland. Researchers recorded urine washing behaviors of the Capunhin monkeys through changes of temperature and humidity. No changes in urine washing behavior were recorded with these changes, however the researchers did notice a correlation between urine washing and attention seeking in the monkeys.
When the male monkeys were separated from female monkeys, their urine washing behaviors increased. In addition, when monkeys fought, the behaviour increased in the loser of the battle. The researchers suggested the losing monkey was looking for sympathy, and signaling this with urine.
Further research of this is suggested since animals using urine to signal is not a new idea. Dogs use urine to mark territories, and perhaps monkeys are using this behavior to signal attention from other monkeys.

Posted by: Emily King (6)