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Stone tools help monkeys thrive in hostile habitats

Golden-bellied capuchins are usually found in humid forests, but some populations appear to have adapted to life in drier habitats with the help of stone tools

By Colin Barras

28 February 2025

New Scientist. Science news and long reads from expert journalists, covering developments in science, technology, health and the environment on the website and the magazine.

Capuchins can use stone tools to access food

Roland Seitre/NaturePL

Critically endangered golden-bellied capuchins (Sapajus xanthosternos) are more widespread than researchers previously thought, and stone tools might be the secret to their success.

Although golden-bellied capuchins are usually found in the humid Atlantic Forest of eastern Brazil, Waldney Martins at the State University of Montes Claros in Brazil found a population of the monkeys outside the forest several years ago. “This stayed in my mind,” he says. So he and his colleagues began studying the species in more detail to fully understand its geographical range.

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