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Denver Zoo's howler monkey and capybara have become surprise best friends

Baya and Rebecca = "cuteness overload."

Photo Credit: Erik Bowker, Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance

A howler monkey naps on the back of a capybara.

One never knows when or how they will meet their BFF, but where better than the Tropical Discovery indoor rainforest at the Denver Zoo? It just so happened that a six-year-old capybara named Rebecca and a 16-year-old howler monkey called Baya, both needed a little sisterhood in a "pen packed with boys" as they were put together as part of the Conservation Alliance.

On the Denver Zoo's Facebook page, they share a cuddly picture of the besties and write, "You're welcome for the cuteness overload."

One Facebook commenter jokes, "Someone is definitely going to start making capybara-monkey plush animal sets now. And I’ll bet 'monkey-riding-a capybara' will become a motif in children’s pajamas. Just wait for it."

Another has actually met the pair. "We saw Rebecca giving Baya a piggyback ride one day! So funny!"

This commenter gives insight as to just how unique this paring is. "I studied wild (mantled) howler monkeys in Costa Rica, and the interesting thing about this is that howlers are some of the most anti-social monkeys. Even living in troops, they have < 3 min. of direct social interaction with one another a day. They spend all their time eating and sleeping--not cuddling, And they are some of the most averse monkeys to coming down to the ground, doing it only in the most dire of emergencies. So seeing one on the ground and cuddling with a capybara is quite unusual!"

howler monkey, zoo, monkey, trees, baby monkey Howler monkey holds their baby in a tree. baby commons.wikimedia.org

National Geographic somewhat backs up this claim. They also report that these are the loudest of monkeys (hence the name) and that they don't often interact with others below the treetops. "They are at home in the forest, they hardly ever leave the treetops. They don't move very far each day, feeding leisurely at the very top of the forest canopy. Howlers mainly eat leaves, as well as fruits, nuts, and flowers. Howler monkeys get almost all the water they need from the food they eat. One of the few times they can be spotted on the ground, however, is during very dry spells when they need to find extra water."

As for the capybara, the San Diego Zoo's website asks, "Is it a beaver without a tail? A hairy pig without a snout? No, it’s a capybara, the largest rodent in the world! At only two feet tall, they add, "Originally thought to be a pig of some sort, we now know that the capybara is a rodent, closely related to cavies and guinea pigs."

capybara, rodent, animals, big teeth, zoo A capybara yawns in the wild. Yawning Capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) | Cotsworld www.flickr.com

In an article for Axios Denver, writer Alayna Alvarez shares that, although the two cuties are South American, they most likely would not have met in the outside world. Alvarez spoke with Jessica Newell, the Denver Zoo's assistant Tropical Discovery curator, who says that it's the older monkey who seeks comfort in the larger capybara. "Rebecca's pretty calm, and Baya's able to go to her for comfort and support …They are very content with each other."

She also explains the timeline of their friendship. Baya is a single monkey-mom with three sons who came to Denver a few months back from the Florida Brevard Zoo. Rebecca has been in Denver a few years and came "with her mate Roy."

In just a few days, there are already tens of thousands of Insta-likes and tons of comments. Many ask questions, which are answered on the Denver Zoo Insta page. One asks, "Omg, do they live in the same enclosure?" A person answers, "Yes! They share a habitat with Rebecca's Cappy husband Roy and Baya's sons, (I don't recall their names.)

Another shares, "Capybaras are nature's universal moms. Every animal wants to get some of that nurturing love." This Instagrammer summed up the beautiful friendship, quipping, " "It's her emotional support capybara."

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Watch two humpback whales desperately try to save a seal from hungry orcas

The orcas get petty about it in the end.

Canva Photos & By Ecohotel, CC BY-SA 3.0

Humpback whales have been observed going out of their way to rescue seals from killer whale attacks.

Orcas, sometimes called killer whales, are the ultimate apex predators. They are physically imposing, for starters: fast, powerful, and vicious. But they're also brilliant and are generally considered one of the smartest animals on the planet. It's their brains that truly make them elite hunters.

If you need an example of how proficient they are at killing, they purposefully hunt and eat great white sharks along with their steady diet of fish and seals. Typically, they hunt great whites in groups, but a single orca is more than capable of easily handling what is usually considered one of the scariest and deadliest creatures in the ocean.

Orcas have a variety of incredible hunting techniques at their disposal. They're best known for their "wave wash" move, in which a pod of orcas will swim full speed at an ice block and create a huge wave to knock off any seals that may be sheltering on it. They also "karate chop" sharks with their tails and flip them upside down, causing the sharks to go into a state of near paralysis, making them an easy meal. Orcas can even take on much larger species of whales by preventing them from reaching the surface to breathe and drowning them.

In other words, when a pod or orcas zeroes in on potential prey, there's almost nothing that can stop the hunt. Except maybe a humpback whale.

orcas, killer whales, humpback whales, ocean, wildlife, ocean life, marine life, national geographic, viral videos, nature, animals They look so friendly, but they're the ultimate hunters. Giphy

Humpback whales have been displaying a strange behavior lately.

The whales have been caught purposefully disrupting orca hunts. It's almost as if they're trying to save the seals and other animals once killer whales set their sights on them. It's likely a behavior that's been happening for a long time, but it's become extremely well-documented in just the last couple of decades.

A team from National Geographic recently caught one such encounter on film in the waters of Antarctica.

In the video, a pod of orcas is spotted by explorer Bertie Gregory as they zero in on a Weddell seal perched atop a chunk of ice. The whales ready themselves for their famous "wave wash" move, charging together at the ice block...but no wave comes.

“They swam under the chunk of ice, just like they normally do, but we could see no breaking wave, and we were like, ‘Oh, they must have messed it up,” says Gregory according to National Geographic. “But instead they were making an underwater shockwave.”

The whales were impressively able to destroy the seal's ice perch from below, sending him into the water, where the hunt was on. But pretty quickly, it became apparent that the seal had backup.

“Then, all of a sudden, two humpback whales just turn up,” says Gregory. “They do this amazing trumpeting noise [that’s] so loud, it reverberates in the hull of the boat, like an elephant trumpeting.”

Though not as speedy, nimble, or vicious, humpback whales are quite a bit larger than orcas; making their presence pretty disruptive. The filmmaking team firmly believed that the humpbacks were purposefully trying to protect the seal and screw up the hunt. In many cases just like this one, the humpbacks are successful at driving the orcas away.

Sadly for the seal, the humpbacks arrived too late this time. The orcas even appeared to gloat with their kill afterward. A little petty, but the killer whales were understandably annoyed.

Watch the whole fascinating incident here:

- YouTube www.youtube.com

Despite their size, getting tangled up with a pod of hungry orcas is extremely dangerous for a humpback whale. So why risk their lives trying to save some random seal?

Orcas regularly take down great whites, one of the ocean's top predators, and have even been known to hunt blue whales—the largest animal on the planet! So no matter how big you are, you probably don't want to mess with a pod of killer whales.

Some people, experts included, see the seal-saving behavior as a sign of altruism. Altruism, of course, referring to a selfless action—one in which there's no inherent benefit for the whale. Humpback whales: Protectors of the ocean. Has a nice ring to it, right?

Another incredible seal-saving incident was observed in 2009. In this case, the humpbacks were successful in saving the seal, with one of them actually carrying it on its belly to shield it from the orcas. If that's not altruistic, I don't know what is.

A more likely explanation, however, is that the humpbacks are launching proactive attacks on orcas in response to killer whales regularly hunting their calves.

"I think they just have a simple rule," marine ecologist Robert Pitman told Science.org. "When you hear a killer whale attack, go break it up."

orcas, killer whales, humpback whales, ocean, wildlife, ocean life, marine life, national geographic, viral videos, nature, animals Humpback whales live by a simple rule: Troll the orcas whenever possible. Giphy

It's similar to an animal behavior called "mobbing," where groups of prey animals will band together to drive predators out. In a 2022 study published on Science Direct, Nora V. Carlson and Michael Griesser write, "Mobbing is an important anti-predator behavior where prey harass and attack a predator to lower the immediate and long-term risk posed by it, warn others, and communicate about the predator's threat."

Humpbacks have strong memories, and they may remember and even have trauma from previous killer whale attacks. So, they probably figure: let's go get them before they get us!

All that being said, altruistic behaviors do exist in the animal world. Animals of the same species or, particularly, ones that live in the same social group, often help each other or make sacrifices for the greater good. But cross-species cooperation does happen, too. Dolphins have been known to help stranded whales or even save humans from shark attacks. Many animals have been documented adopting orphaned young of another species.

In all of these cases, there may be some benefit to the animals that we don't understand. But it's a lot more fun to imagine, especially in the case of the humpbacks, that they're doing it just to be kind.

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19 cats have drowned in Amsterdam's canals in the past 6 months. The city is taking action.

“A simple measure can prevent enormous animal suffering."

Photo credit: Canva

This could help prevent a lot of suffering, cat advocates say.

We all know about Amsterdam's gorgeous canals. They're a staple and a must-see spot, but folks who’ve traveled there, as well as the locals, will tell you that Amsterdam's free-roaming cats are also a major staple of the city—much like in Istanbul, Tokyo, and Rome.

However, unlike these other cities, Amsterdam’s famous canals pose a major threat to its felines.

As Maggie Ruitenberg from the The Dutch Cat Knowledge Centre explained (according to Euronews), cats often fall into the canals when startled. Even though they can swim, their fur gets weighed down by the water quickly, causing them to fatigue. Pair that with the canals’ high walls, and it’s virtually impossible for the poor things to make it out in time. This year alone, 19 cats have drowned because of this.

- YouTube www.youtube.com

Luckily, thanks to a Netherlands-based animal welfare organization called the PvdD (aka the Party for the Animals), they have allocated €100,000 towards making wooden staircases along the banks of the canals in locations where cats and other animals might need it most—in areas where drownings have already occurred, followed by other high-risk spots.

This was an idea taken from the neighboring city of Amersfoort, which already has 300 of the staircases installed. Between both cities, there could be over 500 tiny staircases along the canals by the end of the year.

“A ladder can really save their life, as long as there are enough of them,” said Ruitenberg. According to the Independent, Judith Krom of the Party for the Animals also described the action as “a simple measure [that] can prevent enormous animal suffering.”

“The adopted motion demonstrates that as a city, we take responsibility for protecting the lives of animals.”

Truly, the only bad thing about this is, as Vice writer Luis Prada noted, that these staircases are called “Cat Traps,” and not “Cat Walks.”

“I know they mostly speak Dutch, but they speak enough English to have heard of a catwalk before. It was right there,” Prada quipped. Hard to disagree!

Of course, this is not the first time Amsterdam has made an effort to heighten the quality of life for its canal kitties. Take, for instance, the De Poezenboot, a houseboat-turned-floating-cat-sanctuary that’s housed dozens of cats at a time since the mid-'60s. It’s been described online as a “floating paradise where cats lounge by the windows, nap in flower boxes, and enjoy a peaceful life on the canal while awaiting their forever homes.”

Between these, plus cat walking tours, Kattencafes (cat cafes) and bars, as well as the KattenKabinet (Cat Cabinet) cat art museum, it's clear that Amsterdam is a haven for cats and cat lovers alike. If you plan on visiting there in the future, keep an eye out for those staircases, or any of these other amazing cat-centric fixtures.

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A scientist created a 'utopia' for mice and then they all started dying

The results are fascinating, but are they relevant to humanity?

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How could Mouse Heaven go so terribly wrong?

In 1968 John Calhoun, a scientist and animal behavioralist, decided to create a "utopia" for mice. It would have unlimited food and water, with beautiful nesting spaces and plenty of materials for the mice to make cozy homes with. Sweet experiment! the mice were probably thinking. Much better than the Maybelline trials we're used to.

However, there was a catch, of course. There was one thing the utopia would be lacking, and that would be physical space. As the mouse population grew, overcrowding would become an issue, and Calhoun wanted to study the problems this would potentially cause. That sound you hear is the collective sigh of the disappointed mice who were stoked about the 24/7 all-you-can-eat buffet.

The experiment, dubbed Universe 25, began when Calhoun introduced four mouse "couples" into the utopian complex. A year or so later, it was overrun and the conditions had turned hellish, even though the mice had not run out of food or water.

mouse, mice, animals, science, research, studies "The conditions had turned WHAT?" Giphy

Initially, for just the eight original mice, the square box Calhoun built included 256 nesting boxes (or apartments) stacked on top of one another. Water bottles and food dispensers were located all along the nesting spots, and mice could travel throughout the complex at will via mesh tunnels. The starter mice were also screened for diseases and the population was obviously protected from predators. The climate was controlled and comfortable. Conditions were perfect.

The first mouse pups showed up a little over three months later, with the population of the colony doubling every 55 days. Nineteen months later, there were 2,200 mice living inside the box. With such perfect surroundings, the infant mortality rate was practically zero, leading to the rapid rise in numbers.

mice, mouse experiments, scientific research, animal experiments, overpopulation John Calhoun poses with his rodents inside the mouse utopia. Yoichi R Okamoto, Public Domain

By month 19, this rodent utopia had become an overcrowded hellscape. Calhoun noticed three alarming trends, in particular.

In short, everything was devolving into chaos and the very society of the mice began to collapse at a rapid rate.

The "Beautiful Ones" and the "Dropouts": Mice have a complex social hierarchy ruled by dominant alpha males. Sam Kean of Science History Institute Museum & Library notes that, in the wild, non-dominant males (the ones who lose macho showdowns) can skip town and start over somewhere else. But in the close quarters of Calhoun's experiment, with nowhere to hide, they were forced to hang around and viciously battle with each other over scraps. Eventually, non-dominant male mice, which Calhoun called the "Beautiful Ones," withdrew from society completely and only ate, slept, and groomed themselves.

Though resources were unlimited, certain aggressive males hoarded them anyway: The alpha males ruled over everything in the once-utopian mouse society. They kept harems of females in the apartments to mate with and fought fiercely to defend their territory. But new waves of hungry young male mice kept coming and coming, and eventually even the most dominant alphas abandoned their posts. This led to more attacks on nursing females, which in turn led to more mothers kicking their pups out of the nest early.

Birth rate declined dramatically: With the non-dominant males giving up completely and focusing on #SelfCare, dominant males too exhausted from endless battles, and females sick and tired of it all (many became asexual hermits by the end), stopped mating and giving birth entirely. Once this happened, the society was doomed. Even with plenty of food still available, cannibalism was rampant.

Calhoun was not shy about drawing parallels between his research and humanity. "I shall largely speak of mice, but my thoughts are on man, on healing, on life and its evolution," he once wrote.

mice, mouse experiments, scientific studies, universe 25, sociology, overpopulation Alpha male mice, anyone? Photo by Kanashi on Unsplash

There are aspects of his wild experiment that certainly sound familiar.

We live in a world with plenty of resources for everyone, but a few select people hoard more than their fair share. When you think of the rodent "apartments," it's hard not to picture densely packed urban environments where people are stacked on top of each other at every turn. Maybe on some level some of us can relate to the “Beautiful Ones” and their urge to not participate in all the ugliness and just sequester and groom themselves. You can make an argument that when the mice stopped having to worry about food and shelter, it removed the element of challenge from their lives and left them lost. Similarly, many of us are lucky enough to not have to wonder where our next meal comes from, and maybe that has something to do with our never-ending search for meaning. Some even go so far as to link more people choosing to delay having children, or not have children at all, with the collapsing society of the mice.

But Calhoun's work has also been heavily scrutinized, with some claiming it's based on shaky science. And in the end, there’s the small matter that humans are not mice. We are infinitely more complicated, and so much better suited to adapting to our environments. Kean writes, "Ultimately Calhoun’s work functions like a Rorschach blot—people see what they want to see."

It's fascinating and thought-provoking nonetheless. Watch this breakdown of the experiment shared by the National Library of Medicine in the early 1970s.

- YouTube youtu.be

This article originally appeared in April. It has been updated.

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