A Young Macaque Mother’s Rough-and-Tumble Play With Her Baby

A young macaque mother swings her baby by the arm and spins it around near a tree trunk, in play that looks far rougher than the gentle grooming most people picture between a monkey mother and her infant. The footage, filmed in a forest setting thick with broad green leaves and bare earth, follows the pair through several minutes of tugging, lifting, and chasing that the filmmaker describes as this mother’s unusual style of bonding.

What does the footage show?

Early on, the mother sits on the dirt path and reaches for her baby with both hands, pulling it close by the face and shoulders. The infant, small enough to fit easily in her lap, has the pale pinkish skin around its face and hands typical of a very young macaque still finding its footing.

Later in the clip, the pair moves near the base of a large tree with exposed roots. The mother lifts the baby off the ground and swings it through the air, holding on as it dangles and turns, almost like a top spinning on a string. The baby’s limbs stretch out during these swings, and the mother appears to keep a firm grip throughout.

Is this normal monkey mothering behavior?

Macaque mothers vary widely in temperament, and some are simply more physical with their infants than others. In one calmer moment captured on a bare, rocky patch of ground, the same mother sits still and holds her baby close against her chest, its head tucked in near her arm, a reminder that the rough play is bookended by quieter contact.

The filmmaker notes that no animals are placed in danger for these videos, and the baby is seen moving, climbing, and reaching on its own throughout the footage, suggesting it tolerates the handling without apparent distress.

Where was this filmed?

The scenes take place outdoors among dense low vegetation and dirt paths, with no people or buildings visible, consistent with the kind of wooded area where macaque troops are commonly observed and filmed for the Tiny Monkey Series.