Thai Macaque Monkeys Cleverly Use Rocks to Open the Shells of Seafood Gathered During Low Tide

Macaque Thailand Use Rocks to Open Shellfish

A fascinating clip from the 2017 BBC Documentary Wild Thailand shows how Macaque monkeys who live by the sea have adapted to their environment by cleverly employing tools, specifically rocks to break open the tough shells of the seafood that becomes accessible to them during low tide.

The shells are hard to crack, but ever-resourceful, these macaques have found a smart solution. They’ve worked out that rocks make perfect shellfish hammers.

Of course, living by the sea has other benefits, of which the monkeys take full advantage.

Macaques Playing In the Water

Lori Dorn
Lori Dorn

Lori is a Laughing Squid Contributing Editor based in New York City who has been writing blog posts for over a decade. She also enjoys making jewelry, playing guitar, taking photos and mixing craft cocktails.