(つ◔౪◔)つ━☆゚.*・。゚ The 2023 TKSST Gift Guide ✩°。⋆・゚  
Get smart curated videos delivered to your inbox.   SUBSCRIBE
The Kid Should See This

Lion-tailed macaques compete with Malabar squirrels for ripe jackfruit

Watch more with these video collections:

“Here in southern India, monsoon rains bring on jackfruit season. These enormous, 22-pound hulks are the largest tree fruit in the world… a feast. But until they’re ripe, they remain completely inedible.

“The macaques, unfortunately, find it hard to tell which ones are ready to eat. Luckily, help is at hand. These giant Malabar squirrels have a keen sense of smell, which leads them to the ripest fruits. The macaques watch the squirrels’ every move. Then they try to muscle in.”

Watch how lion-tailed macaques follow their multi-colored tree squirrel neighbors to identify which of the sweet jackfruit are ready to eat. Then see how they push at the perplexed rodents until the meal is won. This Nature on PBS video documents the competition.

slapping away the malabar squirrels
trying to eat jackfruit
Related reading on Real Simple: What is jackfruit?

Watch these related videos about macaques, squirrels, and competition on TKSST:
• India’s Malabar giant squirrel (Ratufa indica)
• Long-tail macaques use stone tools to open shells
• Dung Beetle Battle
• Hummingbird Battleground in the Talamanca Mountains
• Great horned owl vs. raccoon in an owl nest

🌈 Watch these videos next...

Why do poison dart frog dads give their tadpoles piggyback rides?

Rion Nakaya

Why 10 Daily Tons of Ant Poop Keep This Rainforest Thriving

Rion Nakaya

The Story Behind Japan’s Bathing Monkeys – ScienceTake

Rion Nakaya

The Funkiest Monkeys: Crested Black Macaques

Rion Nakaya

The communal support within Crested Black Macaque monkey troops

Rion Nakaya

Rainforests 101

Rion Nakaya

Pygmy marmosets, the World’s Smallest Monkey

Rion Nakaya

Long-tail macaques use stone tools to open shells

Rion Nakaya

Jigokudani Yaen-koen: Snow Monkeys (Japanese macaques)

Rion Nakaya