i guess planet earth was right.

in the bbc show series planet earth, david attenborough states that "capuchins are the bully boys of the forest." i never gave that statement much thought until the other day. in a single morning LV ate bird eggs, chased howler monkeys, tried to eat a baby coati, and lunged at a tamandua. the coati episode was particularly disturbing. LV reminded me of chimpanzees, seemingly cooperating, screaming as they encircled, jabbed, and yanked the poor baby's tail. in one moment, the coati looked at me with panicked eyes, almost urging me to help. i had to fight every impulse in my body pushing me to scream like a bag lady, flap my arms about, and scare them away.

i have also seen LV eat birds, pounce on iguanas, throw sticks at boas, and break branches on my head (cayenne did that on purpose, that jerk). mark wainright, author of the natural history of costa rican mammals, proves planet earth right writing that one captive capuchin used a squirrel monkey as a projectile, hurling it at a human observer. yep. bullies through and through.