Why Do Monkeys Throw Things? The Science Behind the Behaviour

Monkeys throw objects mainly as a low-risk form of defence and display. Hurling a branch, a fruit or a handful of dung lets an animal drive off a threat without closing the distance and risking injury. Frustration, boredom in captivity and learned attention-seeking account for most of the rest.

Key takeaways

• Throwing is ranged threat behaviour — it works without physical contact.
• Wild monkeys most often throw at predators, rival troops and people who get too close.
• Captive monkeys throw far more than wild ones, usually from boredom or frustration.
• Faeces-throwing is largely a captive phenomenon and correlates with poor enrichment.
• Aimed throwing is cognitively demanding and is one line of evidence for monkey intelligence.

Reason 1: Defence at a distance

A monkey weighing a few kilograms cannot win a fight with a leopard, a dog or a human. Dropping or throwing objects from the canopy achieves the same result — making the intruder leave — with no risk. Capuchins, macaques and baboons all do this, and troops often escalate together, with several animals shaking branches and hurling debris at once. Related: How Monkeys Protect Themselves and Monkey Predators.

Reason 2: Dominance display

Within a troop, throwing and dragging branches is part of the display repertoire used by males to advertise strength during rank contests. The noise matters as much as the projectile: a crashing branch broadcasts size and confidence to every animal in earshot. See Monkey Social Hierarchy.

Reason 3: Frustration and boredom

In zoos and roadside facilities, throwing spikes when animals lack foraging opportunities, complexity or control over their environment. It is one of the standard behavioural indicators that enrichment is inadequate. Facilities that add puzzle feeders, browse and climbing structures typically see the behaviour fall sharply. See Monkey Enrichment Ideas and Keeping a Monkey Mentally Stimulated.

Reason 4: It gets a reaction

Monkeys learn quickly. If throwing something makes a crowd shout, laugh or back away, the behaviour is reinforced. Habituated temple and roadside monkeys often develop deliberate throwing routines aimed at tourists — sometimes as a prelude to snatching a bag. See Urban Monkeys and Monkey Safety Tips for Travelers.

What throwing tells us about the monkey mind

Aiming a projectile at a moving target requires tracking the target, timing the release and predicting a trajectory. Chimpanzees are the champions, but capuchins and macaques throw with meaningful accuracy too, and some capuchins select stones of particular weight for the purpose. That connects throwing to the wider literature on tool use and monkey intelligence.

Why faeces?

It is simply the most available object in a barren enclosure. Wild monkeys almost never throw dung because sticks, fruit and branches are everywhere. Where the behaviour appears in captivity, it usually signals an environment with nothing else to manipulate.

What to do if a monkey throws something at you

1. Back away calmly. You are being told to leave; do so.
2. Do not throw anything back or make sudden lunges — that escalates the encounter.
3. Avoid direct eye contact, which many monkeys read as a threat.
4. Secure food and bags, since throwing is often the opening move in a snatch attempt.
5. Never feed them. Feeding is what creates aggressive habituated troops in the first place.

Frequently asked questions

Do monkeys throw poop in the wild?

Very rarely. It is overwhelmingly a captive behaviour tied to boredom and limited object choice.

Are monkeys aiming when they throw?

Often yes. Accuracy is modest compared with humans but clearly better than random.

Why do monkeys throw things at tourists?

Because tourists get too close, carry food, and react in ways that reward the behaviour.

Is throwing a sign of aggression?

Usually it is a warning rather than an attack — the monkey wants distance, not contact.

How do I stop a monkey throwing things at my house?

Remove food sources, secure bins, close windows and never feed them. Once a food reward disappears, the visits usually stop.

Related: Funny Monkey Behaviors Explained, Monkey Play Behavior, Ultimate Guide to Monkeys.