Video: Monkeys "rain down" on Silver Springs River, Florida

Glenn MacGrady · Tuesday at 3:55 PM

The Silver Springs River is a very popular paddling venue in central Florida, and we've discussed the rhesus macaque monkeys that inhabit part of the shore there several times in the past. I've paddled the Silver many times and have seen the monkeys in the trees, but I've never seen THIS:

Punkinhead · Tuesday at 4:47 PM

Same for me. I only paddled it once but the monkeys were on shore or in the trees. My wife has become comfortable paddling amongst gators but would have freaked out if it had rained monkeys.

tketcham · Tuesday at 5:23 PM

Oh, brother, yet another introduced species that ought to be dealt with before they become a big problem. But people will think they're cute and want to protect them.

Do monkeys taste like chicken?

Added: I didn't realize that they already are a problem and becoming invasive. And yup, people want to protect them anyway.

Glenn MacGrady · Tuesday at 11:26 PM

tketcham said:
Oh, brother, yet another introduced species that ought to be dealt with before they become a big problem. But people will think they're cute and want to protect them.

Do monkeys taste like chicken?

Added: I didn't realize that they already are a problem and becoming invasive. And yup, people want to protect them anyway.

The monkeys have been there for about 90 years, originally released in the 1930s. They can be dangerous to humans because they bite and carry the Herpes B virus, which can be fatal.

WEC367/UW412: History and Status of Introduced Rhesus Macaques (Macaca mulatta) in Silver Springs State Park, Florida

University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension outreach is a partnership between state, federal, and county governments to provide scientific knowledge and expertise to the public. The University of Florida (UF), together with Florida A&M University (FAMU)...

edis.ifas.ufl.edu

tketcham · 2025-11-05T08:33:18-0500

Glenn MacGrady said:
They can be dangerous to humans because they bite and carry the Herpes B virus, which can be fatal.

If that's not bad enough they're probably disrupting native fauna by eating local food sources and/or forcing the natives out of the monkey's territory.

Alan Gage · 2025-11-05T10:15:00-0500

tketcham said:
If that's not bad enough they're probably disrupting native fauna by eating local food sources and/or forcing the natives out of the monkey's territory.

They are the second ape species to do so in North America. The first originated from Europe.

Alan

tketcham · 2025-11-05T10:32:24-0500

Alan Gage said:
They are the second ape species to do so in North America. The first originated from Europe.

Alan

Sort of, the first may have been from Polynesia, or Asia, or Europe, or South America...

And they may have wiped out whole populations of large carnivores, ungulates, and other fauna.

stevet · 2025-11-05T13:54:24-0500

Change is the only constant

tketcham · 2025-11-05T15:19:01-0500

stevet said:
Change is the only constant

True, just wish we'd at least try to slow our homogenization of the Earth's ecosystems.

Video: Monkeys "rain down" on Silver Springs River, Florida

Glenn MacGrady

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Punkinhead

tketcham

Glenn MacGrady

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WEC367/UW412: History and Status of Introduced Rhesus Macaques (Macaca mulatta) in Silver Springs State Park, Florida

tketcham

Alan Gage

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tketcham

stevet

tketcham

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