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WHAT KILLED OFF THE JAMAICAN MONKEY?

The Jamaican monkey probably survived long enough to overlap on the island with non-European humans.

Archaeological remains suggest these humans had already arrived from the American continent around 1,200 years ago, or between 687 and 929 A.D. 

Other archaeological and fossil evidence suggests the earliest human populations in Jamaica were foragers who lived off of available local resources, together with some cultivation of native island and mainland plants.

There is no direct evidence of humans hunting the monkeys for food, such as cut marks on monkey bones or monkey.

But in addition to hunting, the clearing of land for farming and the introduction of invasive species can all put a deadly strain on native island populations.

This is because they are adapted to a very specific environment and have nowhere else to go. 

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