Rhesus macaques build new social connections after a natural disaster

Climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of weather-related disasters such as hurricanes, wildfires, floods, and droughts. Understanding resilience and vulnerability to these intense stressors and their aftermath could reveal adaptations to extreme environmental change. In 2017, Puerto Rico suffered its worst natural disaster, Hurricane Maria, which left 3,000 dead and provoked a mental health crisis. Cayo Santiago island, home to a population of rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta), was devastated by the same storm. We compared social networks of two groups of macaques before and after the hurricane and found an increase in affiliative social connections, driven largely by monkeys most socially isolated before Hurricane Maria. Further analysis revealed monkeys invested in building new relationships rather than strengthening existing ones. Social adaptations to environmental instability might predispose rhesus macaques to success in rapidly changing anthropogenic environments. [Display omitted] •After Hurricane Maria in 2017, macaques became more social•Monkeys that were isolated before the storm increased social connections most after it•Monkeys built new relationships rather than strengthened existing ones•Monkeys adopted a “path of least resistance” approach to forming connections Testard et al. show that macaques became more tolerant of others and sought out new social connections after a devastating hurricane. Monkeys built new relationships rather than strengthened existing ones—suggesting the size of one’s social network rather than the strength of one’s relationships was critical in this context.