Monkeys are Metallica fans

Monkeys are found to be fans of heavy metal music, in particular Metallica, after a study showed it calmed them down.

A group of cottontop tamarins were played a variety of music, including Bach, Led Zeppelin and Miles Davis, but they only reacted when heavy metal rock songs by Metallica were played.

Psychology Professor Charles Snowdon teamed up with musician David Teie, who plays cello for the National Symphony Orchestra. They found that 30-second clips composed by Mr Teie on the basis of actual monkey calls provoked the strongest reaction.



Of all the human bands played to the tamarins, Metallica calmed them down.

Mr Teie of the University of Maryland composed using specific features he noticed in the monkey's calls, attempting to convey two opposite emotions – danger and safety.

The monkeys responded accordingly being either anxious or relaxed. The pair also found monkeys use tone, pitch and other auditory clues to express emotions.

You can hear examples of what calms and alarms monkeys on this page.