Scientists spotted the behaviour while studying a group of 1,000 rhesus macaques on the uninhabited island of Cayo Santiago in the Caribbean Sea.

One of the male monkeys, known as Pinocchio because of his big nose, was spotted during a recent study. He was regularly seen rolling a coconut downhill towards the island’s concrete dock. He would then repeatedly throw the coconut several metres up into the air until it eventually cracked open.

Jordan Comins reported the find in the Journal of Ethology. He is surprised that no other monkeys have copied the trick yet, but hopes that further studies will show how such behaviour spreads through populations.