Spider Monkeys

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Spider Monkeys - Range

Spider monkeys live in lowland rain forests from Mexico to South America, along the coasts of the Amazon, and the mountain slopes of the Andes. Their habitats are mainly on the tree canopy. Groups of spider monkeys defend their ranges with screams, barks and thrown branches. Males mark their territory with secretions from the chest glands.

Picture source:
Nature Wildfacts

Spider Monkeys - Diet

The composition of spider monkeys diet varies with species and location. Generally they specialize in ripe fruit, which makes up 80% of their diet. Also they eat leaves, flowers, seeds, nuts, insects and eggs. White-bellied spider monkeys eat the decaying wood and mud used by the termites to build the nests; it's a mystery why they do it. Spider monkeys move to exploit seasonally fruiting trees. These monkeys are so clever that they survive during poor fruit seasons, while other monkeys and mammals starve to death. A Spider monkey can open unripe fruits when they hang on the vine, accelerating the ripening process. They are able to access fruit whenever it grows, even on terminal branches. Scientists found out that the brain of spider monkeys is twice larger than that of howlers because of their higher quality, more widely dispersed food. The larger brain of the spider monkeys aids in searching for and remembering the location of the food sources.