Usefullness of Monkeys in the Rainforest

A spider monkey is named for it's long and thins arms, legs, and tails. Having these strong and long limbs help this animal to be one of the best equipped arboreal (living in the trees) animals found the rainforest.

A spider monkey can swing through the rainforest canopy and hang suspended by their tail. Their long limbs help them pick fruit (their favorite food). They live almost exclusively on fruit and nuts. They also eat young leaves, flowers, sometimes bark and decaying wood, as well as honey.

The spider monkey has a copper or orange fur and it's one of nature's most impressive acrobats, swinging back and forth from branches with the help of its long tail. They are very social at night, when they sleep in groups in order to feel protected, but they are pretty solitary during the day. Unfortunately, the spider monkey has suffered significantly from deforestation and human invasion and its population has decreased.

The name "monkey" refers to a great number of species of primates that have grasping hands, front facing eyes and highly developed brains. Most monkeys have tails unlike their larger cousins in the ape family. Monkeys generally spend most of their time in living in trees and many can use their tail (prehensile) to help them climb, much like a fifth limb. Not all monkeys are tree dwellers the Ringtail Lemur are one that lives most of its life on the forest floor.

Spider monkeys are 3-5 feet in length, with its tail accounting for about 60%. They weigh about 15-18 pounds.

The Spider Monkey is a diurnal (active during the day) animal that is quite social. Most spider monkeys live in groups of about 30 other spider monkeys.

Spider monkeys are considered an Old World Primate, because they don't have thumbs. Other monkeys ...