Today is a special post since it is Wild Fact #800! Can you believe we have already done 200 interesting animal facts? We have learned a lot of crazy things from snakes that play dead to fish that can walk on land.  Just think about what other amazing species that inhabit this earth we will learn about in the next 800 Wild Facts.  I guess now would be a good time to get the 800th Fact started.  We are going to learn about the Spider…..calm down, I am not talking about the bug, I am talking about the Monkey!  That’s right let’s take a closer look at the Spider Monkey.

To learn about the Spider Monkey we are going on a trip to the rain forest of Central and South America.  You coming, or what? Now that we have gotten through security and are enjoying a peaceful plane ride to South America let me tell you a few things about the Spider Monkey.  This way we will know what we are getting into when we are wandering through the forest. First, we need to know what they look like.  The spider monkey can get as long as 2 feet and has lanky arms and a nice long tail.  As with other monkey’s they use this tail for gripping and hanging out in the trees.  Since they spend most of their time in the trees we will most likely have a kink in our necks by the time we are done visiting the rain forest.

The spider monkey is a very social animal and will usually gather in groups of two or three dozen (that is 24-36 monkey’s).  This group will usually break up into smaller sub-groups for foraging and sleeping.  This allows the food to be dispersed evenly amongst the groups. The part that I find interesting about their social behaviour is the fact that it is the female monkey that will leave the group to find a new family.  In most other monkey species it is the male that leaves the group. In my opinion, it is about time the female gets kicked out for once. Well, before we pick up our luggage and head out to the rain forest, let me give you one last fact.  Oh Man! Where are my bags??

Spider Monkey Fast Fact – Spider monkey’s really like to hang upside down with all four legs and tail holding onto a branch.  I guess this slightly resembles a spider hence their name.

Enjoy the rest of your day!