Feeding
The diets of spider monkeys consist of about 90% fruits and nuts. They can live for long periods on only one or two kinds of fruits and nuts. They eat the fruits of many big forest trees, and because they swallow fruits whole, the seeds are eventually excreted and fertilized by the feces. Studies show the diet of spider monkeys changes their reproductive, social, and physical behavioral patterns. Most feeding happens from dawn to 10 am. Afterward, the adults rest while the young play. Through the rest of the day, they may feed infrequently until around 10 pm. If food is scarce, they may eat insects, bark and honey.
Spider monkeys have a unique way of getting food: a lead female is generally responsible for finding food sources. If she cannot find enough food for the group, it splits into smaller groups that forage separately. The traveling groups have four to 9 animals. Each group is closely associated with its territory. If the group is big, it spreads out.
Read more about this topic: Spider Monkey
Famous quotes containing the word feeding:
“There are times when parenthood seems nothing but feeding the mouth that bites you.”
—Peter De Vries (b. 1910)
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—M. E. W. Sherwood (1826–1903)
“When all who had money and leisure
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—Winthrop Mackworth Praed (1802–1839)