Spider Monkey

Spider monkeys live in large groups of up to 30 individuals in groups called troops. The troop here at Chessington is made up of 13 individuals and can be found in Amazu. Spider monkeys are known for being extremely chatty! You can often hear them communicating, especially when there is food around. They use their vocalisations for friendly interactions, such as greeting each other and communicating about food, or to warn each other about any potential threats. Just like us, they sleep at night and are active during the day, spending most of their time in the trees looking for food. The spider monkey diet is composed of vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds and insects. Their favourite foods include sweetcorn, monkey nuts and grapes!

FUN FACT: Spider monkeys have a very long and strong tail which helps them swing through the trees – this is called a prehensile tail. The prehensile tail is often longer than their body (up to 85cm in length) and is used as an extra hand to climb and grasp the trees so their hands can gather food.