They prefer to eat fruits, along with nuts, shoots, buds, new leaves and flowers. When eating fruits, a family of spider monkeys drops many to the ground, where they are eaten by agoutis, which destroy many of the seeds. The monkeys, however, swallow the seeds along with the fruit, then carry them away and deposit them in their dung elsewhere in the forest. Thus, the monkeys are another species that aids the re-growth of the forest.
Spider monkeys spend most of their time in the forest canopy.
Their high habitat protects them from most forest predators. The major threat to their survival is deforestation, which has led to the fragmentation and isolation of populations. 1998 Passport to Knowledge. All Rights Reserved.