 Sitting in some wild impatiens. |  Hanging from a vine. |  Climbing a tree. |
Chiquito likes to hang from vines and they usually hold his weight - but not always. It can be nerve-wracking to watch him, and it's the main reason we no longer take the monkeys down to the waterfall. "Health evaluations of immobilized spider monkeys at a field site revealed healed fractures on the limbs of three of nine sampled individuals." [Karesh et al., 1998] And in a collection of 516 skeletons from a variety of primate species, Schultz (1956) found that 28% had one or more healed fractures. [Chapman & Chapman, 1987]
Chiquito also likes to look for wild fruit, which he's eating in two of these photos. A few weeks ago we thought he found something that made him sick, but after he got better he was still eating bananas half-heartedly, and we're convinced that we bought a bunch with pesticide on the skin. Unfortunately, our own banana trees don't produce enough to keep a growing monkey happy.
We plan to put electric fencing around some trees on our property in the near future, and give both monkeys a safe playground where they can "learn the ropes."
Chiquito also likes to look for wild fruit, which he's eating in two of these photos. A few weeks ago we thought he found something that made him sick, but after he got better he was still eating bananas half-heartedly, and we're convinced that we bought a bunch with pesticide on the skin. Unfortunately, our own banana trees don't produce enough to keep a growing monkey happy.
We plan to put electric fencing around some trees on our property in the near future, and give both monkeys a safe playground where they can "learn the ropes."
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