Spider Monkeys

When in captivity, their high-fruit diet makes spider monkeys fairly easy to feed. In fact, they are convenient for many zoos to keep because they eat basically the same diet as capuchin monkeys. However, they require some special care if they are to thrive in captivity. They must be kept in groups to allow them to interact socially. If possible, one male should be kept in a group with several females, although it can be hard to differentiate between the sexes. Furthermore, the temperature in their environment should not drop below 75°F (23.8°C) because they do not adapt well to climate changes. Also, these monkeys need a lot of room to climb.

Spider monkeys do not often give birth in captivity. Normally, their pregnancies last 139 days, and only one baby is born. The life expectancy for spider monkeys in zoos is about 4–6 years; however, in a New York zoo, one black spider monkey lived for 20 years.