Spider Monkey (Ateles geoffroyi) Travel to Resting Trees in a Seasonal Forest of the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico

Resting by primates is considered an understudied activity, relative to feeding or moving, despite its importance in physiological and time investment terms. Here we describe spider monkeys' (Ateles geoffroyi) travel from feeding to resting trees in a seasonal tropical forest of the Yucatan Peninsula. We followed adult and subadult individuals for as long as possible, recording their activities and spatial location to construct travel paths. Spider monkeys spent 44% of the total sampling time resting. In 49% of the cases, spider monkeys fed and subsequently rested in the same tree, whereas in the remaining cases they travelled a mean distance of 108.3 m. Spider monkeys showed high linear paths (mean linearity index = 0.77) to resting trees when they travelled longer distances than their visual field, which suggests travel efficiency and reduced travel cost. Resting activity is time consuming and affects the time available to search for food and engage in social interactions.
Folia Primatol 2016;87:375-380

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