Positional Behavior of Black Spider Monkeys (Ateles paniscus) in French Guiana

Spider monkeys (Ateles) frequently use suspensory locomotion and postures, and their postcranial morphology suggests convergence with extant hominoids in canopy and food utilization. Previous studies of positional behavior in Ateles, have produced variable rates in the use of different positional activities. I investigated the positional behavior of black spider monkeys (Ateles paniscus) in a wet rain forest in French Guiana, and assessed differences in the rates of use of positional modes across studies. I also discuss the significance of suspensory activities in forest utilization. In French Guiana, Ateles confined travel and feeding locomotion on small and medium-sized moderately inclined supports in the main canopy. Tail-arm brachiation and clamber were their main traveling modes, while clamber was the dominant feeding locomotor mode. Small horizontal supports were predominant during their feeding. Suspensory postures accounted for more than half of feeding bouts, with tail-hang and tail-hind limb(s) hang being the dominant postures. Feeding occurred largely in tree crown peripheries with the prehensile tail anchored frequently above the monkey. They usually collected food items below or at the same level as the body. There is no difference among the postures they used to acquire and eat young leaves and fruit. My results agree with reports on the positional behavior of different species of spider monkeys at other sites. Despite the use of different methods, the same species exhibited more or less similar profiles in similar forests. Interspecific differences could be associated with morphological differences. Moreover, intraspecific differences could be attributed to forest structure. The findings suggest that the major part of biological information is independent of methods used in the several studies. Suspensory behavior facilitates the exploitation of the forest canopy by shortening traveling pathways between and within trees, by enabling faster travel for the better exploitation of patchy food sources and by providing access to food in the flexible terminal twigs.