Category: Mammals
The black-headed spider monkey is an arboreal, diurnal species of primate native to Central and South America (New World monkey). Spider monkeys tend to travel and forage in the upper levels of the forest – when travelling they spend much more time hanging and swinging by their arms (brachiation) than they do walking or running on all fours. Fruit makes up the bulk of their diet, followed by other types of vegetable matter, honey, and occasionally insects such as termites and ants.
A 200 Million Year-old Iconoclast
If a defining trait of mammals is that they give live birth to their young, how do you explain monotremes? Monotremes are mammals that lay eggs like a reptile, rather than giving birth to live young. Living examples of these unusual animals can only be found in Australia and New Guinea today, though they used to be more widespread. A monotreme egg has less yolk for supplying nutrients than a reptile egg, and when a young echidna or platypus hatches, it is very tiny and less developed than its reptile counterpart. But monotreme babies are able to grow and thrive because their mothers stay with them, lactating to supply vital nutrients for their growth - just like other mammals!
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