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Fota Wildlife Park

A new cute baby spider monkey has been born at Fota

Colombian spider monkeys are critically endangered in the wild.

FOTA WILDLIFE PARK have announced the birth of a new critically endangered primate, a baby Colombian spider monkey.

The baby was born to mum, Batty (born in 1990) and dad Arnold (born 1994) on 4 April – but its mother had kept the newborn well hidden until the last few days.

The sex of the newborn is not yet known and therefore has yet to be named, said Teresa Power, primate lead warden at Fota Wildlife Park.

Both the new baby and new mother are doing very well and Batty is taking great care of her little baby.

spider-FOTA8731 Fota Wildlife Park Fota Wildlife Park

“Births in the wildlife park are always special, but the birth of such a critically endangered species is a joyous event and a great reminder of why breeding programmes in wildlife parks and zoos are so important,” she added.

The Colombian spider monkey has gone from vulnerable to ‘critically endangered’ in the wild according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).<

They have a prehensile tail, meaning it is extremely flexible and acts as another limb, allowing them to carry out acrobatics in the canopy.

The baby spider monkey is NOT to be confused with the spider baby of Father Ted fame.

spider-088A1883 Fota Wildlife Park Fota Wildlife Park

Large brain

Spider monkeys are second only to gibbons in their agility up in the treetops and their brain is twice the size of the brain of a howler monkey of equivalent body size.

Their large brain is thought to be the result of their complex social structure entitled ‘fission-fusion’ which occurs with other primates such as the chimpanzee.

Their frugivorous diet requires them to remember the locations of ripe fruit in the forest.

spider-FOTA8739 Fota Wildlife Park Fota Wildlife Park

A benefit of their exceptional climbing skills is that they don’t have many natural predators, as being so high up in the trees, they are pretty difficult to catch.

The species is under pressure from a high rate of habitat loss, due to deforestation and being targeted by hunters for meat or for sport.

Read: Fota Wildlife Park celebrates birth of baby cheetah
Read: There’s a new baby gorilla in our midst…

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26 Comments
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    Mute the asian nightmare
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    Aug 4th 2016, 4:36 PM

    Baby is white but mother is black!? I sense the handiwork of a spider monkey milkman.

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    Mute Damocles
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    Aug 4th 2016, 4:39 PM

    Or the adult has more facial hair.

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    Mute the asian nightmare
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    Aug 4th 2016, 4:43 PM

    No Damocles I think my theory that a spider monkey milkman is the reason they have different skin colour is more likely.

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    Mute Damocles
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    Aug 4th 2016, 4:56 PM

    Genuinely cannot be bothered to argue my point, so yeah, okay, if you like.

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    Mute Rob Cahill
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    Aug 4th 2016, 5:03 PM

    Jaysus wept.

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    Mute Dave O Keeffe
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    Aug 4th 2016, 5:34 PM

    Drymocles

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    Mute MARK O 'LEARY
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    Aug 4th 2016, 6:08 PM

    Pat or Patricia Mustard would be a good name so,or massive tool.

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    Mute Damocles
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    Aug 4th 2016, 6:08 PM

    Whatever.

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    Mute Mrs parrott
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    Aug 4th 2016, 10:31 PM

    Good one dave

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    Mute fairboxin
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    Aug 4th 2016, 4:39 PM

    The mind of a baby and the body of a monkey, i think they keep it in a pram

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    Mute prop joe
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    Aug 4th 2016, 4:45 PM

    I love the monkeys down in Fota. At tenish they are shouting, calling each other from tree to tree. It’s brilliant to watch.

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    Mute Brian Murphy
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    Aug 4th 2016, 5:41 PM

    That’s just the locals

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    Mute prop joe
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    Aug 5th 2016, 1:38 AM

    The hairy monkeys must have some laugh watching the hairless monkeys looking up at them.

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    Mute Geraldine Lawlor
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    Aug 4th 2016, 6:33 PM

    I saw this baby a few weeks back. It was tiny. My kids thought it was the coolest thing ever.

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    Mute ChocSaltyBallz
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    Aug 4th 2016, 10:23 PM

    Me too old news from this crowd once again

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    Mute Paula Doran
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    Aug 4th 2016, 5:24 PM

    Guys, it was a joke!!!! And a good one as well!

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    Mute spud
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    Aug 4th 2016, 5:36 PM

    That’s nothin I once saw a spider baby

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    Mute Martin
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    Aug 4th 2016, 4:47 PM

    Not to be confused with Father Ted, but could be confused with the Spider Monkey rhetoric from the Ricky Bobby family dinner table.

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    Mute Sean Johnston
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    Aug 4th 2016, 5:06 PM

    Cute? That’s the most evil looking monkey I’ve ever seen.

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    Mute Motherofdivinejebus
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    Aug 4th 2016, 5:11 PM

    I take it you have never seen Family Guy??
    There`s an awful yoke that lives in Chris`s wardrobe

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    Mute Paul A Whelan
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    Aug 4th 2016, 5:05 PM

    Chances are the face is white as it is a baby. Pigmentation will develop in time. Here is a link to it http://www.fotawildlife.ie/animals-plants/view/colombian-black-spider-monkey

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    Mute Gavin
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    Aug 4th 2016, 5:08 PM

    Nobody likes a spoil-sport!

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    Mute Derrick O Neill
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    Aug 4th 2016, 9:08 PM

    ‘A large brain’ spider monkey should run the country

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    Mute eoin lee
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    Aug 4th 2016, 7:57 PM

    Ted, It’s a spider baby(monkey) it has the head of a baby(monkey) and the body of a baby (monkey)

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    Mute Liam John Bradshaw
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    Aug 4th 2016, 9:40 PM

    Sure it looks like his Dad, Donald Trump!

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    Mute Kizzi Yeates
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    Aug 4th 2016, 8:22 PM

    Maybe a local priest had more than a hand in it……

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