Prehensile Tail

Abstract

A prehensile tail is one that is capable of grasping a substrate and sustaining the entire mass of an individual. Six primate genera exhibit tail prehensility: Alouatta (howling monkeys), Ateles (spider monkeys), Brachyteles (muriquis), Cebus/Sapajus (capuchin monkeys), and Lagothrix (woolly monkeys). It appears that the prehensile tail has evolved twice in these neotropical primates, once in the common ancestor of the Atelidae ( Alouatta , Ateles , Brachyteles , and Lagothrix ) and once in Cebus / Sapajus . In the Atelidae, the tail is relatively long and features a ventrodistal friction pad that is covered in dermatoglyphics. In Cebus / Sapajus , the tail is relatively shorter and fully furred. The prehensile tail is often described as a “fifth limb” that aids in support, balance, and maneuverability during feeding, foraging, travel, rest, and social behaviors. All prehensile‐tailed primates use their tail in both above‐branch and below‐branch feeding postures. Ateles and Brachyteles also employ their tail during below‐branch suspensory locomotion.