Swingin’ in suds: spider monkeys go wild for bubble bath 

From making bubble beards to donning bubble crowns, bathtime is a favourite pastime of the world’s most abundant primate – humans. 

So, at Melbourne Zoo, the team of keepers decided to see if the troop of Black-handed spider monkeys would enjoy monkeying around with some non-toxic bubble bath too. Spoiler alert: they did! 

Melbourne Zoo primates keeper Lucy Smith said that as spider monkeys have prehensile tails as sensitive as a human’s palm, playing with warm water and bubbles is great sensory enrichment. 

“The troop dove tail-first into the bubbles and splashed up a storm in the warm water, which also had their favourite red-lantern flowers in there,” Ms Smith said. 

“One of our more brazen males, four-year-old Izumi, even pulled the bath around and tipped it over, which is classic teenage monkey behaviour.” 

Spider monkeys are an incredibly social species and engage in behaviours like tickling, wrestling and even vocal calls, which sound like barking or giggling. 

Brother and sister duo Izumi and Elena are very playful with each other and often rough and tumble around the habitat. 

Ms Smith said that the keepers do bubble enrichment at Melbourne Zoo regularly so visitors should come down and see it for themselves. “It doesn’t matter what’s going on in the world, you can always come down to the zoo and get some joy in your day by observing these gorgeous and intelligent creatures playing with bubbles,” Ms Smith said. 

Spider monkeys’ strong prehensile tails operate as a fifth limb, meaning they can swing, grasp items and hold their entire body weight just on their tail!

The black-handed species are native to South and Central America, but their numbers are declining due to the illegal pet trade and habitat loss. They are now listed as endangered. •