Suspensory behavior

Suspensory feeding by a black-and-white ruffed lemur

Suspensory behavior, exhibited by primates and sloths, is a form of arboreal locomotion or a feeding behavior which involves hanging or suspension of the body below or among the branches, rather than moving or sitting on top of the branches. This includes brachiation, climbing, and bridging, and allows larger species to distribute their weight among smaller branches rather than balancing above these weak supports.^[1] Ruffed lemurs, sifakas, spider monkeys, gibbons, and orangutans are examples of primates that exhibit suspensory behaviors.

References

1. Fleagle, J. G. (1998). Primate Adaptation and Evolution (2nd ed.). Academic Press. p. 57. ISBN 0-12-260341-9.