What is the primary role of the semi-prehensile tail in arboreal life?
Answer
Postural support, grasping objects, and balancing under branches.
The tail of the white-faced capuchin is a critical physical adaptation specifically evolved to support their life spent high in the trees, or arboreal existence. It possesses a semi-prehensile quality, meaning it can grasp things to some extent. Its length often exceeds that of the head and body combined, and it is actively employed in multiple ways to maintain stability and aid mobility, including providing essential postural support, assisting in the grasping of items when needed, and ensuring proper balance, especially when the monkey is foraging while positioned underneath branches.
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