Around 8PM on December 30th, California Highway Patrol pulled over a driver for speeding his Rolls Royce Ghost down Highway 99. According to a CHP Madera County’s Facebook post, the driver was “found to be under the influence and placed under arrest for DUI.” Inside the roughly $400,000 luxury car, authorities found an unexpected passenger. “The driver had a baby monkey attached—or clenched—on his person,” CHP officer Sergio Moreno told local news outlet KSEE on Tuesday. “That’s something you don’t see every day.” More specifically, the primate was a one-month-old spider monkey in a onesie. While the exact species isn’t clear (the genus includes seven types), they are all considered threatened or critically endangered. Apart from their conservation status, it’s illegal to own the exotic animal in multiple states across the US. “Definitely can’t have them here in California,” added Madera County Animal Services director Amy Toler. Spider monkeys are native to the upper layers and canopies of Central and South American rainforests. They are some of the largest monkeys known to exist in the Americas, with black-headed spider monkey males weighing as much as 24 lbs. Their common name is derived from their prehensile tails, some as long as three feet, which the animals use along with their disproportionately lanky limbs to grasp branches and other objects. Although they live in groups as large as 35 individuals, spider monkeys generally roam large areas of forest during the day while scouring for fruit, plants, and small insects to eat. Dwindling population numbers are due to a combination of factors, most notably deforestation from logging and land clearing. The exotic—and often illegal—pet trade also contributes to disrupting ongoing conservation efforts. In California, a misdemeanor conviction for owning a prohibited animal can include up to six months of jail time along with as much as $10,000 in fines. According to CHP Madera’s Facebook post, authorities quickly transported the Rolls Royce passenger to local Animal Services for an overnight stay and a snack of mashed bananas. As cute as it may sound, however, Toler stressed the importance of sticking with more traditional pets. “Since we don’t have what the monkey needed for feeding, we went with the next best thing,” Toler said on Tuesday. “This is not where they should be. You know, we should not be caring for these animals. They need to be in the wild with nature, with their own species.” After his brief stay in Madera County, California Department of Fish and Wildlife assumed responsibility for the spider monkey baby. According to authorities, the tiny monkey will soon arrive at the Oakland Zoo for additional care. The post Endangered baby monkey found clinging to driver of speeding Rolls Royce appeared first on Popular Science.