With her huge doe eyes and fluffy hair, it’s hard to believe that this baby spider monkey was abandoned by her mother at birth.

Little Estela and her mother Sunshine failed to bond after she was born in January forcing primate keepers at Melbourne Zoo to step in and care for her around the clock to ensure her survival.

Primate supervisor Jess McKelson and her team have had to feed the tiny newborn a formula mixture by hand to build up her strength.

But the playful youngster is growing bigger by the day and is now being introduced to solid food.

Luckily, grandmother Sonya is on hand to keep a watchful eye on the mischievous toddler who thinks nothing of playfully teasing and prodding her surrogate family.

Spider monkeys are often found in the tropical forests of Central and South America, from southern Mexico to Brazil.

They have disproportionately long limbs and a long prehensile tail makes them one of the largest New World monkeys and gives rise to their common name.

Spider monkeys usually live in the upper layers of the rainforest and forage in the high canopy, from 25 to 30metres (82 to 98ft).

They primarily eat fruit, but will also occasionally consume leaves, flowers, and insects.

Due to their large size, spider monkeys require large tracts of moist evergreen forests and prefer undisturbed primary rainforest.

They are social animals and live in bands of up to 35, but will split up to forage during the day.