[reginaldo]

There are of course variations of this trick. If you can't find a monkey, either a quail or a toucan will do just fine. I have some friends who were in a military survival training mission in the Amazon.. For many days all they were able to find was swamp cabbage (palmito). Then they found a toucan... The monkey trick didn't work because the trees are very very tall.

[whyenot]

Energetically, I bet you'd spend more calories following the bird than any calories you'd gain from food you collect. On the other hand, I've been told that toucan is quite tasty.

[TrevorJ]

Although, once you found the locations you could remember them or map them and then later trips would be more efficient.

[whyenot]

Yes, but that probably isn't enough of a savings. We don't have a toucan's digestive system, and can't process large amounts of fruit quickly through our digestive tract like they can. It's a case of starving with a full stomach.

[fernando]

I guess one common variation is the monkey eating you...

[castis]

They're in the Amazon, not Soviet Russia.