Spider Monkey Facts
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Spider Monkeys are a genus (Ateles) of monkeys that share the same family (Atelidae) with Woolly Monkeys and Howler Monkeys.
Seven species are recognized, and they inhabit the tropical and subtropical rain forests of Central and South America.
Most of their life is spent in the canopy, searching for their food of preference, fruit. Their diet is occasionally supplemented by nuts, plants and insects. Except in rare instances, they rarely climb down to the forest floor.
Life in the tree tops necessitates a small physique, and the average spider monkey ranges from one to two feet in length, and tips the scale at under fifteen pounds. Their prehensile tail helps them maneuver.
While they live in large social groups, they tend to split into small groups for foraging within the larger group territory. Additionally, unlike most New World monkeys, their social structure, built on male philopatry resembles ape social structure.
Recent research comparing Spider Monkey and Woolly Monkey dispersal patterns, concluded,
"that among woolly monkeys, as among spider monkeys, dispersal by females is indeed common and that, historically, male-mediated gene flow may be somewhat more restricted than gene flow by females.
Nonetheless, our molecular results also indicate that a significant degree of male dispersal is occurring and, in contrast to the results for spider monkeys, assignment tests fail to reveal any strong sexbias to dispersal patterns."
As a group, spider monkeys rank among the most endangered of the New World monkeys, with six of the seven species listed as either critically endangered or endangered. Deforestation and hunting are the most often cited causes for their reduced population levels.
© 2010 Patricia A. Michaels.