Creature Feature

Spider Monkeys

Genus Ateles 14 species Long limbs and long prehensile tail Primarily eat fruits Social animals Live in bands of up to 35 individuals Weigh lbs. Tail can be up to 35 inches long Can jump gaps up to 40 feet!

Due to their large size they need large tracts of forest  Prefer rainforest

Behavior Break off into sub-groups during the day to forage Females disperse at puberty to join new groups Males tend to stick together for their whole life  have closer bonds than females Strongest social bonds are formed between females and their offspring

Behavior continued… Defense against intruders: – Defecate or urinate in their direction – Twist and drop off live or dead tree limbs weighing up to 8 lbs Grooming is not as important to social interaction (perhaps because they lack )thumbs May live 20 years or more

Reproduction Females choose males to mate with Gestate for 7-8 months Females give birth to 1 baby once every yrs Carries infant around the mother’s belly for the first month after birth After this she carries it on her lower back Until age six to ten months, infants rely completely on their mother

Conservation 1 species listed as vulnerable 4 species listed as endangered 2 species listed as critically endangered Due to human impacts – Hunting – Deforestation (logging and land clearing)