Spider monkeys are monkeys, whose life takes place in South America, as well as Central America.
They can be found in French Guiana, Suriname, Brazil, Guyana, and Peru. Today we will tell you interesting facts about spider monkeys.
How to recognize female spider monkeys
The body of spider monkeys grows in length from 38 to 63 centimeters. The length of the tail is slightly longer than the length of the torso and reaches 50 to 90 centimeters.
The weight of an adult spider monkey is 6 – 8 kg. It should be noted that males are slightly larger than females: their weight is about 10 kilograms.
These monkeys have a slender body, long limbs with hooked fingers. The wool is long and shiny, on the shoulders, it is a little longer than in the abdominal area.
The long tail of the black spider monkey performs a snatching function, with the help of which it deftly clings to the branches of trees when trying to get food.
The head of the animal is small. On its forehead, the hair forms something like a comb. The color of fur can be found from yellowish-gray to black. A distinctive feature is a golden-yellow stripe on his forehead.
Lifestyle, habitat, and diet of spider monkeys
This South American monkey chooses to live in tropical forests, as well as forest areas located in the coastal strip. Spider monkeys are daytime animals. Almost all their time these monkeys spend on trees.
If spider monkey feels the approach of an enemy, it will flee with great speed. At night, the spider monkeys sleep settled in the crown of tall trees.
The way of life of these animals is a group. Typically, a community of living together spider monkeys consists of 10 – 30 individuals. In turn, these groups are divided into smaller “families” of 1 – 5 individuals.
The basis of the nutrition of spider monkeys is the ripe and soft fruits of fruit trees. But not only this can satisfy the hunger of monkeys from the family of spider-like. They eat with pleasure roots, young leaves, buds, flowers, honey, mushrooms, rotten wood, nuts, and various seeds. Sometimes they also get insects (caterpillars or termites) on the “dinner table”.
How does the breeding process of spider monkeys work?
The marriage period of spider monkeys may last all year round. To attract the attention of the male, the female sits on her lap, thus she makes it clear that she is ready for mating.
The fertilized female of the black coat carries the calves for about 230 days. Only one calf, weighing about 450 grams, is born to spider monkeys.
In its first 15 months after birth, the baby coat “rides” the female, clinging to her back. The care of the offspring is fully assumed by the female. When the cub turns one year old, he becomes independent and can already communicate and play with other babies from neighboring “families”.
At 4 years of age, the young generation of spider monkeys is entering puberty, at this time they become completely independent. These apes have lived in captivity for about 40 years.
Protection and relationship with a human being
Local people in South and Central America hunt these primates because of their meat and hide. Today, spider monkey is listed in IUCN Red List. But, unfortunately, this does not stop the population decline.
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5 Interesting Facts About Spider Monkeys
Spider monkeys are among the most intelligent species of new world monkeys. Their long tails are used as their fifth limb and they live for about twenty to twenty-seven years in the wild. They are found in the tropical rainforests of Central and South America. You might be wondering, how do spider monkeys use their tails? They are very clever creatures that use the length of their tails to help them perform different tasks.
The first thing you should know about these monstrous creatures is that they are a social species, often living in groups. They are extremely agile and live in large forests. The spider monkeys have a long prehensile tail and long, narrow limbs. Despite having two feet, they can cover a long distance in just one swing. Moreover, these monkeys do not have thumbs and cannot use their hands to balance themselves.
Spider monkeys live in the topmost layers of rainforests, where they forage for fruits and insects. They prefer the branches twenty to thirty meters above the forest floor. These primates are very social. They live in groups of up to 35 individuals at night, which slowly diminishes during the day. Females leave their group when they reach puberty and are not socialized with males. They are not territorial, but they are fiercely protective of their young.
Aside from their lack of thumbs, spider monkeys also lack opposable thumbs on their hands. This allows them to grip their food more efficiently in their arboreal habitat. Additionally, they have opposable thumbs on their feet, which help them in their arboreal lifestyles. In addition, they are very active and can be observed for most of the day. And because of their unique physiology, spider monkeys are extremely versatile.
These monkeys can be quite large, and they weigh up to six kilograms. They are 35 to sixty-six centimeters long. Their tails are longer than their bodies. Their tails can be as long as 30 cm. They are social creatures, and they often travel in bands of up to 35 individuals at night. During the day, spider monkeys are in smaller groups, but they are rarely alone. They have the ability to pick up objects with their tails and eat huge quantities of food quickly, which makes them particularly effective when foraging.
Despite their cuteness, spider monkeys are extremely intelligent animals. They can communicate with their tails and their mouths through grunts. They can cover more than 30 feet with one swing. The length of their tails and hook-like hands make them excellent climbers, and their long legs and arms give them an edge over other types of monkeys. However, they lack baculums. They lack spermatozoa in their uterus, and they don’t produce milk.
While the spider monkeys are omnivorous, they also eat plants. They consume fruit and sometimes supplement their diet with young leaves. They grow from about 500 g to more than eight kilograms. Depending on their habitat, they can reach up to one meter in length. They have a tail that is nearly twice as long as their head, and a prehensile tail that reaches a length of almost three centimeters.
Unlike other monkeys, spider monkeys have long limbs. Their tails are longer than their bodies, and they use their limbs as second and third pairs to groom themselves. This is an extremely important social behavior among primate species, and they are often found in zoos as part of the exhibits at zoos around the world. If you are a fan of this ape, you may be curious to know more about its habits.
During pregnancy, a female spider monkey will give birth to one or two babies every two to three years. During this time, the female spider monkey will look for a male of the same breed. They will check each other’s anogenital organs for the readiness to mate. At five months, the baby spider monkey is totally dependent on the mother, and she will nurse her baby for about five to six months. During this time, the infant will be completely dependent on her mom for nourishment, as she will still need her to feed them with milk.
