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Animals

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A-Z

Spider Monkey

Ateles

Spider monkeys, like this young one
seemingly caught by surprise in Bolivia's Madidi National
Park, are dependent on their mothers for about ten weeks after
birth.

Photograph by Joel
Sartore

Spider Monkey Profile

Spider monkeys (of several species) live in the
tropical rain forests of Central and South America and
occur as far north as Mexico. They have long, lanky arms
and prehensile (gripping) tails that enable them to move
gracefully from branch to branch and tree to tree. These
nimble monkeys spend most of their time aloft, and
maintain a powerful grip on branches even though they
have no thumbs.

These New World primates are
social and gather in groups of up to two- or three-dozen
animals. At night, these groups split up into smaller
sleeping parties of a half dozen or fewer. Foraging also
occurs in smaller groups, and is usually most intense
early in the day. Spider monkeys find food in the
treetops and feast on nuts, fruits, leaves, bird eggs,
and spiders. They can be noisy animals and often
communicate with many calls, screeches, barks, and other
sounds.

Typically, females give birth to only a
single baby every two to five years. Young monkeys
depend completely on their mothers for about ten weeks,
but after that time they begin to explore on their own
and play amongst themselves. Mothers continue to care
for their young for the first year of their lives, and
often move about with their offspring clinging to their
backs.

Indigenous peoples often hunt spider
monkeys for food, and the animals are usually agitated
by human contact. Logging and deforestation continue to
shrink the space that spider monkeys are able to call
home.

Fast Facts

Type: Mammal

Diet: Omnivore

Average lifespan in the wild: 22
years

Size: 14 to 26 in (35 to 66
cm)

Weight: 13.25 lbs (6 kg)

Group name: Troop

Size relative to a 6-ft (2-m)
man:

Multimedia

Photo
Gallery: Monkeys

Spider Monkey Printable Factsheet

Video:
The Leisurely Life of Spider Monkeys

Monkey Features

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parks in an effort to save Gabon's wilderness from the
logger's ax in this multimedia feature.

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monkeys in this multimedia feature.

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When
the Frost Lies White

See how Japan is seeking to convert an ancient
reverence for animals into modern conservation in this
multimedia feature.

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Other Monkeys

Howler
Monkey

Rhesus
Monkey

Mandrill

Gelada

Red
Uakari

Baboon

Spider Monkey range

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