Mexican Spider Monkey
Basic Information:
Scientific Name: Ateles geoffroyi vellerosus
Habitat: Mexican Spider Monkeys are located in tropical rainforests stretching from Mexico to Honduras.
Diet: Spider Monkeys primarily eat the fleshy fruit that grows on large, rainforest trees.
Size: 2 feet tall / 1 to 2 feet long
Weight: About 13 to 17 pounds
Lifespan: 25 years in the wild. Up to 40 in human care.
Distribution Map:
I.U.C.N. Conservation Status:
What does this mean?
Critically Endangered – a species determined by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (I.U.C.N.) to possess an extremely high risk of extinction as a result of rapid population declines of 80 to more than 90 percent over the previous 10 years (or three generations), a current population size of fewer than 50 individuals, or other factors (such as severely fragmented populations, long generation times, or isolated habitats).
Our Spider Monkeys:
Manuel (Male) – Estimated Date of Birth June 1996
Negra (Female) – Estimated Date of Birth December 1996
About Mexican Spider Monkeys:
The survival of spider monkeys and trees are intertwined. Spider monkeys are almost entirely arboreal. This means, they live on canopy trees. They require large tracts of primary forest to survive, and are vulnerable to deforestation. They are some-times hunted by humans for meat and captured for the pet trade. Because of low reproductive turnover, they cannot quickly replenish their numbers when affected by these events. As a result, Geoffroy’s spider monkey has disappeared from some areas where it was once common.
Did You Know?!
- A spider monkey’s arms are longer than its legs.
- The spider monkey has a prehensile (grasping) tail, which it can use to pick up items as small as sunflower seeds.
- Spider monkeys are quite noisy. They send forth a variety of loud calls which are easy to hear for about 1000m on the ground and 2000m above the canopy. These loud calls and screeches are used to alert members of the troop.