Spider monkey

Spider monkeys are fast energetic mammals that swing from branch to branch quickly and quietly.

Spider monkeys are usually all black but some have flesh coloured rings around their eyes and white chin whiskers and have slender bodies and limbs with long narrow hands. Spider monkeys also have long lanky arms and long tails that allow them to move from tree to tree swing or hang. (Interesting fact is that spider monkeys can swing from tree to tree as fast as humans can run on ground). Weirdly they are the only type of monkey to have no thumbs but they still have a strong grip on what they hang on to. Spider Monkey colours can be golden, red, brown or black, and their feet generally black. These monkeys depend highly on their keen binocular vision.

There are many different spider monkeys like the Red faced Spider Monkey, Black handed Spider Monkey, Brown Spider Monkey, White cheek Spider Monkey and many more. Some more popular species are Peruvian Spider Monkey, Columbian Spider Monkey, Mexican Spider Monkey and Hooded Spider Monkey. Some of these Spider Monkeys are endangered. As well as their species are decreased because of their habitat destruction.

Spider Monkeys are found all over the world. They are normally located in Peru, Brazil, North Mexico, South America and in tropical forests. They like to live in tall trees so they can move around by swinging on branches and find acorns to eat for a snack. You can find spider monkeys in zoos or in monkey preserve.

Spider Monkeys have a diet of 90% fruit and seeds. They eat nuts, seeds, insects, flowers, eggs, fruit, leaves and poisonous spiders. In captivity Spider Monkeys are fed fruit such as bananas, apples, oranges, celery, lettuce and wheat bread.

When Spider Monkey babies are born they rely on their mother for ten weeks. When that time is over they start to explore and travel on their own to places and learn to do things independently. Female Spider Monkeys give birth to only a single baby every two to three years. The baby Spider Monkey often move around with their mother clinging on to her back and wrapping their tails together for additional security and the babies also rely on the mother for milk.

When Spider Monkeys are born they start of by weighing 12 – 20 pounds and 35 – 65 cm in height. Sadly Spider monkeys only live up to 30 years. When they grow older they usually travel with other Spider Monkeys. Surprisingly in packs of 20 – 30 which is called troops and the female Spider Monkeys are more dominate in the troop.

By P.K