Black Spider Monkey (Ateles paniscus)

Jump to:
Distribution
Behaviour
Reproduction
Appearance
Size
Social Structure
Territory Defence
Diet
Activity Period
Predators
Conservation Status
Threats
Hunting
Black Spider Monkeys at the Zoo

Black spider monkeys are covered in glossy black fur except for the face which is bare and sometimes pink or greyish. This is the largest species of primate at the zoo and they appear very elegant. Their long arms and legs allow them to swing through the trees. On the hands there are only four fingers and no thumb, this has been reduced in size by natural selection. If these monkeys did have thumbs they would be at risk of injuring or possibly breaking them during their super fast swinging.

Distribution	South America Brazil, Guyana, French Guiana and Suriname Pristine tropical rainforest back to top
Behaviour	Spider monkeys spend up to half their day resting; the rest of the time is split between feeding & travelling. They normally feed for short periods of 1 to 15 minutes long. They are primarily arboreal (tree living) and avoid coming down to the ground where they are slower than in the trees (normally remain at least 20 metres high). When they are given onions they get very excited and rub them over their fur to repel insects. They swing through the trees using their long arms & tail, this kind of travelling is called brachiation. When they need to run they stand up on their back legs. This species has a variety of calls including barking, growling, whistling, cheeps and hoots and can be heard up to 2km away. These calls and the appropriate postures and facial expressions have to be learnt by the young monkeys. back to top
Reproduction	Females initiate a courtship which lasts up to 72 hours before breeding. The breeding season starts in March and most young are born at the end of the dry season between November and January after a gestation of approximately seven and a half months. This species have a very long period of parental care and an extended adolescence. Infants cling to their mother and are fed only on milk until they are weaned at about 1 year old. They remain with the mother until 3 to 4 years when they reach sexual maturity. Once this offspring is able to survive alone the female will reproduce again. Young adults do not begin to breed until they are about 5 years old. This slow development is similar to apes and females will grieve if they lose their young. back to top
Appearance	back to top
Size	Weight: 5.5 to 11 Kilograms (12 lbs to 24 lbs 3oz) Length: 135 cm head to tail (54 inches) back to top
Social Structure	They live in groups of up to 15 monkeys but will break up into smaller groups to forage for food. This is called a fission-fusion group. When group members meet they sniff each other and embrace. Males are most likely to form a subgroup with other males. Males are dominant to females and have a hierarchy based on age. They commonly associate (share space or food) with bearded sakis but will avoid red howler monkeys. back to top
Territory Defence	Both males and females defend a large territory (2,250 sq km) which they mark using scent glands on their chest. Male subgroups will patrol the boundary of their territory and threaten intruders with barking and branch shaking. back to top
Diet	Black spider monkeys are omnivorous but 83% of their diet is fruit; they eat up to 171 species of fruit. Some of the seeds from fruit are eaten but 135 are dispersed unharmed in their faeces. Leaves (6%), flowers (6%), bark (2%) and some caterpillars and termites make up the rest of their daily diet. back to top
Activity Period	Black spider monkeys, like all monkeys, are active during the day (diurnal) as they do not have good night vision. back to top
Predators	Unknown back to top
Conservation Status	IUCN Red List: Least concern CITES: Not listed Population estimate: No current estimate available. back to top
Threats	Deforestation Clearance of forest by humans for wood, agricultural land and urban development has reduced and fragmented the available habitat for these monkeys. back to top
Hunting	This species is still hunted both live for the pet trade and killed for meat. They are a prime target due to their large size and noisy movement through the forest. back to top
Black Spider Monkeys at the Zoo	Tino & Ella back to top
Black Spider Monkeys available for adoption	Black Spider Monkeys back to top