Common Name: Variegated Spider Monkey Scientific Name: Ateles belzebuth hybridus
VULNERABLE Variegated Spider Monkey Distribution: Colombia, Peru, Brazil Habitat: High Rainforest Height: Approx. 50cm Weight: 7kg - 10kg Diet: Herbivorous Fruit and leaves.
Spider monkeys get their names from their very long arms and legs and the fact that they use their tails to hang upside down. Spider monkeys are very agile and swing through the trees by making a hook with their hands. This is why they have virtually no thumbs! Spider monkeys are New World Monkeys, meaning they come from South America. The Variegated Spider Monkey comes from Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Brazil where they inhabit the rainforests and usually spend most of their time in the treetops. Spider monkeys mostly eat in the morning. Their diet is made up from fruit, nuts, seeds and flowers. These spider monkeys will also eat decaying wood and mud used by termites, although they will not eat the termites. It is a puzzle though, why they eat wood. The size of spider monkey groups depends on the amount of food available at the time. The more food there is the bigger the groups are which form. The most common group sizes are between 2 and 30 monkeys. Spider Monkeys breed throughout the year with births happening anytime. Gestation (pregnancy) is just over 230 days. The mother only gives birth to a single baby, which is then reliant on her for up to 2 years. Sexual maturity is reached at about 4-5 years. Spider Monkeys can live for up to 30 years in captivity, less in the wild.