Spider Monkey - Five Sisters Zoo

Spider monkeys are some of the biggest New World monkeys. They have small heads and long thin tails and limbs. Their fur can range from a reddish brown to black. They have prehensile tails and hook-like hands that help them move around the dense canopy of the rainforest.

Facts

  • Diet: Omnivore.
  • Weight: 7.4 to 9 kg
  • Length: 39 to 63 cm
  • Habitat: Rainforest – wetlands
  • Life span: 22 years

Adapted to Survive

  • Their fingers are long and hooked to grab trees and vines.
  • Their tail (up to 86 cm in males) is prehensile, which can be used as a fifth limb to grab trees for suspensory locomotion.
  • They have opposable big toes on their feet that can grab onto branches quickly.
  • Having a prehensile tale helps them to move in the forest and forage for food.

IUCN Conservation Status

NA – spider monkeys at FSZ are hybrids.

There are seven Ateles species ranging from vulnerable to critically endangered.

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