| Peruvian spider monkey[1] | |
|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Primates |
| Family: | Atelidae |
| Genus: | Ateles |
| Species: | A. chamek |
| Binomial name | |
| Ateles chamek (Humboldt, 1812) |
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| Peruvian Spider Monkey range | |
The Peruvian spider monkey (Ateles chamek) is a species of spider monkey that lives not only in Peru, but also in Brazil and Bolivia. At two feet (0.6 m) long, they are relatively large among species of monkey, and their strong, prehensile tails can be up to three feet (1 m) long. Unlike many species of monkey, they have virtually no thumb. Peruvian spider monkeys live in groups of up to a dozen individuals called bands. They prefer to eat fleshy fruit, and this leads them to move among habitats, but they also eat small animals, insects and leaves based on availability. Females separate from the band to give birth, typically in the fall. Peruvian spider monkey are independent at about 10 months, with a lifespan of about 20 years.
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The Peruvian spider monkey weighs up to 20 pounds (9 kg.)[3]. Its body can be 24 inches (0.7 m) long and the tail can be 36 inches (1 m)long. It has four elongated fingers and virtually no thumb, which is typical for spider monkeys but unusual for other monkeys. It can move easily through the trees and it uses its tail like an extra limb. It has an agility that can only be compared to the gibbon of Asia. It has a life span of up to 20 years.[4]
The range of the Peruvian spider monkey is not limited to Peru but also includes Bolivia and Brazil. [5] They live in the jungles, occupying the canopy and the sub-canopy, and sometimes in the mountains. They live in territorial bands of 6-12 individuals whose territory covers about 20 square kilometers.[6] Band size is somewhat seasonal,[7] probably because females separate themselves from the band for a few months to give birth, primarily in the fall. It has to contest with other spider monkeys, wooly monkeys, and howler monkeys for food and territory.[8]
The Peruvian spider monkey feeds on leaves, berries, small animals such as birds and frogs, flowers, termites, honey, grubs, and fruits. It would rather eat plant matter and insects, but when it finds them, it will eat baby birds, bird eggs, and frogs.[9] In the Amazon, bands of Peruvian spider monkeys show strong seasonal variations in habitat based on the availability of fleshy fruits. [10]
The spider monkey has a reproductive period that can span throughout the year, though most babies are born in the fall. It has a gestation period of about 140 days. The pregnant female leaves the group to have her baby and returns 2-4 months later. The newborn spider monkey is independent at about 10 months.[11]
In addition to external appearance, the Peruvian spider monkey differs from the red-faced spider monkey by the number of chromosomes (2n = 32 in the red-faced vs. 2n = 34 in the Peruvian) in addition to several specific chromosomal differences. The two species have been interbred in captivity, resulting in offspring with reduced fertility (but not sterility).[12] There are several related species such as the Central American spider monkey or Geoffroy's spider monkey (A. geoffroyi), and the brown spider monkey (A. hybridus). Both of these have a prehensile tail, a thumbless hand, and other characteristics that are found in all spider monkeys.[13]
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