Here Are The 8 Most Interesting Facts About Spider Monkeys You Don’t Know

Interesting Facts About Spider Monkeys

Some of the most Interesting Facts About Spider Monkeys is that Spider monkeys are New World monkeys found in the tropical and subtropical rainforests of Central and South America. Their name is the result of their spiderlike appearance when they hang by their extra long prehensile tails from the bow of a tree. 

Spider monkeys come in seven species and seven subspecies, and all are in danger of going extinct because of habitat degradation and hunting. Herbivorous Or frugivorous in nature, spider monkeys are known for their sociable nature and propensity to live in big groups. Find out the most amazing facts about spider monkeys, like their lack of opposable thumbs and their capacity for long swings.

1. Spider Monkeys Have Strong Tails

The spider monkey’s long, prehensile tail is one of its most distinctive features. The spider monkey’s tail is frequently referred to as an extra limb because it is robust and well-developed for living in the trees. The monkey’s tail is made for grasping; it has no hair on the underside so that it may more readily grab onto branches while picking fruit with its hands.

The tails of spider monkeys are longer than their bodies — some are as long as 35 inches.1

2. They Don’t Have Thumbs

Spider monkeys differ from other primates in that they do not have opposable thumbs on their hands. Only the little nub from their forefathers’ thumbs, who did have thumbs, is still present on their hands. The spider monkey’s hand has long, slender fingers and a hook-like shape without the extra digit, giving it a better grasp to swing from branch to branch in its arboreal home.

3. The Females Take the Lead

4. They Are Swinging Specialists

5. Spider Monkeys Are at Risk 

There are seven different species of spider monkeys, and they are all in danger of going extinct. Ateles hybridus, sometimes known as the brown or variegated spider monkey, is in grave danger. Their main concerns come from illegal hunting as well as the destruction and fragmentation of their forest habitat in Columbia and Venezuela. It is predicted that during the next 45 years, the population of brown spider monkeys may decline by as much as 80% since a large portion of their habitat is exploited for cultivation.

Five additional species: Geoffroy’s spider monkey, brown-headed spider monkey, white-cheeked spider monkey, white-bellied spider monkey, and the black-faced black spider monkey are all endangered, while the Guiana spider monkey is listed as vulnerable by the IUCN. Throughout their range, the spider monkey population is in decline primarily due to loss of suitable habitat and hunting.4

6. They Are Social Animals

7. Spider Monkeys Reproduce Infrequently

8. They Add Nutrients to the Forest