ianmichaelthomas
Black Handed Spider Monkey
Black Handed Spider Monkeys are extremely acrobatic, and they demonstrated breath-taking skill and dexterity as they ran and jumped from beam to beam.
Distribution: Southern Mexico and all of Central America. Black-handed spider monkeys are vulnerable because of habitat destruction and hunting. They are particularly sensitive to changes in the environment, and so are indicator species for the health of the ecosystem.
Wild diet: Fruit and leaves, termites, and occasionally bark
Spider monkeys have a distinctive appearance, even in relation to other monkeys. No other primate looks quite like them. Spider monkeys have a prominent face, with whitish rings around the eyes. The rings contrast against a mostly black face. Spider monkeys are highly variable in coloration; some are black with a white or yellowish-white chest, others are mostly yellowish-grey. No matter what color, the fur is usually coarse and stringy over most of the body. Black-handed spider monkeys have black fur around the hands, feet, elbows, and knees, giving this species its common name.
Spider monkeys are almost perfectly designed for life in the trees. They have very long arms, hands, and feet. They have almost no thumb. It is their tail that gives them amazing acrobatic ability.
Spider monkeys sport a tail that seems to have a life of its own. The tail waves around, curls and uncurls, and even grasps branches. But the tail isn't acting on its own---spider monkeys use it like a fifth limb. When jumping around fifty feet above the forest floor, five "hands" are definitely better than four. With their specialized hands and grasping (prehensile) tail, spider monkeys are among the most agile climbers in the forest, moving through the trees with grace and speed. They climb hand over hand, suspended under branches. Five long limbs working together give this monkey a spider-like appearance---hence the name!
The availability of food determines much of spider monkey's social structure and behavior. About 75% of their diet is fruit. During the fruiting seasons, spider monkeys live in groups of up to 20 or so. They defend this area of plenty from other primates, until they've relieved the trees of their fruity bounty. When fruit is scarce and there isn't enough high-quality food to support the larger groups, spider monkeys break up into groups of between two and eight members. At these times they eat mostly leaves; not as nutritious as fruit, but abundantly available. During the next big fruiting season, the larger groups again assemble to feed and live together.
Body length: 15 to 27 inches (38 to 69 centimeters)
Tail length: 23 to 29 inches (58 to 74 centimeters)
Weight: 12 to 15 pounds (5.5 to 6.8 kilograms)
Habitat: Mostly rain forest, but also evergreen, semi-deciduous, and deciduous forest.
Melbourne Zoo, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
Black Handed Spider Monkey
Black Handed Spider Monkeys are extremely acrobatic, and they demonstrated breath-taking skill and dexterity as they ran and jumped from beam to beam.
Distribution: Southern Mexico and all of Central America. Black-handed spider monkeys are vulnerable because of habitat destruction and hunting. They are particularly sensitive to changes in the environment, and so are indicator species for the health of the ecosystem.
Wild diet: Fruit and leaves, termites, and occasionally bark
Spider monkeys have a distinctive appearance, even in relation to other monkeys. No other primate looks quite like them. Spider monkeys have a prominent face, with whitish rings around the eyes. The rings contrast against a mostly black face. Spider monkeys are highly variable in coloration; some are black with a white or yellowish-white chest, others are mostly yellowish-grey. No matter what color, the fur is usually coarse and stringy over most of the body. Black-handed spider monkeys have black fur around the hands, feet, elbows, and knees, giving this species its common name.
Spider monkeys are almost perfectly designed for life in the trees. They have very long arms, hands, and feet. They have almost no thumb. It is their tail that gives them amazing acrobatic ability.
Spider monkeys sport a tail that seems to have a life of its own. The tail waves around, curls and uncurls, and even grasps branches. But the tail isn't acting on its own---spider monkeys use it like a fifth limb. When jumping around fifty feet above the forest floor, five "hands" are definitely better than four. With their specialized hands and grasping (prehensile) tail, spider monkeys are among the most agile climbers in the forest, moving through the trees with grace and speed. They climb hand over hand, suspended under branches. Five long limbs working together give this monkey a spider-like appearance---hence the name!
The availability of food determines much of spider monkey's social structure and behavior. About 75% of their diet is fruit. During the fruiting seasons, spider monkeys live in groups of up to 20 or so. They defend this area of plenty from other primates, until they've relieved the trees of their fruity bounty. When fruit is scarce and there isn't enough high-quality food to support the larger groups, spider monkeys break up into groups of between two and eight members. At these times they eat mostly leaves; not as nutritious as fruit, but abundantly available. During the next big fruiting season, the larger groups again assemble to feed and live together.
Body length: 15 to 27 inches (38 to 69 centimeters)
Tail length: 23 to 29 inches (58 to 74 centimeters)
Weight: 12 to 15 pounds (5.5 to 6.8 kilograms)
Habitat: Mostly rain forest, but also evergreen, semi-deciduous, and deciduous forest.
Melbourne Zoo, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.