Perception Channels: tactile ; chemical
One of the main reasons Brown-headed Spider Monkeys are declining in numbers is due to deforestation of their habitat. Some of the monkeys are able to survive in areas that have been partially logged, but few can live where rainforests have been completely removed.(Microsoft Encarta 2000).
US Federal List: no special status
CITES: appendix ii
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: critically endangered
There are no negative effects of Brown-headed Spider Monkeys.
In some areas Brown-headed Spider Monkeys may be hunted for food.
Brown-headed Spider Monkeys prefer ripe fruits and leaves, but will eat nuts, seeds, insects, and sometimes eggs. The climate of the rainforests in which they live ensures an abundant supply of food year-round, allowing them to be able to reside in the same area throughout the year (MacDonald 1999; Microsoft Encarta 2000).
Animal Foods: eggs; insects
Plant Foods: leaves; seeds, grains, and nuts; fruit
Primary Diet: herbivore (Folivore , Frugivore )
Ateles fusciceps, the Brown-headed Spider Monkey, can be found from Central America to northern South America (Primate Gallery 2000).
Brown-headed Spider Monkeys are found in the rainforests of Central and South America. The majority of their time is spent in the uppermost branches of trees, foraging for food. Most climates allow them to live year-round in the same area. However, in drier habitats, they must travel up 18 km (10 mi.) each day in search of food(Microsoft Encarta 2000).
Terrestrial Biomes: rainforest
Average lifespan
Status: captivity: 24.0 years.
Average lifespan
Status: captivity: 21.5 years.
Brown-headed Spider Monkeys have long, narrow limbs and a prehensile tail that is used as a fifth limb to swing between branches as they forage for food. Their tail is much longer in length than their body. The tail measures 70 to 85 cm (28 to 34 in.) while the body ranges from 40 to 55 cm (16 to 22 in.). The average weight for both the male and female is approximately 9 kg (20 lbs.). Brown-headed Spider Monkeys can be separated into two subspecies. The subspecies A. f. fusciceps has a brownish-black body with a brown head. A. f. robustus is completely black except for a few white strands of hair on the chin. Their coat is long and shaggy, usually with a lighter underside. A white ring surrounds each eye. Their skull is structured so that they have forward facing eyes which allow them to precisely gauge distances as they swing from tree to tree. The hands and feet of A. fusciceps are adapted for climbing. Brown-headed Spider Monkey species lacks a thumb, which increases the strength of their grip and helps with climbing (Sleeper 1997; Napier 1985).
Range mass: 0 to 0 kg.
Average mass: 9 kg.
Other Physical Features: endothermic ; bilateral symmetry
Brown-headed spider monkeys indicate that they are prepared to mate through changes in behavior, scents, and visual signals. The estrous cycle is 26 days and females will usually associate with a male for up to three days, with mating lasting between 5 to 10 minutes.
Female Brown-headed Spider Monkeys reach sexual maturity at 51 months. Usually a single offspring is produced and, once born, the young will be cared for only by the mother until weaned at 20 months. On average, Brown-headed Spider Monkeys have a life span of 24 years. (Fleagle 1998; Microsoft Encarta 2000; Sleeper 1997).
Average number of offspring: 1.
Range weaning age: 20 (high) months.
Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female): 51 months.
Key Reproductive Features: iteroparous ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; viviparous
Average birth mass: 400 g.
Average gestation period: 227 days.
Average number of offspring: 1.
Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male)
Sex: male: 1826 days.
Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female)
Sex: female: 1515 days.
Only the female cares for her young, until it is weaned at 20 months. Male brown-headed spider monkeys live in their natal groups for their entire life. Females will disperse at adolescence.
Parental Investment: pre-fertilization (Provisioning, Protecting: Female); pre-hatching/birth (Provisioning: Female, Protecting: Female); pre-weaning/fledging (Provisioning: Female, Protecting: Female); post-independence association with parents
The black-headed spider monkey (Ateles fusciceps) is a type of New World monkey, from Central and South America. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, and Panama.[2] Although primatologists such as Colin Groves (1989) follow Kellogg and Goldman (1944) in treating A. fusciceps as a separate species, other authors, including Froelich (1991), Collins and Dubach (2001) and Nieves (2005) treat it as a subspecies of Geoffroy's spider monkey.[1][3]
The two subspecies are:[1]
A. f. fusciceps lives in tropical and subtropical humid forests between 100 and 1,700 metres (330 and 5,580 ft) above sea level. It lives in population densities of 1.2 monkeys per square kilometer. A. f. rufiventris lives in dry forests, humid forests and cloud forests, and can live up to 2,000 to 2,500 metres (6,600 to 8,200 ft) above sea level.[2]
A. f. fusciceps has a black or brown body and a brown head. A. f. rufiventris is entirely black with some white on its chin. The black-headed spider monkey is one of the larger New World monkeys. The head and body length, excluding tail, typically ranges between 39.3 and 53.8 cm (15.5 and 21.2 in). The prehensile tail is between 71.0 and 85.5 cm (28.0 and 33.7 in). On average, males weigh 8.89 kilograms (19.6 lb) and females weigh 8.8 kilograms (19 lb). Its brain weighs 114.7 g (4.05 oz).[4]
The Black spider monkey is primarily frugivorous, with the consumption of fruit consisting of about 80% of their diet. the remainder of its diet is omnivorous and consists of leaves, nuts, seeds, bark, insects, and flowers.[2]
The black-headed spider monkey is arboreal and diurnal. The species is highly sociable, living in social groups with up to 20 individuals but travels in smaller groupings. Most travel is done by brachiating and climbing through woodland areas.[5]
When mating, females may consort with a male for up to three days, or else mate with several males. Mating occurs with the male and female face to face, and can last for five to 10 minutes. The gestation period is between 226 and 232 days. The infant rides on its mother's back for 16 weeks, and is weaned at 20 months. Females attain sexual maturity at 51 months; males at 56 months. Females give birth every three years.[4]
The black-headed spider monkey is considered to be endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) due to an estimated population loss of more than 50% over 45 years (2018-2063), from hunting and human encroachment on its range of habitation.[2]
Captive black-headed spider monkeys have been known to live more than 24 years.[6]
Ateles fusciceps rufiventris moving
A. f. rufiventris getting something out of the water
The black-headed spider monkey (Ateles fusciceps) is a type of New World monkey, from Central and South America. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, and Panama. Although primatologists such as Colin Groves (1989) follow Kellogg and Goldman (1944) in treating A. fusciceps as a separate species, other authors, including Froelich (1991), Collins and Dubach (2001) and Nieves (2005) treat it as a subspecies of Geoffroy's spider monkey.
The two subspecies are:
Ateles fusciceps fusciceps - northwestern Ecuador. Ateles fusciceps rufiventris - southwest Colombia to eastern Panama.
