Geoffroy's spider monkey, "Ateles geoffroyi", also known as black-handed spider monkey, is a species of spider monkey, a type of New World monkey, from Central America, parts of Mexico and possibly a small portion of Colombia.
Similar species: Primates
By Claire Hamilton
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Uploaded Nov 22, 2013. Captured Nov 22, 2013 12:17 in N2, South Africa.
comments (18)
I linked many photos to South Africa from my own set as well as the set of Stephen. Stephen still has many from South Africa not yet linked, but I was running out of time. Posted 8 years ago
"Cuteness overload! Geoffroy's spider monkey (Ateles geoffroyi) lives in the forests of Central and South America. They have extremely long limbs and tails, which are perfectly suited for the tree canopies that they live in. These monkeys are among the most agile of all primates and use their tail as a fifth limb. They can actually pick up fruit and scoop water from tree holes using their tails! Scientists have concluded that they are the 3rd most intelligent nonhuman primate. Their incredible intelligence may be an adaptation to their frugivorous (fruit-eating) diet, which requires them to identify and memorize many different kinds of fruit as well as their locations. The IUCN Red List categorizes Geoffroy's Spider Monkey as endangered due to habitat loss. It requires large sections of primary forest to survive, so it is extremely vulnerable to deforestation. Unfortunately, these monkeys also have a low reproductive rate; so, they can't replenish their population fast enough when faced with the severe deforestation that has resulted in a 50% decline in the species over the past three generations. To put that in perspective, imagine the impact on humanity if grandparents had to tell their grandchildren that during their lifetime, half of all the people on Earth had died. That is the shock wave that has devastated Geoffroy's spider monkey. {Spotted in South Africa by JungleDragon moderator, Claire Hamilton} #JungleDragon" Posted 4 years ago
Also interesting is that due to their habit of brachiation, their thumb is now just a tiny stub as a thumb inhibits that type of movement. Therefore they cannot grasp their food as well as other primates or open certain types of fruit.
Also the females have what looks like a penis which can be quite confusing!
Posted 4 years ago
Posted 4 years ago