White-bellied Spider Monkey

• Common Name: White-bellied Spider Monkey
• Taxonomy Classification Year: 1806
• Monkey Size: 34 to 59 cm (13.39 to 23.23 in)
• Skin Color(s): Black and yellow-creamy
• Habitat: Rainforest
• Diet: Herbivorous
• Native Countries: Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Peru, Brazil

The white-bellied spider monkey^[1] (Ateles belzebuth), also called the long-haired or white-fronted spider monkey, is an endangered species of spider monkey, a species of New-World monkey.

• It is found in the northwestern Amazon in Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Peru, extending south to the lower Ucayali River and east to the Branco.
• The limbs of white-bellied spider monkeys are long, muscular, and very strong. In addition, its shoulders are such that its arms can fully rotate.
• The elbows allow the forearms to pronate, and the large carpal tendons make their wrists extremely flexible.
• Its hands are long, thin, and thumbless. Instead, their four long fingers form a perfect hook to help them swing on branches.
• Its torso is short. All of these characteristics perfectly match this monkey’s supportive mode of locomotion.
• Its long, muscular tail is broad at the base, thin at the tip, and can bend, twist, and curl. It’s prehensile and tactile.
• The underside is bare with ridges like those found on the undersides of the feet and hands. They have a narrow face with a tiny chin, narrow snout, and large sockets in which almond-shaped brown eyes are fixed.
• The skull is round, and its ears are similar to ours. White-bellied spider monkeys, which live in lowland forests, have blackish fur on their backs and front legs and creamy-yellow fur on their abdomens; those from mountain forests have a greater variety of colors.

The White-bellied Spider Monkey diet includes^[¶]:

• Amarillo (Guatteria punctata)
• Rabo De Ranton (Casearia aculeata).
• Pachiuba (Socratea exorrhiza)
• Fig (Ficus)
• Guamo (Inga acreana)
• Cuero De Rana (Laetia procera).
• Abiu (Pouteria caimito)
• Breadnut (Brosimum alicastrum)
• Caucho Rubber (Castilla ulei).
• Trichilia (Trichilia)
• Hinchahuevos (Sapium laurifolium)
• Maraximbé (Trichilia tuberculata)
• Guiana Brosimum (Brosimum guianense).
• Chalahuite (Inga acrocephala)
• Pacae Colorado (Inga alba).
• American Muskwood (Guarea guidonia).
• Hogplum (Spondias mombin)
• Figueira-Acreana (Ficus sphenophylla)
• Icecreambean (Inga edulis)
• Sweetwood (Nectandra membranacea)
• Maripa Palm (Attalea maripa).

• These arboreal monkeys spend most of their time in the canopy. They rarely go down. When they do, they drink water, eat dirt, traverse a treeless area, or run away from an aggressive opponent.
• In the treetops, white-bellied spider monkeys move freely between branches. They can cover large distances quickly using various modes of locomotion.
• White-bellied spider monkeys live in groups of 6-25 individuals, sometimes more. Group size varies by area, with larger groups found in undisturbed patches of woodland.
• Male white-bellied spider monkeys patrol the boundaries of the group’s territory to repel potential invaders and can cause serious injury if they bite by an intruder.
• These spider monkeys also rub leaves on their bodies. The scents can be used as a natural insect repellent, but they can also signal social status and attract a mate.