A four page paper about Spider Monkeys

Essay by BlinkTS69Junior High, 9th gradeA+, May 2002

download word file, 3 pages 4.4

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The Spider monkey is a primate with the scientific name Ateles geoffroyi. There are nine subspecies under this name, three of which are endangered. They are found in a wide range of places, extending from Mexico to Brazil. Spider monkeys are very interesting animals.

Spider monkeys put into subspecies based on appearance. They can move through the trees very quickly and efficiently. They have long arms and long legs, but a very slender body. They have a small head and a prehensile tail, which is longer than the rest of the body and can be used as a fifth limb. Their tail can support their whole body weight. Spider monkeys have no thumbs, but they have very strong fingers. An adult usually weighs between thirteen and twenty-five pounds and is about nineteen to twenty inches in length. Females are usually larger and heavier than the males.

Spider monkeys are found in lowland rainforests from Mexico to South America, along the coasts and banks of the amazon, and the mountain forest slopes the Andes.1

They depend mainly on fruit. Spider monkeys are very territorial. They mark their territory with secretion from glands in their chest. If their territory is wandered upon, they will make loud screeching noises, rattle branches, and throw objects like sticks or feces.2 A spider monkey's diet consists mainly of fruit. They supplement this with flowers and leaves. Occasionally, they can make use of nuts, eggs, and insects. When there is a poor fruit season, they might even wander into a nearby camp and try to steal food.

Spider monkeys live in groups. Group sizes vary with the subspecies and location. They usually range from ten to forty monkeys, but sometimes groups of more than one hundred will be spotted. They break up into subgroups to forage but...