White-cheeked spider monkey facts for kids
Quick facts for kids White-cheeked spider monkey |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Conservation status | |
Scientific classification  |
|
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Primates |
| Suborder: | Haplorhini |
| Infraorder: | Simiiformes |
| Family: | Atelidae |
| Genus: | Ateles |
| Species: |
A. marginatus
|
| Binomial name | |
| Ateles marginatus É. Geoffroy, 1809
|
|
 |
|
| White-cheeked Spider Monkey range | |
| Script error: The function "autoWithCaption" does not exist. | |
Script error: No such module "Check for conflicting parameters".
The white-cheeked spider monkey (Ateles marginatus) is a type of spider monkey that lives only in Brazil. When an animal is found only in one place, it is called endemic. These monkeys live high up in the trees of the rainforest.
They usually travel in small groups of two to four monkeys. These small groups are part of bigger groups that can have up to a few dozen animals. White-cheeked spider monkeys eat many things like leaves, flowers, fruits, tree bark, honey, and even small insects. They are very important for the forest because they help spread seeds from different trees.
Female monkeys give birth to one baby after being pregnant for about 230 days. Sadly, the number of white-cheeked spider monkeys is going down. This is because their forest home is being cut down for farms (especially for soybeans) and new roads. People also hunt them for food. Because of these reasons, the International Union for Conservation of Nature says this monkey is an "endangered" animal.
Contents
Where Do White-Cheeked Spider Monkeys Live?
The white-cheeked spider monkey lives in the Brazilian Amazon. You can find them in a specific area between several rivers. This includes the Rio Tapajós (on its right side), the Rio Teles Pires/Sao Manuel (on its right side), and the Rio Xingu (on its left side), all south of the big Amazonas River.
They also live in several important national forests. These include the Tapajós National Forest, Xingu National Forest, Altamira National Forest, Itaituba I National Forest, and Itaituba II National Forest. These forests are protected areas, but the monkeys still face threats.
What Do White-Cheeked Spider Monkeys Eat?
White-cheeked spider monkeys have a varied diet. They mostly eat fruits, leaves, and flowers. They also munch on aerial roots, tree bark, and even some decaying wood. For a sweet treat, they enjoy honey. Sometimes, they will eat small insects like termites and caterpillars.
One of their most important jobs in the forest is to help with seed dispersal. This means they eat fruits and then carry the seeds to new places when they move around. Scientists believe they help spread the seeds of up to 138 different kinds of fruit plants! This helps new trees grow and keeps the forest healthy.
Life Cycle and Reproduction
White-cheeked spider monkeys usually travel in smaller groups of 2 to 4 when they are looking for food or resting. They become old enough to have babies when they are about 4 or 5 years old.
After a female monkey is pregnant for about 226 to 232 days, she will give birth to one baby. In the wild, a mother monkey usually waits about 28 to 30 months before having another baby. This slow reproduction rate means their population grows very slowly, which makes it harder for them to recover from population declines.
Why Are White-Cheeked Spider Monkeys Endangered?
The white-cheeked spider monkey was put on the endangered species list in 2008. This happened after experts found that their population had dropped by half in just three generations. There are two main reasons for this big decline:
- Loss of Home: A lot of their forest home is being destroyed. This happens because forests are cut down to make space for large soybean farms. Also, new major highways are built through their habitat, and general deforestation continues.
- Hunting: Some indigenous peoples in Brazil consider spider monkeys a special food. When hunting is combined with the fact that these monkeys don't have many babies, their numbers can go down very quickly.
These monkeys usually live in larger groups of 20 to 30 individuals, but it's rare to see all of them together at once. The threats to their habitat are expected to continue, which means their population will likely keep decreasing unless something changes.
Images for kids
-
A white-cheeked spider monkey in its natural habitat.
-
Map showing the range of the white-cheeked spider monkey in Brazil.
 | Audre Lorde |
 | John Berry Meachum |
 | Ferdinand Lee Barnett |
