FaunaHub

Spider Monkey (Ateles geoffroyi)

MammalPrimateAmericas

Geoffroy's spider monkey (Ateles geoffroyi) hanging by its long limbs and prehensile tail.

Geoffroy's spider monkey (Ateles geoffroyi).

Image: Charles J. Sharp, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Overview

Spider monkeys (genus Ateles) are large, extraordinarily acrobatic New World monkeys of Central and South American forests. With very long, slender arms and legs and a powerful prehensile tail that has a sensitive, gripping bare patch at its tip, they can hang and swing through the canopy with spider-like grace — the source of their name. Notably, their hands are hook-like, with a reduced or absent thumb, which suits fast swinging (brachiation) between branches. Geoffroy's spider monkey (Ateles geoffroyi) is shown here.

Spider monkeys are intelligent, social fruit specialists and important seed dispersers, but they are also among the more vulnerable Neotropical primates.

Conservation note: many spider monkeys are threatened — Geoffroy's spider monkey is Endangered, and several relatives are also at risk, mainly from habitat loss and hunting. Verify each species' status at iucnredlist.org.

Habitat & Range

Spider monkeys live in tropical forests from Mexico through Central America and across much of the Amazon and northern South America, depending on the species. They favour tall, mature rainforest with a continuous canopy for their swinging travel, and they are highly sensitive to forest disturbance and fragmentation.

Diet

Spider monkeys are mainly frugivores, with ripe fruit making up most of their diet, supplemented by leaves, flowers, seeds, and the occasional insect. As big fruit-eaters that range widely through the canopy, they are valuable seed dispersers — important for regenerating the forests they live in.

Behavior

Spider monkeys live in flexible “fission–fusion” societies: large groups split into smaller parties that change in size and membership through the day, often by food supply. They are superb brachiators, swinging hand-over-hand and using the prehensile tail as a fifth limb to hang and reach. They are intelligent and communicative, using calls, postures, and gestures, and they tend to be wary of humans. Their slow reproduction — usually a single, slowly maturing baby — makes populations slow to recover from losses.

Human Interaction & Conservation

Spider monkeys are charismatic and important to forest health, but their reliance on large tracts of intact canopy, combined with slow breeding, makes them especially vulnerable to deforestation and hunting; they are also taken for the pet trade in places. Several species are Endangered or worse. Protecting large, connected forests is essential. Consult the IUCN Red List for species-specific status.

More photos of the spider monkey

A spider monkey moving through the canopy with long arms.

Geoffroy's spider monkey (Ateles geoffroyi).

Image: Charles J. Sharp, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Frequently Asked Questions — Spider Monkey

Why are they called spider monkeys?
Because of their long, spindly limbs and gripping tail, which make them look spider-like as they hang and reach in several directions at once. Their long arms, legs, and prehensile tail let them stretch across gaps and dangle from branches in a distinctive, spidery way.
Why do spider monkeys have almost no thumb?
Spider monkeys have a reduced or absent thumb, and their hands work like hooks. This suits brachiation — fast, hand-over-hand swinging through the canopy — because a hook-shaped hand can grip and release branches quickly without a thumb getting in the way. They rely on their prehensile tail for fine gripping instead.
What do spider monkeys eat?
They are mainly fruit-eaters, with ripe fruit forming the bulk of the diet, plus leaves, flowers, seeds, and occasional insects. Because they eat so much fruit and travel widely, spider monkeys are important seed dispersers that help keep their forests healthy.
Are spider monkeys endangered?
Many are. Geoffroy's spider monkey is Endangered, and several other spider monkeys are also threatened. Their need for large areas of intact forest and their slow reproduction make them very vulnerable to deforestation and hunting. Status varies by species and should be checked against the IUCN Red List.

Sources and further reading

Authoritative wildlife references used for general educational context. Conservation status should always be verified against current IUCN Red List data. External links open in a new tab.