Geoffroy's spider monkey

The Geoffrey’s Black Spider Monkey is a species of spider monkey known by the scientific name Ateles geoffroyi. This is monkey is a popular animal, although it is found only in the deep rainforest in South American and regions around the equator. But it can also be found domesticated in homes of humans. These monkeys are popular as house hold pets. God has designed this animal to be perfect in the environment it chooses and also as a domestic animal.

Anatomy
Black spider monkeys are very unique from the rest of the spider monkey species. First of all there “pop belly” is a unique look to this monkey. Second there body size makes them the largest of the spider monkeys. A male spider monkey can weigh up to 10.8 kg (24 lb) and a female9.66 kg (21.3 lb). Also adding to there size a male can grow to be an average height of 557 mm, while a female can be an average of 552 mm. The tale of the monkey can be up to 89cm long. The tail of the monkey its self is unique. Its is long and flexible like most but they use it, instead of its arms for balance, it is also used to swing from tree to tree with a span  of 40 ft. The tail also works as a fifth hand, being hairless and having skin like grooves on the tip of it. The tail is also very strong. It is able to with hold the entire weight of the monkey while the arms are free to collect food or other needs. The arms of the monkey are especial long dangling arms. Because of this it allows them to move thought the trees in a locomotion called branhiation, hand over hand motion. Attached to the arms are hook like hands. These elongated hand and fingers allow them to move over branch with ease. What is unique about these hands are that they do not have thumbs. Due to lack of use in there arboreal environment the bones of the thumb shrank down to nothing but a stub. The body of a Black spider monkey is covered in black glossy hair. This hair covers their entire body except for their faces. This long hair is another unique feature that distinguishes them from other monkeys. Also Adult monkeys have a red or pink-skinned face which is naked except for a few short white hairs on there muzzle. The monkeys are not born with these colored faces. Baby monkeys are born with dark skin on them which, as they grow, lightens. The spider monkey was created with smaller vertebrates which allow them for flexible movements. The life span of a black spider monkey is around 33 years.

Reproduction
A female spider monkey has a mating season of all year round, but the peak of birth is around November to February. The females are able to mate at age 4-5years of age with estrus cycles of 26 days and a birth interval of 17-45 days. Males are sexually matured around the ages of 5. The female is the sex that chooses who she mates with. Once a female spots a healthy male to mate with, the female approaching the potential male and presenting her genitals. If he shows interest, the mating pair separates themselves from the group either briefly or up to several days. If a female is in a group without males, she will find males by making calls to males from neighboring groups by leading her group in the direction of the calls and will either choose to mate with one of the males of this new subgroup or will continue on, looking for other potential mates. After the pair mates there is a gestation of 226-232 days. After this period of time a1 baby black spider monkey is born. The mother will carry the baby monkey, which holds on to her ventrum, for about 5 months. After 5 months the baby will climb onto the mothers back. The baby will be nurtured by its mother for 2 years. The juvenile years are between 24-50 months, which include not riding on the mothers back but staying close to them. Also exploring, chasing, grappling, and jumping along with play with other monkeys their own age.

Ecology


Black spider monkeys are pros at choosing their ecology. Almost all the times these monkeys have been seen there habitat is undisturbed. Black spider monkeys are found in eastern South America in Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, Surinam, and possibly in Venezuela. The monkeys favor deep dense forests. They occupy the upper level of rainforests and forage in the high parts of the canopy. These animals are very rarely seen on the ground floor of the jungle. The dense branches of the upper levels of the fainforest provide a safe haven for the monkeys.The monkeys live in communities in the branches of the trees. Spider monkeys are large-bodied and are less vulnerable to predation, but there are a number of potential predators that are capable of hunting them in their territory. These predators include multiple species of raptors, felids such as jaguars and pumas, and even large snakes that can climb to there section of the rainforest. . Spider monkeys like to eat primarily fruits, but also occasionally eat plants such as leaves, flowers, along with animals such as insects. But in each season the spider monkeys change their diets along with the seasonal change. But all through the year there diet consist 90 % of seeds and fruit. When the monkeys find food in there habitat they engage suspensor behavior. They eat while they are seated or while hanging from there tail to feed on the fruit. With the help of their tail, a lot of time their hands are free to collect other food or to pass from branch to branch in search of more food.