Geoffroy’s Spider Monkey
Included in the unfortunately ever-growing list of endangered animals is Geoffroy's Spider Monkey. Geoffroy's Spider Monkey was first reported as being endangered on June 2, 1970. In 2008 it was reported that they are still an endangered species. Sometimes Geoffroy's Spider Monkey is also referred to as the black-handed spider monkey. They are said to be endangered in the countries of Costa Rica, Nicaragua, as Panama. However, today Geoffroy's Spider Monkey is also found in the Central American countries of Mexico, Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras.
This species is referred to as a spider monkey because of their extremely long, spidery-like limbs as well as their prehensile tails. Their tails have the ability to wrap around objects with ease, which makes their tails act as a fifth arm. Geoffroy's Spider Monkeys tend to use their tails for feeding, picking objects up, and navigating around the forest. They hang from trees by their limbs or their tail. They are quite obviously great tree climbers and can even leap over 30ft between trees and branches. These monkeys can also walk bipedal along the branches of trees. Geoffroy's Spider Monkeys have variations in the color of their coats ranging from a light brown to black. Their hands and feet are black and their faces are hairless. The skin around their eyes and muzzle are unpigmented.
Geoffroy's Spider Monkeys are commonly found on the coasts of lowland rainforests as well as mountain forests. These monkeys very rarely come down to the ground. They are very social and can usually be found in groups of 4 to 35 monkeys. These monkeys eat fruit, leaves, and flowers. However, they are also sometimes found eating bark, nuts, seeds, insects, spiders, and eggs. Geoffroy's Spider Monkeys mate all year, but the females are picky in who they mate with. The mothers are pregnant for about seven to eight months and only produce one young at a time.
Reference: Illustrated Encyclopedia of endangered animals.
