White-cheeked spider monkey

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White-cheeked spider monkey [1]
Ateles marginatus3.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Primates
Suborder: Haplorhini
Infraorder: Simiiformes
Family: Atelidae
Genus: Ateles
Species:
A. marginatus
Binomial name
Ateles marginatus
White-cheeked Spider Monkey area.png
White-cheeked Spider Monkey range

The white-cheeked spider monkey (Ateles marginatus) is a species of spider monkey, a type of New World monkey, endemic to Brazil. It moves around the forest canopy in small family groups of two to four, part of larger groups of a few dozen animals. This monkey feeds on leaves, flowers, fruits, bark, honey and small insects, and it is an important means of seed dispersal for forest trees. Females give birth after a 230-day gestation period. The population of this monkey is decreasing as its forest habitat is lost to soybean production, deforestation and road construction. It is also regarded as a delicacy and hunted for food. For these reasons, the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed the animal's conservation status as being "endangered".

Distribution

The white-cheeked spider monkey is commonly found in the Brazilian Amazon. [2] The area in which it is most likely to be found is between the Rio Tapajós (right bank) and its tributary, the Rio Teles Pires/Sao Manuel (right bank) and the Rio Xingu (left bank), south of the Amazonas River. A portion of their territory lies also within national forests such as Tapajós National Forest (545,000 ha (1,350,000 acres)), Xingu National Forest (252,790 ha (624,700 acres)), Altamira National Forest (689,012 ha (1,702,590 acres)), Itaituba I National Forest (220,034 ha (543,720 acres)), and Itaituba II National Forest (440,500 ha (1,088,000 acres)).

Ecology

It is common for the white-cheeked spider monkey to travel in smaller groups of 2-4 when feeding and resting. At around 4–5 years of age, it apparently reaches sexual maturity and will give birth to one offspring after a gestation period of 226–232 days; the interbirth interval can last as long as 28–30 months in the wild. [3] [4]

The diet of the white-cheeked spider monkey consists of fruit, leaves, flowers, aerial roots, bark, decaying wood, honey, and even some small insects such as termites and caterpillars. One very important impact it has on its habitat is to provide seed dispersal for different species of plants throughout their territory. It is thought that they provide movement for up to 138 different species of fruit seeds. [5] [6]

Status

There are many different colors of spider monkeys, such as black, brown, and white. Their homes are in the upper levels of the rain forest. The white-cheeked spider monkey was placed on the endangered species list after an assessment in 2008 discovered that their population had decreased by 50% over the course of three generations; this decline can be attributed to habitat loss and hunting. [2] This trend is expected to continue due to the increasing expansion of soybean agriculture. [2] Also, parts of their habitat have been destroyed to make way for major highways and extensive deforestation. [2]

Some of the indigenous peoples in Brazil consider spider monkeys a delicacy, and when this is combined with their low reproduction rate, the population is sure to decline swiftly. It generally lives in groups of 20-30 individuals, but it is rare for them to be seen all together. [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atelidae</span> Family of New World monkeys

The Atelidae are one of the five families of New World monkeys now recognised. It was formerly included in the family Cebidae. Atelids are generally larger monkeys; the family includes the howler, spider, woolly, and woolly spider monkeys. They are found throughout the forested regions of Central and South America, from Mexico to northern Argentina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spider monkey</span> Genus of mammals belonging to the New World monkeys

Spider monkeys are New World monkeys belonging to the genus Ateles, part of the subfamily Atelinae, family Atelidae. Like other atelines, they are found in tropical forests of Central and South America, from southern Mexico to Brazil. The genus consists of seven species, all of which are under threat; the brown spider monkey is critically endangered. They are also notable for their ability to be easily bred in captivity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red-faced spider monkey</span> Species of New World monkey

The red-faced spider monkey, also known as the Guiana spider monkey or red-faced black spider monkey, is a species of spider monkey found in the rain forests in northern South America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geoffroy's spider monkey</span> Species of spider monkey, from Central America

Geoffroy's spider monkey, also known as the black-handed spider monkey or the Central American spider monkey, is a species of spider monkey, a type of New World monkey, from Central America, parts of Mexico and possibly a small portion of Colombia. There are at least five subspecies. Some primatologists classify the black-headed spider monkey (A. fusciceps), found in Panama, Colombia, and Ecuador as the same species as Geoffroy's spider monkey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peruvian spider monkey</span> Species of New World monkey

The Peruvian spider monkey, also known as the black-faced black spider monkey, is a species of spider monkey that lives in Peru, as well as in Brazil and in Bolivia. At 60 centimetres long, they are relatively large among species of monkey, and their strong, prehensile tails can be up to 1 m (3 ft) long. Unlike many species of monkey, they have only a vestigial thumb, an adaptation which enables them to travel using brachiation. Peruvian spider monkeys live in groups of 20–30 individuals, but these groups are rarely all together simultaneously. The size and dynamics of the resulting subgroups vary with food availability and sociobehavioral activity. They prefer to eat fleshy fruit, but will change their diet in response to scarcity of ripe fruit. Individuals of this species also eat small animals, insects and leaves based on availability. Females separate from the band to give birth, typically in the fall. These females inhabit a group of core areas where resources are abundant in certain seasons. Typically, males exhibit ranging over longer distances than females, with movement of individuals enhancing the fluidity of subgroup size. Peruvian spider monkey are independent at about 10 months, with a lifespan of about 20 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black-headed spider monkey</span> Endangered species of New World monkey

The black-headed spider monkey is a type of New World monkey, from Central and South America. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, and Panama. Although primatologists such as Colin Groves (1989) follow Kellogg and Goldman (1944) in treating A. fusciceps as a separate species, other authors, including Froelich (1991), Collins and Dubach (2001) and Nieves (2005) treat it as a subspecies of Geoffroy's spider monkey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brown-headed spider monkey</span> Subspecies of New World monkey

The brown-headed spider monkey is a critically endangered subspecies of the black-headed spider monkey, a type of New World monkey, found in northwestern Ecuador.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colombian spider monkey</span> Subspecies of New World monkey

The Colombian spider monkey is a subspecies of the Black-headed spider monkey, a type of New World monkey, found in Colombia and Panama. Some authorities, such as Froelich (1991), Collins and Dubach (2001) and Nieves (2005), do not recognize the Black-headed spider monkey as a distinct species and so treat the Colombian spider monkey as a subspecies of Geoffroy's spider monkey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tapajós National Forest</span>

The Tapajós National Forest is a Brazilian national forest in the state of Pará, Brazil. It supports sustainable exploitation of the natural resources in an area of Amazon rainforest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Azuero spider monkey</span> Subspecies of New World monkey

The Azuero spider monkey is a possible subspecies of spider monkey that is in critical danger of extinction according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Common names of this subspecies include mono charro, mono charao and mono araña. The Azuero subspecies is one of three types of spider monkeys in Panama; Ateles geoffroyi panamensis with a range spanning from Costa Rica to Darién excluding the Azuero, Ateles geoffroyi fusciceps, with a range spanning Panamá and Colón provinces, and Ateles geoffroyi azuerensis, the Azuero spider monkey, whose range encompasses only the Azuero Peninsula.

The Nascentes da Serra do Cachimbo Biological Reserve is a biological reserve in the state of Pará, Brazil. The reserve protects an area in the transition between the Cerrado and Amazon biomes, supporting highly diverse flora and fauna including many endemic species. It is accessible via the BR-163 highway, and is among the federal conservation units in the Amazon Legal that has suffered most from deforestation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rio Novo National Park</span> National park in Pará, Brazil

Rio Novo National Park is a national park in the state of Pará, Brazil.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terra do Meio Ecological Station</span> Ecological station in Brazil

Terra do Meio Ecological Station is an ecological station (ESEC) in the state of Pará, Brazil.

Altamira National Forest is a national forest in the state of Pará Brazil.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crepori National Forest</span> National forest in Brazil

The Crepori National Forest is a national forest in the state of Pará, Brazil. It is home to rich biodiversity including several endangered animal species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gurupa várzea</span> Ecoregion in Brazil

The Gurupa várzea (NT0126) is an ecoregion of seasonally and tidally flooded várzea forest along the Amazon River in the Amazon biome.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Madeira–Tapajós moist forests</span> Ecoregion in the Amazon

The Madeira-Tapajós moist forests (NT0135) is an ecoregion in the Amazon basin. It is part of the Amazon biome. The ecoregion extends southwest from the Amazon River between its large Madeira and Tapajós tributaries, and crosses the border into Bolivia. In the south it transitions into the cerrado biome of Mato Grosso. In the state of Rondônia it contains some of the most degraded land of the Amazon basin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tapajós–Xingu moist forests</span>

The Tapajós–Xingu moist forests (NT0168) is an ecoregion in the eastern Amazon basin. It is part of the Amazon biome. The ecoregion extends southwest from the Amazon River between its large Tapajós and Xingu tributaries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Xingu–Tocantins–Araguaia moist forests</span>

The Xingu–Tocantins–Araguaia moist forests (NT0180) is an ecoregion in the eastern Amazon basin. It is part of the Amazon biome. The ecoregion is one of the most severely degraded of the Amazon region, suffering from large-scale deforestation and selective extraction of timber, particularly along the Trans-Amazonian Highway and in the higher and more populated southern portions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mato Grosso tropical dry forests</span> Ecoregion in central Brazil

The Mato Grosso tropical dry forests (NT0140), also called the Mato Grosso seasonal forests, is an ecoregion in central Brazil to the south of the Amazon region. It contains vegetation in the transition between the Amazon rainforest to the north and the cerrado savanna to the south. The opening of highways through the region has caused rapid population growth, deforestation and pollution.

References

  1. Groves, C. P. (2005). Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 151. ISBN   0-801-88221-4. OCLC   62265494.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Mittermeier, R.A.; Buss, G.; Ravetta, A.L. (2019) [amended version of 2019 assessment]. "Ateles marginatus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2019: e.T2282A191689524. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  3. Eisenberg, J.F. (1973). "Reproduction in two species of spider monkeys, Ateles fusciceps and Ateles geoffroyi". Journal of Mammalogy. 54 (4): 955–957. doi:10.2307/1379089. JSTOR   1379089. PMID   4202565.
  4. Eisenberg, J.F. (1976). "Communication mechanisms and social integration in the black spider monkey (Ateles fusciceps robustus), and related species". Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology. 213 (213): 1–108. doi:10.5479/si.00810282.213.
  5. 1 2 Van Roosmalen, M.G.M. & Klein, L.L. (1988). "The spider monkeys, genus Ateles". In Mittermeier, R.A.; Rylands, A.B.; Coimbra-Filho A.F. & da Fonseca, G.A.B. (eds.). The Ecology and Behavior of Neotropical Primates. Vol. 2. Washington, DC, USA: World Wildlife Fund. pp. 455–537.
  6. Van Roosmalen, M.G.M. (1985). "Habitat preferences, diet, feeding strategy and social organization of the black spider monkey (Ateles paniscus paniscus Linnaeus 1758) in Surinam". Acta Amazonica. 15 (3–4): 1–238.