By: Irene G.
The spider monkey is a very interesting animal that lives in the rainforests of Brazil, Peru, and Central Mexico. The spider monkey mostly lives in the canopy of the rainforest. The canopy is the top part of the trees, where most of the branches and leaves grow, so that monkeys can move without being caught because of its movement.
Spider monkeys are capable of moving from branch to branch without falling. The spider monkey is endanger because of their fur and appearance. It has a very normal appearance to be a monkey. Its fur is gray yellowish with dark brown on its tail. They are long-legged and long-armed. It's tail can hold the spider monkey downwards without making them fall (they use the tail as a fifth finger.) The spider monkey lives from 25 to 30 years, except if they are killed. It is called spider monkey, because when people saw it the first time, it looked somehow like a spider. Spider monkeys are generally between 15-25 in. and their tail is 20-30 in. long. They weigh between 12-16 lbs. The spider monkey doesn't have a thumb, just a very flexible tail. The spider monkey's color has something to do with the diet and the food it eats.
Compared to other monkeys, the spider monkey eats very strange kinds of food. Mostly, monkeys eat bananas, but these eat even more. Spider monkeys eat fruits, seeds, insects, leaves, nuts and eggs. They like to eat very ripe fruit and don't like to eat the outside of it, just the inside. Spider monkeys don't like water but they still drink it. The spider monkey is very wise on how to protect its young and when to reproduce.
The spider monkey knows when to reproduce by watching at the female monkey getting her cycle to start to reproduce. The female monkey has a monthly cycle from 24 to 27 days long. Mating occurs from 2 to 3 days. If they don't stay together for the length of 3 days then no baby can be conceived. Monkeys usually mate when they are mature enough. The male becomes sexually mature at the age of 5 and the female at the age of 4. The spider monkey is ready to let go of her baby when it is 15 months old. The mother carries her young from 6 to 15 months. When they mate only one single monkey is born, so the enemies can easily kill them.
The spider monkeys have very few enemies, but great number of deaths. The spider monkey's enemies are jaguars and people. People are making the spider monkey endanger because of their precious fur. Jaguars just get to feed on spider monkeys and other animals. Spider monkeys protect themselves by climbing up to the canopy. It also protects itself by adaptation of grabbing with one hand, foot or tail. The spider monkey has being chased by jaguars and people, and if they keep dyeing, they would become extinct.
The spider monkey is an endangered animal. The spider monkeys "bark" when they are threatened. All spider monkeys bark but when the baby is threatened they bark and that's how they know when the baby is endanger. They are very interesting animals that mean very much to me.
Have you ever wondered how the world would be without any spider monkeys? I think the spider monkeys should keep living, it is a beautiful animal with a very intelligent brain. These animals mean very much to me, that's why I really wanted to do the spider monkey on this research. I hope they are never extinct because every animals deserves to live a happy and beautiful life.
Bibliography:
www.schoolworld.asn.au/species/smonkey1.html
www.oaklandzoo.org/atoz/azspdmky.html
http://animaldivertisty.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/ateles/a._geoffroyi