Animals

Is Brown Spider Monkey is one of the Endangered Species?

Brown Spider Monkey or variegated spider monkey is a species of Monkey that was usually found in the forests of Colombia and Western Venezuela.

The Brown Spider Monkey is now a critically endangered species and is among the World’s 25 Most Endangered Species of Primates. The scientific name of this monkey is Ateles hybridus.

Taxonomy of Brown Spider Monkey


  • Kingdom:  Animalia
  • Phylum: Chordata
  • Class: Mammalia
  • Order: Primates
  • Suborder: Haplorhini
  • Infraorder: Simiiformes
  • Family: Atelidae
  • Genus: Ateles
  • Species: A. Hybridus
  • Binomial Name: Ateles hybridus

The taxonomy of Brown Spider Monkey is confusing, hence they have an added column in Taxonomy.  Like all spider monkey’s they have a lengthy prehensile tail which works as it’s the fifth limb and helps in climbing, hanging, etc.

Brown Spider Monkey on first notice you can find white patch its belly and forehead. Their forelimbs are long and strong than their hind limbs. Their tough prehensile tail is long and strong, the length of the prehensile tail will be around 75cms. The tail is highly flexible, hairless and has grooves at the tip which helps them to get a better grip. Their forelimbs have curvy hands and have small fingers.

These features help them to climb and jump around the trees without losing grip. The females are slightly smaller than males and also weigh less than males. The male Brown Spider Monkey Weighs around 7.9-9.1 KGs and female monkey weighs around 7.5-9kgs. The average length of these monkeys is around 20inches.

Brown Spider Monkey’s primary diet is fruits which can be found on top of trees, they occasionally climb down to eat soil and drink water. Some of the food habits of Spider Monkey Include Lipid Rich Fruit, and when the fruit is less available they feed on leaves, soil, seeds, flowers, the bark of trees, etc.

They are also known to feed on termites and insects which are found crawling inside the trees. They are known to travel in small groups and they usually travel on top of the canopy of trees, so they do not have many natural enemies on land.

An average lifespan of Spider Monkey is around 27 years and they are known to have an extended lifespan in captive. Brown Spider Monkey is found in Colombia and northwestern Venezuela. They are mostly found on tree canopies with altitudes of 20-700m.

How many brown spider monkeys are left in the world?


The population of Brown Spider Monkey went on a decline since there is a loss of their natural habitat and it is said that 80% of the population went on a decline.

Currently, there are around 60 of these species held in captive and are present in various zoos. The brown monkeys are said to have declined due to human activities such as deforestation, land clearance for cattle grazing, hunting, etc.

Until recently, they were said to have disappeared in wild, however, a small wild monkey’s were noticed in the protected area of Selva de Florencia National Park in Colombia. And they have been researched and protected from poaching.

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