The white-cheeked spider monkey (''Ateles marginatus'') is a species of

spider monkey 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 g ...

, a type of

New World monkey New World monkeys are the five families of primates that are found in the tropical regions of Mexico, Central and South America: Callitrichidae, Cebidae, Aotidae, Pitheciidae, and Atelidae. The five families are ranked together as the Ceboidea ( ...

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

. 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 The soybean, soy bean, or soya bean (''Glycine max'') is a species of legume native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible bean, which has numerous uses. Traditional unfermented food uses of soybeans include soy milk, from which tofu an ...

production,

deforestation Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use. The most concentrated d ...

and road construction. It is also regarded as a delicacy and hunted for food. For these reasons, the

International Union for Conservation of Nature The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

has assessed the animal's conservation status as being "

endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inva ...

Distribution

The white-cheeked spider monkey is commonly found in the Brazilian Amazon. The area in which it is most likely to be found is between the

Rio Tapajós Rio or Río is the Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, and Maltese word for "river". When spoken on its own, the word often means Rio de Janeiro, a major city in Brazil. Rio or Río may also refer to: Geography Brazil * Rio de Janeiro * Rio do Sul, a ...

(right bank) and its tributary, the Rio Teles Pires (right bank) and the

Rio Xingu The Xingu River ( ; pt, Rio Xingu, ; Mẽbêngôkre: ''Byti'', ) is a river in north Brazil. It is a southeast tributary of the Amazon River and one of the largest clearwater rivers in the Amazon basin, accounting for about 5% of its water. ...

(left bank), south of the Rio Amazonas. A portion of their territory lies also within national forests such as

Tapajós National Forest The Tapajós National Forest ( pt, Floresta Nacional do Tapajós) 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. Location The Tapajós ...

(), Xingu National Forest (),

Altamira National Forest Altamira National Forest ( pt, Floresta Nacional Altamira) is a national forest in the state of Pará Brazil. Location The Altamira National Forest is in the Amazon biome. It has an area of . It covers parts of the municipalities of Altamira, I ...

(),

Itaituba I National Forest Itaituba I National Forest ( pt, Floresta Nacional de Itaituba I) is a national forest in the state of Pará, Brazil. Location The Itaituba I National Forest is in the Amazon biome. It has an area of . It covers parts of the municipalities of I ...

(), and

Itaituba II National Forest Itaituba II National Forest ( pt, Floresta Nacional de Itaituba II) is a national forest in the state of Pará, Brazil. Location The Itaituba II National Forest is in the Amazon biome. It has an area of . It covers parts of the municipalities o ...

().

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. The diet of the white-cheeked spider monkey consists of fruit, leaves, flowers,

aerial root Aerial roots are roots above the ground. They are almost always adventitious. They are found in diverse plant species, including epiphytes such as orchids (''Orchidaceae''), tropical coastal swamp trees such as mangroves, banyan figs ('' F ...

s, bark, decaying wood, honey, and even some small insects such as

termite Termites are small insects that live in colonies and have distinct castes (eusocial) and feed on wood or other dead plant matter. Termites comprise the infraorder Isoptera, or alternatively the epifamily Termitoidae, within the order Blattode ...

s and

caterpillar Caterpillars ( ) are the larval stage of members of the order Lepidoptera (the insect order comprising butterflies and moths). As with most common names, the application of the word is arbitrary, since the larvae of sawflies (suborder Sym ...

s. One very important impact it has on its habitat is to provide

seed dispersal In Spermatophyte plants, seed dispersal is the movement, spread or transport of seeds away from the parent plant. Plants have limited mobility and rely upon a variety of dispersal vectors to transport their seeds, including both abiotic vectors, ...

for different species of plants throughout their territory. It is thought that they provide movement for up to 138 different species of fruit seeds.

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 Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

and hunting. This trend is expected to continue due to the increasing expansion of

agriculture. Also, parts of their habitat have been destroyed to make way for major highways and extensive deforestation. Some of the

indigenous peoples in Brazil Indigenous peoples in Brazil ( pt, povos indígenas no Brasil) or Indigenous Brazilians ( pt, indígenas brasileiros, links=no) once comprised an estimated 2000 tribes and nations inhabiting what is now the country of Brazil, before European con ...

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.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q944704

white-cheeked spider monkey 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 an ...

Mammals of Brazil Endemic fauna of Brazil Primates of South America

Taxa named by Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire