White-cheeked Spider Monkey (Ateles marginatus) lives in tropical rainforest across South America. It feeds on fruits and leaves. Its conservation status is Endangered.
Fascinating facts about the White-cheeked Spider Monkey
- The white-cheeked spider monkey plays a vital role in forest regeneration by moving the seeds of many plant species as it feeds. Its diet of fruit, leaves and flowers means it carries seeds away from the parent tree, spreading them across its territory. Researchers estimate it disperses the seeds of up to 138 different fruit species, helping maintain plant diversity throughout the canopy.
- A 2008 assessment revealed that the white-cheeked spider monkey's population had fallen by half over three generations, leading to its classification as endangered. The rapid decline is linked to the loss of its forest home and to hunting for food. Ongoing expansion of soybean agriculture and road building continue to erode the monkey's habitat, threatening its future survival.
- Female white-cheeked spider monkeys give birth after a gestation lasting roughly 230 days. The species' gestation period ranges from 226 to 232 days, after which a single offspring is born. Sexual maturity is reached at about four to five years, after which females can reproduce, though the interval between births may extend up to 28-30 months in the wild.
- Its core range lies between the Rio Tapajós and its tributary Rio Teles Pires on the right bank, and the Rio Xingu on the left, south of the Amazonas River. This narrow corridor confines the monkey to a specific stretch of the Brazilian Amazon. Within this band the species also occupies several national forests, including Tapajós (545,000 ha), Xingu (252,790 ha), Altamira (689,012 ha), Itaituba I (220,034 ha) and Itaituba II (440,500 ha).
- The monkey moves through the canopy in family units of two to four, which are part of larger groups of a few dozen individuals. These smaller parties are the ones most often observed while the animals feed or rest in the trees. In the wider population the species typically forms groups of twenty to thirty, although it is uncommon to see the entire group together at one time.
Sources
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At a glance
RangeSouth America
HabitatTropical rainforest
DietFruits and leaves
About the White-cheeked Spider Monkey
Deep within the lush canopy of the tropical rainforest, the white-cheeked spider monkey navigates its arboreal realm with effortless elegance, its long, spindly limbs unfolding like a dark, agile specter as it swings through the dense foliage. With eyes that shine like bright, inquisitive marbles, this rare and endangered primate surveys its domain, its very existence a testament to the beauty and fragility of the ecosystem it inhabits. As it moves, the dappled light filtering through the leaves above casts an ethereal glow on its sleek, black fur, imbuing this fleeting glimpse of the white-cheeked spider monkey with a sense of wonder and urgency.
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