Talk:Spider monkey

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Spider monkey intelligence
In the Times of London there is an article on the latest research by Harvard on animal intelligence, saying that spider monkeys are the third most intelligent primate after orangutans and chimpanzees. I would like to request to add this to the page. Chimps knocked off the top of the IQ tree, The Times Mister India 17:28, 9 May 2007 (UTC)


 * Nobody said anything – that means it's OK! Said: Rursus ☺ ★ 14:31, 15 June 2007 (UTC)


 * Done, but the reference isn't the best I've seen – it erroneously dropped the position of Gorilla, which is just a little lower than that of Ateles. Said: Rursus ☺ ★ 14:43, 15 June 2007 (UTC)

Lip(s) or clits?
"An unusually long labia in females may be mistaken for a penis; its function is unclear."

See Loys's Ape where it is claimed it's the clitoris. In any case, I doubt it's a labia, rather than the labiae. See also talk page there for a source to settle this issue. Dysmorodrepanis 02:02, 16 August 2007 (UTC)

Spider Monkey in popular culture
the spider monkey has appeared on the maury povich show after an incident concerning a young man called maurice —Preceding unsigned comment added by Davehird64 (talk • contribs) 16:19, 20 November 2007 (UTC)
 * This is not significant. - UtherSRG (talk) 18:51, 20 November 2007 (UTC)
 * Looking at "Spider Monkey in popular culture" it seems that the entire section is not significant - an Onion story and an offhand remark?? I say delete the popular culture section. If there were more references, it could have its own page like Orangutans in popular culture, but as it stands the article would be better off without what's there now.Bob98133 (talk) 14:56, 25 November 2008 (UTC)
 * Removed section, again. - UtherSRG (talk) 15:31, 25 November 2008 (UTC)

HOLD ON TIGHT SPIDER MONKEY!!?!?! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.245.117.8 (talk) 03:35, 16 February 2009 (UTC)

This page needs a major workover
The prose is really chatty/unencyclopedic throughout.
 * What specifically are you refering to?Rlendog (talk) 00:36, 14 June 2008 (UTC)

much more citing please
As a scientist and primatologist much of this information not only is erroneous, but if true badly needs to be cited. ex: only chimps form fission-fusion groups. this is very wrong, as papio (baboons) species do as well. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 201.224.93.220 (talk) 00:57, 30 June 2008 (UTC)

it.wiki
So, we created the spider monkey page on it.wiki, but this page is locked, so we can't add our link in it: we won't add en.wiki link to our page til you'll add ours. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 79.13.158.240 (talk) 13:46, 24 July 2008 (UTC)
 * I've unprotected the article, added the it: link, and added the en: link to the it: article. - UtherSRG (talk) 15:30, 24 July 2008 (UTC)

Behavior
“Spider monkeys are very delcois you know whtat i mena Yaya its the best in the busiiness communicate their intentions and observations using postures and stances, such as postures of sexual receptivity and of attack.”

No I don't know whtat you mena with this monkey busiiness. Harjasusi (talk) 18:30, 27 April 2009 (UTC)

spider monkeys foods
spider monkeys diet hase 90% of fruit and eats seeds, nuts, wild bird eggs, insects and leaves and may be more 2/3/10 isaac —Preceding unsigned comment added by 58.87.1.146 (talk) 10:03, 2 March 2010 (UTC)

spider monkeys predators
raptors, jaguars, pumas, eagles and large snakes

23/2/13                                                                                                                                                           [edit]  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 58.87.1.146 (talk) 10:09, 2 March 2010 (UTC)

Missing species
Someone might consider adding Ateles paniscus to the species list in the taxobox. It is already included in the species list in the main text of the article. 212.10.95.14 (talk) 22:32, 17 May 2010 (UTC)
 * Done. If you create an account, you can do this, too. :) - UtherSRG (talk) 04:00, 18 May 2010 (UTC)

Spider monkeys live in the upper layers of the rainforest and forage in the high canopy, from 25 to 30 m (82 to 98 ft).

sabotage?
"genus monkey of butt" appears to be sabotage. WilliamSommerwerck (talk) 13:07, 2 December 2012 (UTC)

Monkey's evolution
I am not going to bother with editing due to liberal web brigade activity, but if it's admitted that monkey's evolution "theory is not supported by fossil evidence", does it need to be even mentioned, let along have it's own section? The theory that it was created on the other hand isn't even mentioned and it's way more sound — Preceding unsigned comment added by 50.149.198.207 (talk) 01:18, 14 July 2013 (UTC)

Well which is it, then?
There seems to be some discrepancy between two articles:

"Recent meta-analyses on primate cognition studies indicated spider monkeys are the most intelligent New World monkeys."

That can't be, because I'm pretty sure that goes to the capuchin monkey, seen here:

"Capuchins are considered the most intelligent New World monkeys and are often used in laboratories."

One conflicts the other, is there any official smartest New World monkey? TangoFett (talk) 00:02, 2 August 2013 (UTC)

facts about monkeys
spider monkeys is a member of the primitive monkeys — Preceding unsigned comment added by 192.107.141.10 (talk) 18:05, 11 May 2015 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 8 May 2016
"Male spider monkeys are the only primates other than humans who do not have a baculum." Please remove this text, or change it to "Male spider monkeys are one of the few primates who do not have a baculum."

Spider monkeys and humans are not the only primates without bacula -- tarsiers and woolly monkeys lack bacula, as well.

Sources:

Page 1954 of The Laboratory Primate by Sonia Wolfe-Coote (https://books.google.com/books?id=nCZHS0A1_lsC&printsec=frontcover#v=snippet&q=baculum&f=false)

Page 167 of Introduction to the Primates by Daris R. Swindler (https://books.google.com/books?id=WybiCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA167&dq=tarsier+woolly+spider+monkey+baculum&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwixlIbKlcvMAhWCwj4KHe49AYIQ6AEIKDAC#v=onepage&q=tarsiers%20woolly%20spider%20monkey%20baculum&f=false)

Page 26 of Grzimek's encyclopedia of mammals, Volume 2 by Bernhard Grzimek (https://books.google.com/books?id=drcRAQAAMAAJ&q=tarsiers+woolly+spider+monkey+baculum&dq=tarsiers+woolly+spider+monkey+baculum&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjTmo_TlsvMAhXGcj4KHZUWAIEQ6AEILjAD)

Oriramikad (talk) 19:30, 8 May 2016 (UTC)
 * Yellow check.svg Partly done: Sources are inaccessible to me due technicalities on my end, used existing source from baculum, but that one did not mention tarsier and there might be even better ways to phrase this.  JW  Noctis talk to me 03:15, 10 May 2016 (UTC)
 * No response from original editor in 4 days. Reactivate if the change is not enough. — Andy W.  ( talk  · ctb) 08:13, 14 May 2016 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 14 July 2017
Spider monkeys of the genus Ateles are New World monkeys in 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 contains seven species, all of which are under threat; the black-headed spider monkey, and brown spider monkey are critically endangered.

Disproportionately long limbs and long prehensile tails make them one of the largest New World monkeys and give rise to their common name. Spider monkeys live in the upper layers of the rainforest, and forage in the high canopy, from 25 to 30 m. They primarily eat fruits, but will also occasionally consume leaves, flowers, and insects. Due to their large size, spider monkeys require large tracts of moist evergreen forests, and prefer undisturbed primary rainforest. They are social animals and live in bands of up to 35 individuals but will split up to forage during the day.

Recent meta-analyses on primate cognition studies indicated spider monkeys are the most intelligent New World monkeys. They can produce a wide range of sounds and will "bark" when threatened; other vocalisations include a whinny similar to a horse and prolonged screams.

They are an important food source due to their large size, so are widely hunted by local human populations; they are also threatened by habitat destruction due to logging and land clearing. Spider monkeys are susceptible to malaria and are used in laboratory studies of the disease. The population trend for spider monkeys is decreasing; the IUCN Red List lists one species as vulnerable, four species as endangered and two species as critically endangered. The spider monkey also has a human relative by the name of Eric Nathan of Barstool Sports.

Evolutionary history Theories abound about the evolution of the atelines; one theory is they are most closely related to the woolly spider monkeys (Bractyteles), and most likely split from such woolly monkeys as (Lagothrix and Oreonax) in the South American lowland forest, to evolve their unique locomotory system. This theory is not supported by fossil evidence. Other theories include Brachyteles, Lagothrix and Ateles in an unresolved trichotomy, and two clades, one composed of Ateles and Lagothrix and the other of Alouatta and Brachyteles. More recent molecular evidence suggests the Atelinae split in the middle to late Miocene (13 Ma), separating spider monkeys from the woolly spider monkeys and the woolly monkeys.

Taxonomic classification The genus contains seven species, and seven subspecies.


 * Family Atelidae
 * Subfamily Alouattinae: howler monkeys
 * Subfamily Atelinae
 * Genus Ateles: spider monkeys
 * Red-faced spider monkey, Ateles paniscus
 * White-fronted spider monkey, Ateles belzebuth
 * Peruvian spider monkey, Ateles chamek
 * Brown spider monkey, Ateles hybridus
 * White-cheeked spider monkey, Ateles marginatus
 * Black-headed spider monkey, Ateles fusciceps
 * Brown-headed spider monkey, Ateles fusciceps fusciceps
 * Colombian spider monkey, Ateles fusciceps rufiventris
 * Geoffroy's spider monkey, Ateles geoffroyi
 * Hooded spider monkey Ateles geoffroyi grisescens
 * Yucatan spider monkey, Ateles geoffroyi yucatanensis
 * Mexican spider monkey, Ateles geoffroyi vellerosus
 * Nicaraguan spider monkey, Ateles geoffroyi geoffroyi
 * Ornate spider monkey, Ateles geoffroyi ornatus
 * Genus Brachyteles: muriquis (woolly spider monkeys)
 * Genus Lagothrix: woolly monkeys
 * Genus Oreonax: the yellow-tailed woolly monkey

Anatomy and physiology Spider monkeys are among the largest New World monkeys; black-headed spider monkeys, the largest spider monkey, have an average weight of 11 kg for males and 9.66 kg for females. Disproportionately long, spindly limbs inspired the spider monkey's common name. Their deftly prehensile tails, which may be up to 89 cm long, have very flexible, hairless tips and skin grooves similar to fingerprints. This adaptation to their strictly arboreal lifestyle serves as a fifth hand. When the monkey walks, its arms practically drag on the ground. Unlike many monkeys, they do not use their arms for balance when walking, instead relying on their tails. The hands are long, narrow and hook-like, and have reduced or non-existent thumbs. The fingers are elongated and recurved.

Their hair is coarse, ranging in color from ruddy gold to brown and black, or white in a rare number of specimens. The hands and feet are usually black. Heads are small with hairless faces. The nostrils are very far apart, which is a distinguishing feature of spider monkeys.

Spider monkeys are highly agile, and they are said to be second only to the gibbons in this respect. They have been seen in the wild jumping from tree to tree.

Female spider monkeys have a clitoris that is especially developed; it may be referred to as a pseudo-penis because it has an interior passage, or urethra, that makes it almost identical to the penis, and retains and distributes urine droplets as the female moves around. This urine "is voided at the bases of the clitoris, flows down the shallow groove on its perineal surface, and is held by the skin folds on each side of the groove". Researchers and observers of spider monkeys of South America look for a scrotum to determine the animal sex because these female spider monkeys have pendulous and erectile clitorises long enough to be mistaken for a penis; researchers may also determine the animal's sex by identifying scent-marking glands that may be present on the clitoris.

Behavior

Spider monkeys form loose groups of 15 to 25 individuals, but can have even 30 to 40. During the day, groups break up into subgroups of two to eight animals. This social structure (fission-fusion) is found in only two other types of primates: chimpanzees and Homo sapiens. The size of subgroups and the degree to which they avoid each other during the day depends on food competition and the risk of predation. The average subgroup size is between 2 and 8 but can sometimes be up to 17 animals. Also less common in primates, females rather than males disperse at puberty to join new groups. Males tend to stick together for their whole lives. Hence, males in a group are more likely to be related and have closer bonds than females. The strongest social bonds are formed between females and their young offspring.



Spider monkeys communicate their intentions and observations using postures and stances, such as postures of sexual receptivity and of attack. When a spider monkey sees a human approaching, it barks loudly similar to a dog. When a monkey is approached, it climbs to the end of the branch it is on and shakes it vigorously to scare away the possible threat. It shakes the branches with its feet, hands, or a combination while hanging from its tail. It may also scratch its limbs or body with various parts of its hands and feet. Seated monkeys may sway and make noise. Males and occasionally adult females growl menacingly at the approach of a human. If the pursuer continues to advance, the monkeys often break off live or dead tree limbs weighing up to 4 kg and drop them towards the intruder. They do not actually throw the branches, but twist to cause the branch to fall closer to the threat. The natives of the area know very well of this risk. The monkeys also defecate and urinate toward the intruder.

Spider monkeys are diurnal and spend the night sleeping in carefully selected trees. Groups are thought to be directed by a lead female, which is responsible for planning an efficient feeding route each day. Grooming is not as important to social interaction, owing perhaps to a lack of thumbs.

Spider monkeys have been observed avoiding the upper canopy of the trees for locomotion. One researcher speculated this was because the thin branches at the tops of trees do not support the monkeys as well.

At 107 g, the spider monkey brain is twice the size of the brain of a howler monkey of equivalent body size; this is thought to be a result of the spider monkeys' complex social system and their frugivorous diets, which consist primarily of ripe fruit from a wide variety (over 150 species) of plants. This requires the monkeys to remember when and where fruit can be found. The slow development may also play a role: the monkeys may live from 20 to 27 years or more, and females give birth once every 17 to 45 months. Gummy, presumably the oldest living spider monkey in captivity, is presumed to have been born wild in 1962 and currently resides at Fort Rickey Childrens Discovery Zoo located in Rome, NY.

Diet The diets of spider monkeys consist of about 71.4 to 84 percent of fruits and nuts. They can live for long periods on only one or two kinds of fruits and nuts. They eat the fruits of many big forest trees, and because they swallow fruits whole, the seeds are eventually excreted and fertilized by the feces. Studies show the diet of spider monkeys changes their reproductive, social, and physical behavioral patterns. Most feeding happens from dawn to 10 am. Afterward, the adults rest while the young play. Through the rest of the day, they may feed infrequently until around 10 pm. If food is scarce, they may eat insects, leaves, bird eggs, bark and honey.

Spider monkeys have a unique way of getting food: a lead female is generally responsible for finding food sources. If she cannot find enough food for the group, it splits into smaller groups that forage separately. The traveling groups have four to nine animals. Each group is closely associated with its territory. If the group is big, it spreads out.

Reproduction The female chooses a male from her group for mating. Both males and females use "anogenital sniffing" to check their mates for readiness for copulation. The gestation period ranges from 226 to 232 days. Each female bears only one offspring on average, every three to four years.

Until six to ten months of age, infants rely completely on their mothers. Males are not involved in raising the offspring.

A mother carries her infant around her belly for the first month after birth. After this, she carries it on her lower back. The infant wraps its tail around its mother's and tightly grabs her midsection. Mothers are very protective of their young and are generally attentive mothers. They have been seen grabbing their young and putting them on their backs for protection and to help them navigate from tree to tree. They help the more independent young to cross by pulling branches closer together. Mothers also groom their young.

Male spider monkeys are one of the few primates who do not have a baculum.

In Mesoamerican cultures Spider monkeys are found in many aspects of the Mesoamerican cultures. In the Aztec 260-day calendar, Spider Monkey (Nahua Ozomatli) serves as the name for the 11th day. In the corresponding Maya calendar, Howler Monkey (Batz) is substituted for Spider Monkey. In present-day Maya religious feasts, spider monkey impersonators serve as a kind of demonic clowns. In Classical Maya art, they are ubiquitous, often shown carrying cacao pods.

References

External links


 * Black Spider Monkey (Ateles paniscus)
 * Primate Info Net Ateles Factsheets
 * Spider Monkey Pictures

208.104.145.28 (talk) 15:19, 14 July 2017 (UTC)


 * Red question icon with gradient background.svg Not done: it's not clear what changes you want to be made. Please mention the specific changes in a "change X to Y" format. I will collapse your edit request also. st  170  e  15:31, 14 July 2017 (UTC)

rrrrrrrrrrrrrnhhhhh — Preceding unsigned comment added by 173.75.13.254 (talk) 14:39, 4 January 2021 (UTC)

Monkeys Specific features
I think if better to add some specific features related to the monkey Pamoda Rivihas (talk) 07:18, 18 October 2021 (UTC)

Gummy, Oldest Spider Monkey, now 60
At the end of the Behavior section, the paragraph talks about Gummy, a spider monkey born c. 1962 that's been in captivity for many decades. The citation was dead, so I found a new one, and also that Gummy is still with us! Which is cool...

https://fortrickey.com/corporate-sponorship

...but also unfortunate the only current mention I could find is on the corporate sponsorship page.

Jay Straw 73.240.141.48 (talk) 05:07, 10 March 2022 (UTC)


 * Here's an article celebrating Gummy's birthday: https://romesentinel.com/stories/beloved-spider-monkey-reaches-worldwide-milestone-at-fort-rickey,134734 --130.180.18.14 (talk) 06:33, 23 May 2022 (UTC)
 * Gummy apparently passed in June of 2023. 140.96.158.81 (talk) 07:47, 17 July 2023 (UTC)

Why am I here?
Why on earth am I talking about Gummy, the Oldest Spider Monkey, on the Talk page? I should be editing the page directly, but the page is locked. I feel like with the extra effort involved, the article will retain its C-rating when it's difficult to edit. To be fair, I just submitted an edit for the Penis article -- ok, ok I understand that page being locked. But Spider Monkey?

Do it for Gummy. I rest my case.

Jay Straw 73.240.141.48 (talk) 05:07, 10 March 2022 (UTC)

this whole article is a trainwreck
someone please fix the grammar and tone 208.104.51.115 (talk) 10:11, 28 April 2022 (UTC)