User:Oferrante/Yucatan spider monkey

The Yucatan spider monkey (Ateles geoffroyi yucatanensis), also known by its mayan name "Ma'ax", is a disputed subspecies of Geoffroy's spider monkey, and is one of the largest types of New World monkey. It inhabits Mexico's Yucatan peninsula, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador and Honduras. It is a social animal, living in groups of 20-42 members.

The subspecies is no longer recognised by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) or the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS), it is listed as a junior synonym of the Mexican spider monkey (Ateles geoffroyi vellerosus).

Diet
The Yucatan monkey is frugivorous, with a diet consisting of around 90% fruit and 10% eggs and insects. In captivity, the Yucatan spider monkey’s diet generally consists of fruits, dog food, bread and a few vegetables, such as carrots and lettuce. Wild Yucatan spider monkeys tend to vary their fruit diet depending on the abundance of certain plant species in the area of habitat. However, the most nutritive fruits are preferred by the subspecies therefore, wild figs called "koochlé", the fruits of ramón, and other wild tamarind fruits are the favored by the subspecies. Leaves are also an important component within their diet as that they consume monthly

The Yucatan spider monkey moves in straight lines towards its food, and is able to orient its movement to foraging areas invisible from its current vantage point. Individuals consistently plan out foraging areas ahead of time. The ranging patterns of the subspecies are influenced by weather conditions along the year, however the difference in seasons doesn’t impact their ranging behavior.

Foraging behaviour after a natural disaster (a hurricane) showed increased splitting up into smaller sub-groups. Less time was spent moving, and the main food source changed from fruit to leaves.

Conservation
Since 2020 the Yucatan spider monkey has entered the Red list of the IUCN as an endangered species, which means it is currently facing high risks of extinction within the next 45 years. According to data collected by the Global Forest Watch across Mexico, El Salvador, Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras, deforestation is at the origin of the decrease of population of this subspecies. If deforestation continues at this rate, Yucatan spider monkey’s habitat has been predicted to reduce by 40% within the next 40 years.

Human threats play a major role in the decrease of population of the subspecies. The fragmentation of the Yucatan spider monkeys among its different countries of habitat, has demonstrated to increase its vulnerability to hunting, as spider monkeys are among the most hunted monkeys for pet trade and for their good meat. Livestock farming, palm oil monocultures, and other mega-projects such as mining projects are at the origin of the important habitat loss in this region. Furthermore, the long birth interval of this subspecies, results in the higher risk of extinction, especially in areas that are threatened by human usage.