Spider monkey is any of several large monkeys noted for using the tail as an extra limb. Spider monkeys can hang by the tail and even pick up objects by curling the tail around them. These animals sometimes hang upside down by grasping a branch with all four long, slender limbs and the tail. This position makes the monkeys resemble huge spiders. Spider monkeys often use their arms to swing from branch to branch. Only Asian primates called gibbons can swing through trees faster.
Spider monkeys inhabit tropical forests from central Mexico to central Bolivia. They live in groups of up to 35 individuals and spend most of their time in high branches, where they eat fruits, seeds, and other plant matter. Various species have black, brown, golden, reddish, or tan fur. Adults weigh from 10 to 19 pounds (5 to 8.6 kilograms) and grow almost 2 feet (60 centimeters) long, not including the tail. A spider monkey’s hands have four long fingers and an extremely small thumb.
Spider monkeys rank among the most threatened of the New World monkeys. They have been hunted to extinction in certain areas of the Amazon Basin.
