Black spider monkey - Ecology & Habitat

A taste for good habitat quality

Spider monkeys prefer pristine (mature) tropical forests and seldom venture into disturbed habitats, making them especially susceptible to forest fragmentation.

Social Structure
Ateles exhibit a fission-fusion social structure, traveling in mixed groups of variable composition within a territory that contains the home ranges of approximately 30 individuals, including adult males and females, subadults and young. Males will mate with more than one female and even cooperate to defend access to females. There is no dominance hierarchy involved in the mating process.

Life Cycle
The young wean at 12-15 months, but stay with their mothers until at least the age of three years. Sexual maturity occurs at 3-4 years of age.

Breeding
Black spider monkeys give birth to one offspring every 3-4 years. The gestation period is 7.5 months.

Diet
Most of their diet consists of a variety of fruits that are only eaten if they are ripe. This is reported to reduce competition with other frugivorous primates that eat harder fruit, and which are therefore not in direct competition with Ateles. If fruits are not available, this monkey may eat leaves and nuts.