Habitat Lowland to lower mountain rain forest. The skinny long limbed spider monkey is ideally suited for life in the forest tree tops. The long arms have very flexible shoulder joints that enable them to swing easily from branch to branch. The prehensile tail is used as a fifth limb and can support the whole weight of the animal. The coat color of spider monkeys varies from light buff to black, depending on the subspecies.
Infants have a pink face and pink ears.
Behavior Diurnal and arboreal. Their genus name, Ateles, actually means imperfect . When spider monkeys display aggressively, they can erect the hair on their neck, shoulders, and tail base. Spider monkeys live in loosely organized groups of up to 20 individuals, usually dominated by an elder female. In the evenings the group disperses into smaller groups of 2 to 8 individuals that sleep together at a favorite perch.