3/16/2024 0 Comments Spiders 2 breeding ground nuditySimilar to the other species of spider monkeys, Ateles hybridus is characterised by a slow reproductive rate, with females usually giving birth to a single offspring every 3 to 4 years. Mating is not seasonal and no precopulatory rituals have been observed in spider monkeys. However, intragroup infanticide by other males has been observed, although not reported for this particular species. Females in this genus copulate with many males over a period of time this might be a female strategy to prevent infanticide by causing paternity confusion. All copulations are initiated by the female, which indicates a high level of female mate choice and might lead to reduced aggression in males. The mating system of brown spider monkeys is not well studied, but is most likely similar to that of other members of Atelinae which are polygynandrous, where each individual mates with multiple partners. Some individuals also have pale blue eyes, but usually they are light brown. Another distinguishing characteristic of this species is the white triangular forehead patch but not all individuals possess this conspicuous feature. The inner side of the legs, arms and tail are a lighter, more buff color. Their coloration ranges from light brown to dark on upper parts including the head. The average body length for adult individuals is around 50 cm. Spider monkeys are the biggest of all the New World primates, an adult male brown spider monkey weighs between 7.9 and 9.1 kg and an adult female weighs between 7.5 and 9 kg. The thumb is reduced, which facilitates swinging and gripping branches and is an adaptation to their strictly arboreal lifestyle. The hands are hook-like, with four elongated, curved, fingers. The length of the tail is around 75 cm and is highly flexible and distally hairless, with ridged skin for a better grip. These features enable them to be highly suspensory and allow them to easily forage and travel in the high canopy. They also have a long, thin, prehensile tail, which acts almost like a fifth limb. Their forelimbs are longer than their hindlimbs and their intermembral index is approximately 105. The appearance of Ateles hybridus is similar to other species of spider monkeys and, as their common name indicates, spider monkeys have exceptionally long, slender limbs. ( Chapman and Onderdonk, 1998 Morales Jiménez, 2007 Takahashi, 2008 Urbani, et al., 2008) One reason for their habitat choice is that their diet primarily consists of fruit. Primary forests have tall mature trees, a continuous canopy, an understory with little underbrush and significant bigger and more abundant fruiting trees than secondary forests have. They rarely descend to the forest floor except for drinking water or eating soil.īrown spider monkeys are habitat specialists and prefer undisturbed old forests (primary forests) and rarely inhabit disturbed forests with less complete canopy (secondary forests). They spend most of their time traveling and foraging in the high canopy, but they also use the middle and lower strata to a lesser extent. ( Groves, 2005 Link and Morales Jimenez, 2008 Takahashi, 2008 Urbani, et al., 2008)īrown spider monkeys are arboreal and mainly found in high and lowland primary evergreen rainforest from 20 to 700 m elevation. Ateles hybridus brunneus can only be found in Colombia, ranging between the lower Ríos Cauca and Magdalena in the Departments of Bolívar, Antioquia, and Caldas. The former occurs in both Colombia and Venezuela, inhabiting forests from the right bank of the Río Magdalena to areas extending into western parts of Venezuela. hybridus, Ateles hybridus hybridus and Ateles hybridus brunneus. There are two recognized subspecies of A. Brown spider monkeys, Ateles hybridus, are restricted to subtropical and tropical moist lowlands in Venezuela and Colombia.
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