Home › Mammalia › Atelidae › Yucatan Spider Monkey (Ateles geoffroyi yucatanensis)
SPECIES PROFILE
Yucatan Spider Monkey (Ateles geoffroyi yucatanensis)
Ateles
IUCN STATUS
Endangered
CONSERVATION STATUS
Endangered
CLASS
Mammalia
GEOGRAPHICAL RANGE
Yucatan Peninsula from Mexico to Honduras; in Mexico in Yucatán, Campeche, and Quintana Roo; requires large primary forest
DIET
Herbivore
HABITAT
Tall tropical forest and rainforest canopy; dependent on large contiguous forest tracts; avoids forest edges and secondary growth
🔬 Classification
PHYLUM
Chordata
CLASS
Mammalia
ORDER
Primates
FAMILY
Atelidae
GENUS
Ateles
📋 Description
SIZE
38–63 cm body; 6–9 kg; prehensile tail longer than body
COLORATION
Black to dark brown fur; pale face with pink skin around eyes and muzzle; bare prehensile tail with a sensitive tactile pad on the underside
ADAPTATIONS
Fully prehensile tail acts as a fifth limb for swinging through the canopy (brachiating); hook-like hands with reduced thumbs; one of the most agile arboreal mammals
🌿 Ecology
HABITAT
Tall tropical forest and rainforest canopy; dependent on large contiguous forest tracts; avoids forest edges and secondary growth
DIET
Herbivore
GEOGRAPHIC RANGE
Yucatan Peninsula from Mexico to Honduras; in Mexico in Yucatán, Campeche, and Quintana Roo; requires large primary forest
REPRODUCTION
Single infant born after 7.5-month gestation; infant clings to mother's belly then back for the first year; very slow reproductive rate
DIET DETAILS
Ripe fruit makes up 70–90% of the diet; also flowers, leaves, seeds, and insects
⚠️ Threats & Conservation
PRIMARY THREATS
Forest clearance for agriculture and cattle ranching; hunting for bushmeat; capture as pets; the species needs the largest home ranges of any Mexican primate
💡 Interesting Facts
1
Spider Monkeys have the largest brain-to-body ratio of any New World primate and are considered the most intelligent monkeys in the Americas — they can solve complex spatial problems.
2
Spider Monkey societies have a "fission-fusion" social structure — the group splits into small foraging parties by day and reforms into a larger community at sleeping sites; individual relationships are tracked over years.
🔭 Sighting Guide
📍 BEST PLACES TO SIGHT
Punta Laguna Spider Monkey Reserve near Cobá, Quintana Roo, has habituated troops and is one of Mexico's best primate sites
Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve near Tulum, Quintana Roo, has Spider Monkey troops in tall coastal rainforest
Calakmul Biosphere Reserve near Xpujil, Campeche, has Spider Monkeys in the largest tropical forest in Mexico
🗓️ BEST TIME TO SIGHT
Year-round at Punta Laguna Spider Monkey Reserve near Cobá, Quintana Roo; dawn hours produce the most activity and vocalisations.
🎯 SIGHTING TIPS
Year-round. Sian Ka'an and Calakmul have spider monkey troops; listen for howls at dawn; Punta Laguna reserve near Cobá is the most accessible site.
