Home › Mammalia › Atelidae › Black-handed Spider Monkey (Ateles geoffroyi)
SPECIES PROFILE
Black-handed Spider Monkey (Ateles geoffroyi)
Ateles
IUCN STATUS
Endangered
CONSERVATION STATUS
Endangered
CLASS
Mammalia
GEOGRAPHICAL RANGE
Mexico through Central America; one of the most endangered primates in El Salvador with a tiny remnant population in Montecristo
DIET
Herbivore
HABITAT
Tall tropical and cloud forest with continuous canopy; dependent on large intact forest tracts; avoids forest edges and fragmented patches
🔬 Classification
PHYLUM
Chordata
CLASS
Mammalia
ORDER
Primates
FAMILY
Atelidae
GENUS
Ateles
📋 Description
SIZE
38–63 cm body; 6–9 kg; prehensile tail longer than the body
COLORATION
Reddish-brown to dark brown fur; distinctive black hands and feet; bare pink to black face; long slender limbs; fully prehensile tail
ADAPTATIONS
Fully prehensile tail acts as a fifth limb for brachiating through the canopy; hook-like hands allow rapid swinging; complex fission-fusion social structure
🌿 Ecology
HABITAT
Tall tropical and cloud forest with continuous canopy; dependent on large intact forest tracts; avoids forest edges and fragmented patches
DIET
Herbivore
GEOGRAPHIC RANGE
Mexico through Central America; one of the most endangered primates in El Salvador with a tiny remnant population in Montecristo
REPRODUCTION
Single infant after 7.5-month gestation; infant clings to mother for up to a year; very slow reproductive rate
DIET DETAILS
Ripe fruit makes up 70–90% of the diet; also leaves, flowers, seeds, and bark
⚠️ Threats & Conservation
PRIMARY THREATS
Nearly total deforestation of El Salvador (less than 3% primary forest remains); hunting; capture as pets
💡 Interesting Facts
1
El Salvador has the highest deforestation rate historically of any country in Central America — less than 3% of original forest remains — making Montecristo's spider monkeys one of the rarest mammal populations in the country.
2
Spider Monkeys produce a distinctive barking alarm call when threatened that can be heard hundreds of metres away; the sound of spider monkeys calling in the forest is one of the few sounds indicating intact old-growth in Central America.
🔭 Sighting Guide
📍 BEST PLACES TO SIGHT
Parque Nacional Montecristo near Metapán, El Salvador, harbours the last remaining Spider Monkey population in the country
El Imposible National Park near Ahuachapán is the second most important forest reserve in El Salvador for wildlife
Cinquera Forest near Suchitoto has recovering spider monkey habitat in reforested areas of former conflict zones
🗓️ BEST TIME TO SIGHT
Year-round but rare. Montecristo National Park has El Salvador's last viable population; troops heard calling at dawn in cloud forest.
🎯 SIGHTING TIPS
Year-round in Parque Nacional Montecristo near Metapán; dawn hours produce the most vocalisations; the population is small and shy.
