Mexican Spider Monkey
- Ateles Geoffroyi Vellerosus
- Spider monkeys have lost the opposable thumb on their hands, creating a hook with the remaining four fingers for swinging through the trees.
- They hail from Central America and Mexico where they inhabit tropical forests in large troops of 2-30 individuals.
- A strong prehensile tail equipped with a hairless underside allows this species the sensitivity and dexterity of a fifth limb.
- Females usually have one offspring at a time and usually spend several years raising them to adulthood.
- They eat mainly fruit and hence are very important seed dispersers to the rainforests.
- This endangered species is part of a Species Survival Plan, of which the Palm Beach Zoo keeps the studbook and manages the SSP.
Location at Palm Beach Zoo
- Tropics of the Americas Primate Islands
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