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Social Skills

I would consider myself a pack animal because I usually live in groups that typically have between 15-30 other brown spider monkeys. Our strongest bonds are between the mothers and their offspring. We communicate by using several different calls, screeches, barks, etc.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When we go scavenging for food we split into smaller groups to lessen competition. The females in our groups usually lead the expeditions for food because they come up with more advanced and varied foraging routes.

Duque, D. (2014, June 8). Female spider monkey (Ateles hybridus) with baby give alarm calls â‹â‹. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=fjSnZKOT2rc

Hola! I am the Brown Spider Monkey. We generally live about 22 years and weigh 6 whole kilograms! Even though I do not have thumbs, I have long arms and an elongated tail that helps me travel throughout the high canopies of the tropical rainforest in Central and South America. The tropical rainforests contain the most biodiversity of any biome which means that the greatest variety of living things is located there. The temperature is almost always between 20-25° C and never varies more than 5 degrees.  We receive lots of rain! The yearly rainfall exceeds two hundred centimeters! Water sources come from pooled rain in large-leafed plants, springs, and rivers created by run-offs from excess precipitation. The soil is nutrient-poor and acid, but many plants can still live here such as 100 different species of trees, buttressed roots, shallow roots, evergreens with large, dark leaves, orchids, vines, ferns, mosses, and palms. Other than us spider monkeys various species of birds, bats, small and large mammals, and insects live here too.

 

 

Rainforest Facts

 

 

  • home to 50% of the Earth’s plants and animals

  • Estimated that remaining rainforests will be gone in less than 40 years

  • Amazon Rainforest creates more than 20% of the world’s oxygen

  • The Amazon Basin holds 20% of the world’s fresh water

  • 25% of the ingredients in medicines are found here

  • Deforestation causes the loss of 50,000 species annually

  • 4 billion trees are cut down annually just for paper

  • 70% of the plants deemed useful for Cancer treatment are only found in the rainforest

Ecoturs Colombia (Director). (2013, January 5). Brown Spider Monkey, Paujil Reserve [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=D64tBsYFxKo

Keystone Species

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[Baby spider monkey]. (2007). Retrieved from http://www.google.com/url sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&docid=fWMldNY1fyDwAM&tbnid=640OmNTD5ODUNM:&ved=0CAcQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.glogster.com%2Fmonkeylover1001%2Fspider-monkeys%2Fg-6mbikhjoadbbqed32gurta0&ei=BsEpVMCjDKOj8gHxi4HYBQ&bvm=bv.76247554,d.cWc&psig=AFQjCNFUf2_GaZrWqyjE0COUy1eX6IEAPA&ust=1412108925702025

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