Brown spider monkey

Summary

Brown spider monkeys have long, lanky arms and a long, powerful tail. The tail is used as a fifth limb, helping the monkeys to grip branches and swing gracefully from tree to tree.

They are sociable primates spending time in groups. In the wild this tends to be between three and five, but can reach up to 100 in the same locality.

Dietary

These monkeys are omnivores, feeding on a diet of nuts, fruits, leaves and spiders. In the wild, they forage for food on the forest floor and search high in the tree canopy.

Habitat

The brown spider monkey lives high in the trees of Colombia’s tropical lowland forest. This is now the only place in the world that the brown spider monkey can be found in the wild.

Colombia is one of the world’s most biodiverse countries, second only to Brazil in the number of species.

Conservation

The brown spider monkey is classified as Critically Endangered and considered to be one of the top 25 most endangered primates in the world. There are thought to be less than 3,000 left in the wild, due to their forest habitat being destroyed for cattle ranching, illegal mining and oil palm.

At Bristol Zoo we are helping to establish a self-sustaining reserve population of brown spider monkeys.

IUCN Red List species link

Did you know...

Brown spider monkeys are very charismatic with a strong personality. Our group consists of one male and two females, who are very curious and nosy, and who enjoy watching guests and other animals.

Where to find us at Bristol Zoo

You can find our brown spider monkeys inside Monkey Jungle, next to The Hide Café Restaurant