Geographic Range
White-bellied spider monkeys,
Ateles belzebuth
, are found in the northeastern portion of the Amazon in South America. Colombia,
Venezuela, Peru, Ecuador, and Brazil are all countries that this species is known
to inhabit.
- Biogeographic Regions
- neotropical
Habitat
White-bellied spider monkeys
are found in the rainforests of northern South America. They live in the upper levels
of tall forests and can be found at a maximum elevation of 1,800 m.
- Habitat Regions
- tropical
- terrestrial
- Terrestrial Biomes
- rainforest
Physical Description
A. belzebuth
has a similar shape to
A. paniscus
, with arms and legs longer than the body. These monkeys also have a prehensile
tail.
A. belzebuth
differs from
A. paniscus
in that it has a pale or white triangular patch on the forehead. Another distinguishing
characteristic of this species is that the dorsal side of the animal can range from
black to dark or light brown whereas the ventral side is pale brown to white. These
animals have bright whitish eyeshine. The prehensile tail of these monkeys is used
for locomotion and foraging, and can range from 61 to 88 cm in length. The legs of
this species are long and slender. Weight ranges from 5.9 to 10.4 kg. Male body
length that ranges from 42 to 50 cm, whereas females can be anywhere from 34 to 59
cm.
- Other Physical Features
- endothermic
- homoiothermic
- bilateral symmetry
Reproduction
A. belzebuth
live in groups in which there are three times as many females as there are males.
The total number of individuals in a group ranges from 20 to 40. Mating occurs randomly,
and females will mate with one or several males in one day. The reproduction of this
species is similar to that of other members of Atelinae especially the
A. geoffroyi
and
A. paniscus
. Variation occurs with the species.
- Mating System
- polygynandrous (promiscuous)
Females give birth to one offspring every 2 to 4 years. Their estrus cycle is 24
to 27 days in length, and gestation length is between 210 and 225 days.
Copulations are initiated by females, who approach males. Like other species of
Ateles
, it is likely that this pattern of initiating copulation leads to high levels of
female mate choice, and reduces aggression between males.
Although not reported for this species, males in other species of spider monkeys which
have been studied ejaculate after one mount and one series of thrusts.
The timing of sexual maturity in
A. belzebuth
is not known, but is probably similar to other species in the genus. In these species,
sexual maturity of both males and females occurs sometime between 4 and 5.5 years
of age.
- Key Reproductive Features
- iteroparous
- year-round breeding
- gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate)
- sexual
- fertilization
- viviparous
The exact time of weaning in this species is not known, but is similar to that of
other
spider monkeys
. At 12 to 15 months the infants are weaned, but independence is not achieved until
at least 17 months of age. As in most primates, females provide the bulk of parental
care. Male parental behavior for this species has not been mentioned.
- Parental Investment
- no parental involvement
- altricial
-
pre-fertilization
-
protecting
- female
-
protecting
-
pre-hatching/birth
-
provisioning
- female
-
protecting
- female
-
provisioning
-
pre-weaning/fledging
-
provisioning
- female
-
protecting
- female
-
provisioning
-
pre-independence
-
protecting
- female
-
protecting
- post-independence association with parents
- extended period of juvenile learning
Lifespan/Longevity
The lifespan of this species is unknown, but is similar to other spider monkeys . In captivity, the lifespan is 30 to 40 years for other species of spider monkeys .
Behavior
A. belzebuth is highly social, and is active during the day. Groups of these animals range from 20 to 40 members, but they also split into smaller subgroups during the day to forage. This type of social organization is called fission-fusion sociality. Although most animals live within a social group, solitary individuals are reported to be common.
These monkeys move through the upper part of the canopy using their prehensile tails
and limbs. Brachiation, arm swinging with the body below the branches, is an important
mode of locomotion for these species.
Species in the genus
Ateles
do not typically show a great deal of aggression to other members of the social group.
However, in spite of this relatively non-aggressive existence, both males and females
show clear dominance heirarchies. There does not appear to be a simple relationship
between dominance ranking and reproductive success among males. Also, relationships
between different groups of these primates are reported to be marked by intollerance.
Males tend to show more affiliative behaviors than do females within the genus
Ateles
. They are more affiliate both to other males and to females within their groups.
Females often visit other groups while carrying newborn offspring, and young females
are know to migrate into new groups permanently.
Home Range
The average home area used by a single group encompasses 150 to 250 ha. An overlapping
of 1.5 ha will occur between groups.
Communication and Perception
A. belzebuth
communicates with long calls to identify other members of the group and their territory.
It also uses barks and screams which are probably used to signal danger. Tactile
communication, in the form of both aggression and affiliative touching (like grooming)
also occurs. Visual signals, such as approaching a conspecific, provide important
communication about intentions, willingness to mate, and possibly dominance position.
Food Habits
The diet of
A. belzebuth
consists mainly of fruits, but these primates will also eat seeds, leaves, and sometimes
dead wood. The amount of time an animal spends about 22% if its time foraging versus
15% of its time moving. Of the time these animals spend feeding, about 83% of the
time is spent obtaining ripe fruits. About 7% of their foarging time is spent eating
leaves, and the remaining 10% is used getting other food items.
Most feeding occurs during the early morning and late afternoon and occasionally the
animal is known to feed during nights with a bright moon.
- Plant Foods
- leaves
- wood, bark, or stems
- seeds, grains, and nuts
- fruit
- flowers
- sap or other plant fluids
Predation
Possible predators of this species may include felids or birds of prey such as eagles.
Ecosystem Roles
Although it occurs with only a few species of seeds,
A. belzebuth
is known to occasionally increase the rate of germination of some plants. Because
these animals eat mostly fruits that are rich in lipids, they may be the best dispersers
for fruits that fall into this category.
- Ecosystem Impact
- disperses seeds
Economic Importance for Humans: Positive
There are no known benefits this species provides to humans.
Economic Importance for Humans: Negative
There are no known adverse affects of A. belzebuth on humans.
Conservation Status
A. belzebuth is considered endangered by IUCN, and is listed on CITES Appendix I. The major threats to this species are loss of habitat through deforestation and hunting. National parks in Colombia aid to the conservation of A. belzebuth as well as specific protected habitats and isolation of the habitats from development.
Additional Links
Contributors
Nancy Shefferly (editor), Animal Diversity Web.
Jill Ceitlin (author), University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, Phil Myers (editor, instructor), Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.
- Neotropical
-
living in the southern part of the New World. In other words, Central and South America.
- native range
-
the area in which the animal is naturally found, the region in which it is endemic.
- tropical
-
the region of the earth that surrounds the equator, from 23.5 degrees north to 23.5 degrees south.
- terrestrial
-
Living on the ground.
- rainforest
-
rainforests, both temperate and tropical, are dominated by trees often forming a closed canopy with little light reaching the ground. Epiphytes and climbing plants are also abundant. Precipitation is typically not limiting, but may be somewhat seasonal.
- endothermic
-
animals that use metabolically generated heat to regulate body temperature independently of ambient temperature. Endothermy is a synapomorphy of the Mammalia, although it may have arisen in a (now extinct) synapsid ancestor; the fossil record does not distinguish these possibilities. Convergent in birds.
- bilateral symmetry
-
having body symmetry such that the animal can be divided in one plane into two mirror-image halves. Animals with bilateral symmetry have dorsal and ventral sides, as well as anterior and posterior ends. Synapomorphy of the Bilateria.
- polygynandrous
-
the kind of polygamy in which a female pairs with several males, each of which also pairs with several different females.
- iteroparous
-
offspring are produced in more than one group (litters, clutches, etc.) and across multiple seasons (or other periods hospitable to reproduction). Iteroparous animals must, by definition, survive over multiple seasons (or periodic condition changes).
- year-round breeding
-
breeding takes place throughout the year
- sexual
-
reproduction that includes combining the genetic contribution of two individuals, a male and a female
- fertilization
-
union of egg and spermatozoan
- viviparous
-
reproduction in which fertilization and development take place within the female body and the developing embryo derives nourishment from the female.
- altricial
-
young are born in a relatively underdeveloped state; they are unable to feed or care for themselves or locomote independently for a period of time after birth/hatching. In birds, naked and helpless after hatching.
- arboreal
-
Referring to an animal that lives in trees; tree-climbing.
- diurnal
-
- active during the day, 2. lasting for one day.
- motile
-
having the capacity to move from one place to another.
- sedentary
-
remains in the same area
- solitary
-
lives alone
- social
-
associates with others of its species; forms social groups.
- dominance hierarchies
-
ranking system or pecking order among members of a long-term social group, where dominance status affects access to resources or mates
- visual
-
uses sight to communicate
- tactile
-
uses touch to communicate
- acoustic
-
uses sound to communicate
- visual
-
uses sight to communicate
- tactile
-
uses touch to communicate
- acoustic
-
uses sound to communicate
- chemical
-
uses smells or other chemicals to communicate
- herbivore
-
An animal that eats mainly plants or parts of plants.
- frugivore
-
an animal that mainly eats fruit
References
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Robinson, J., C. Janson. 1986. Capuchins, Squirrel Monkeys, and Atelines: Socioecological Convergence with Old World Primates. Pp. 69-82 in Primate Societies . Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
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Stevenson, P., M. Castellanos, J. Pizarro, M. Garavito. 2001. Effects of Seed Dispersal by Three Ateline Monkey Species on Seed Germination at TiniguaNational Park, Colombia. International Journal of Primatology , 23: 1187-1204. Accessed February 12, 2004 at http://80-www.kluweronline.com.proxy.lib.umich.edu/issn/0164-0291/contents .
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Suarez, S. 2002. Behavioral ecology of the white-bellied spider monkey ( Ateles belzebuth belzebuth ) In Eastern Equador. American Journal of Primatology , 57/S1: 41.
Suarez, S. 2001. Feeding Patch Choice in Free-ranging Ateles belzebuth belzebuth : Implications for Cognitive Foraging Skills. American Journal of Primatology , 54: 41.