About Ateles paniscus (Linnaeus, 1758)
The red-faced spider monkey, scientific name Ateles paniscus (Linnaeus, 1758), has long black hair, and a hairless red or pink face with only a few short white hairs. Infant red-faced spider monkeys are born with dark faces, which lighten in color as they grow older. This species shows very little sexual dimorphism. On average, males have a head-body length of 55.7 cm (21.9 in) and weigh around 9.1 kg (20 lb), while females have an average head-body length of 55.2 cm (21.7 in) and weigh around 8.4 kg (19 lb). This species has a prehensile, grasping tail, along with long, agile, strong limbs and fingers. The red-faced spider monkey is a habitat specialist that lives in undisturbed primary rainforests. Its range covers northern Brazil, Suriname, Guyana, French Guiana, and Venezuela. Thanks to its climbing and jumping abilities, it typically lives in the upper layers of rainforest trees and forages in the high canopy.
