Protecting the Brown Spider Monkey
~ Meet the Brown Spider Monkey ~
The brown spider monkey, or Ateles hybridus, is an endangered species of monkey found only in one region of the world. They are rather small, typically weighing in from 6.5 to 8.5 kilograms, however they have relatively long limbs. Thanks to their very long tail, they can easily swing between branches. You'll need to head to the northwestern-most portions of South America to find a brown spider monkey. More specifically, in northeastern Colombia's middle Magdalena River basin, in the Perija Mountains, the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta's southeastern areas, and lastly across the Andes, bringing you into the western portion of Venezuela.
Ripe, fleshy fruits are crucial to the brown spider monkey, making up roughly 80% of the monkey's diet. While they mostly eat fruits, they'll also eat young flowers, leaves, seeds, aerial roots, and decaying wood, especially during times of fruit shortages. They also disperse large amounts of seeds from the treetops, making them significant in dispersing seeds that other animals can then eat. It was found that brown spider monkeys spend over 90% of their foraging time feeding on their beloved ripe fruits, according to a study on monkeys at Las Quinchas. The main predators to watch out for are any large cats found in their habitat, such as jaguars and pumas.
You can expect the brown spider monkey to live in groups of around 30 monkeys, although don't expect to see them all together. Traveling, foraging for food, feeding, and resting in small groups is how they spend their days. White-bellied spider monkeys usually give birth from May to December, however it is unknown exactly when brown spider monkeys do the same. The female typically leaves her biological family at around six years old, and reaches maturity at around ages eight to nine years old. The female brown spider monkey will give birth to a single offspring after roughly seven-and-a-half months, with the time between births reaching three years.
The exact number of brown spider monkeys left is unknown, but it is clear that their population has been continuously declining for at least half a century. A population reduction of at least 80% is expected for this current generation and the next two as well, all according to the IUCN red list.
~ The Home of the Brown Spider Monkey ~
The brown spider monkey can only be found in Colombia and Venezuela, which comprise of the northwestern-most region of South America. The upper levels of those two countries' forests are where they live and thrive, way up high in the treetops. This habitat is important for them to thrive, as all of their different types of food, such as their fruits and seeds, are found high up in the upper levels of the forests. Their bodies are basically meant to allow them to efficiently live in the treetops. They only weigh approximately 6.5 to 8.5 kilograms, so they shouldn't come crashing down. Not only that, but their long limbs make the tree branches easy to navigate, and their super long tails play an important role in how they get around from branch to branch, and from tree to tree. Brown spider monkeys live quite well in the treetops of Colombia and Venezuela. Anywhere else, and their key features which allow them to thrive, would be nearly useless, and they could become easy prey.
The countries of Colombia and Venezuela, in which the monkey resides, are quite close to the equator, so there are high temperatures with lots of sunlight year round. This habitat, and the plants and animals that call it their home, rely on that sunlight. They also rely on the loads of rain that they receive. For instance, according to this list of countries by average annual precipitation, Colombia is the rainiest country in the world. The high levels of sunlight the biome receives due to its location near the equator, mixed with all that rain, allows for a seemingly endless number of types of plants and trees to absolutely thrive. This results in a blanket of forests over many parts of the country, containing lots of food sources, as well as tons of shelter for all the animals that live there.
You can find all sorts of grasses and plants, such as tussock grasses, and the fire-resistant and tree-like Espeletia. There are also loads of various ripe fruits, which are the favorite snack of the brown spider monkey. According to this Brittanica article, sloths, anteaters, deer, capybaras, and many types of monkeys, are some primary consumers you can find there. Jaguars and pumas are two of the main carnivores to watch out for.
~ Why are these nearly extinct? ~
There is one major threat that is continually pushing the brown spider monkey closer and closer to extinction. This one threat has been the driving factor behind the monkey's continuous decline in population for decades and decades. You'd think it would be an environmental or biological threat, such as deforestation, but it is a threat directly caused by humans, and it could've been avoided.
Hunting/poaching the brown spider monkey could very easily result in the critically endangered species becoming completely extinct. These monkeys are hunted throughout their homelands, both legally and illegally, and have been for at least half a century. There are multiple reasons why they are so commonly hunted. They are hunted for their meat, which is high in protein, and is considered a delicacy in certain parts of Africa, according to this National Geographic article. They've also been hunted for traditional medicinal reasons. The exotic pet trade, which is driving all sorts of animals into endangerment and extinction, is another main reason they are hunted. Even if the monkeys survive through the awful transportation after being captured, they're still forced to suffer in a completely unnatural environment, away from their habitat and sources of food from which they thrive.
The entire biome in which an animal is hunted (especially an endangered one) will suffer. As previously mentioned, these monkeys play a significant role in distributing lots of seeds from high in the treetops, to down below, where other animals can also now eat those seeds as well. With the brown spider monkey getting closer to extinction, the animals which rely on the seeds distributed by the monkeys as their main food source, are then forced to find food by other methods in different places, or else they won't be able to eat, and they'll head down the same path as the monkey. No seeds being distributed by the monkeys also means no plants growing from those seeds, so there would be far less plants for animals to eat as well. The pumas, jaguars, and other animals which eat the monkeys, are also being forced to find other food sources in order to survive. These monkeys are crucial in their home habitat. Also according to that same National Geographic article, poached animals being forced into the exotic pet trade often spread diseases, such as SARS and Ebola, and likely Covid-19 as well.
Hunting animals to the point of critical endangerment never helps the biome, regardless of where it is or which animals are hunted. For example, in Afro-tropical regions, elephants are poached for their ivory to the point that they're also nearly extinct. According to this Society for Conservation Biology article, the forests of that region are also suffering. These elephants are also crucial in the seed dispersal of their habitats. Due to the extreme levels of elephant poaching, forests are growing in unnatural ways, with dense clumps of small trees. These trees can't provide the food or shelter that is needed for the other animals of the biome. No matter the animal or the biome, hunting will continue to have devastating effects on all that lives there.
~ What Can be Done to Help the Monkeys ~
As consumers in a country in which material possessions are in high demand, often regardless of what had to happen to make those items, we need to pay attention to what we want and what really goes into making it. According to this World Wildlife Fund article, there are all sorts of desirable items that come from animals that are being poached into extinction, such as items made of rhino horn, elephant ivory, or tiger fur. There are jewelry items which also feature materials from endangered animals. Various meats and other food products directly or indirectly from animals are also something to watch out for. People buy these items only because they like them as a material object, and/or maybe they want to show off. There are no actual benefits, or any reasons that makes poaching endangered animals worth it at all.
There are a few simple things we can do to reduce or eliminate our impact in the hunting of these critically endangered animals. Firstly, we need to pay attention to what we're buying. We need to be aware of what actually went into making the items, and if any animals were harmed or killed. Not paying attention or questioning if it's really worth it is just making the situation worse. It is easy to buy these items just because we might like them as a society, but it is up to us, as consumers, to pay attention, and not buy these items. We also shouldn't support any business involved in the production or distribution of these items. Buying items that are produced ethically and without any animal involvement or materials is the way to go. You'd help save the lives of endangered animals before its too late, you wouldn't be supporting animal poaching, and you'd probably save money as well.
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