The red-faced spider monkey (Ateles paniscus) has a pink face and long black hair. It is born with a dark face, which become lighter with age, and is native to northern Brazil, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana. Other species with black hair include the Peruvian spider monkey (Ateles chamek); the white-cheeked spider monkey (Ateles marginatus), endemic to the Brazilian Amazon; the Mexican spider monkey (Ateles geoffroyi vellerosus); and the black-headed spider monkey (Ateles fusciceps).
The brown spider monkey (Ateles hybridus) is only found in northern Colombia and some areas of Venezuela. Its fur is often light-brown with a white patch on the forehead, a white to light-tan belly and sometimes blue eyes, a rare trait among monkeys. Despite its name, the white-fronted spider monkey (Ateles belzebuth) has a predominatelly brown body with yellow patches on the belly and limbs. Other predominantelly brown species include Geoffroy's spider monkey (Ateles geoffroyi), which contains several subspecies, such as the ornate spider monkey (Ateles geoffroyi ornatus), showing a reddish brow body and a black face.
The black-headed are the largest spider monkey, weighing in average 24 pounds, with tails are long as 33.7 inches. However, most species of spider monkeys weigh 13 pounds in average. Spider monkeys are omnivorous animals, which means they feed on a variety of food sources, including nuts, leaves, fruits, insects, spiders and bird eggs.
The majority of spider monkey species is currently threatened of extinction, due to habitat loss and hunting for meat. The black-headed spider monkey and the brown spider monkey are listed in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as critically endangered, with a population decrease of more than 80 percent in the past 45 years. The red-faced spider monkey is listed as vulnerable, because the species populations have declined 30 percent during the last 45 years.