biology

White-cheeked spider monkey

White-cheeked spider monkey is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand White-cheeked spider monkey rather than just read about it. In short: The white-cheeked spider monkey (Ateles marginatus) is a species of spider monkey, a type of New World monkey, endemic to Brazil. It moves around the forest canopy in small family groups of two to four, part of larger groups of a few dozen animals.

Key takeaways

White-cheeked spider monkey belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect White-cheeked spider monkey to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of White-cheeked spider monkey from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The white-cheeked spider monkey (Ateles marginatus) is a species of spider monkey, a type of New World monkey, endemic to Brazil. It moves around the forest canopy in small family groups of two to four, part of larger groups of a few dozen animals. This monkey feeds on leaves, flowers, fruits, bark, honey and small insects, and it is an important means of seed dispersal for forest trees. Females give birth after a 230-day gestation period. The population of this monkey is decreasing as its forest habitat is lost to soybean production, deforestation and road construction. It is also regarded as a delicacy and hunted for food. For these reasons, the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed the animal's conservation status as being "endangered".

Distribution The white-cheeked spider monkey is commonly found in the Brazilian Amazon. The area in which it is most likely to be found is between the Rio Tapajós (right bank) and its tributary, the Rio Teles Pires/Sao Manuel (right bank) and the Rio Xingu (left bank), south of the Amazonas River. A portion of their territory lies also within national forests such as Tapajós National Forest (545,000 ha (1,350,000 acres)), Xingu National Forest (252,790 ha (624,700 acres)), Altamira National Forest (689,012 ha (1,702,590 acres)), Itaituba I National Forest (220,034 ha (543,720 acres)), and Itaituba II National Forest (440,500 ha (1,088,000 acres)).

Ecology

It is common for the white-cheeked spider monkey to travel in smaller groups of 2-4 when feeding and resting. At around 4–5 years of age, it apparently reaches sexual maturity and will give birth to one offspring after a gestation period of 226–232 days; the interbirth interval can last as long as 28–30 months in the wild.

The diet of the white-cheeked spider monkey consists of fruit, leaves, flowers, aerial roots, bark, decaying wood, honey, and even some small insects such as termites and caterpillars. One very important impact it has on its habitat is to provide seed dispersal for different species of plants throughout their territory. It is thought that they provide movement for up to 138 different species of fruit seeds.

Status There are many different colors of spider monkeys, such as black, brown, and white. Their homes are in the upper levels of the rain forest. The white-cheeked spider monkey was placed on the endangered species list after an assessment in 2008 discovered that their population had decreased by 50% over the course of three generations; this decline can be attributed to habitat loss and hunting. This trend is expected to continue due to the increasing expansion of soybean agriculture. Also, parts of their habitat have been destroyed to make way for major highways and extensive deforestation. Some of the indigenous peoples in Brazil consider spider monkeys a delicacy, and when this is combined with their low reproduction rate, the population is sure to decline swiftly. It generally lives in groups of 20-30 individuals, but it is rare for them to be seen all together.

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with White-cheeked spider monkey

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what White-cheeked spider monkey claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to White-cheeked spider monkey before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about White-cheeked spider monkey ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of White-cheeked spider monkey

In research: White-cheeked spider monkey appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses White-cheeked spider monkey in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: White-cheeked spider monkey is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Arboreal mammals, Endemic mammals of Brazil, IUCN Red List endangered species, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for White-cheeked spider monkey outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study White-cheeked spider monkey in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what White-cheeked spider monkey means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain White-cheeked spider monkey out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is White-cheeked spider monkey in simple terms?

Why does White-cheeked spider monkey matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study White-cheeked spider monkey?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on White-cheeked spider monkey.