The brown-headed spider monkey (''Ateles fusciceps fusciceps'') is a

critically endangered An IUCN Red List critically endangered (CR or sometimes CE) species is one that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild. As of December 2023, of t ...

subspecies of the

black-headed spider monkey The black-headed spider monkey (''Ateles fusciceps'') is a type of New World monkey from Central and South America, specifically Colombia, Ecuador, and Panama. Although primatologists such as Colin Groves (1989) follow Kellogg and Goldman (194 ...

, a type of

New World monkey New World monkeys are the five families of primates that are found in the tropical regions of Mexico, Central and South America: Callitrichidae, Cebidae, Aotidae, Pitheciidae, and Atelidae. The five families are ranked together as the Ceboi ...

, found in northwestern

Ecuador Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...

. Its type locality is at 1500 m in the Hacienda Chinipamba,

Imbabura Province Imbabura () is a Provinces of Ecuador, province located in the Andes of northern Ecuador. The capital is Ibarra, Ecuador, Ibarra. The people of the province speak Spanish, and a large portion of the population also speak the Imbaburan Kichwa va ...

in North-West Ecuador. It inhabits areas west of the

Andes Mountains The Andes ( ), Andes Mountains or Andean Mountain Range (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long and wide (widest between 18°S ...

. Some authorities, such as Froelich (1991), Collins and Dubach (2001) and Nieves (2005), do not recognize the black-headed spider monkey as a distinct species and so treat the brown-headed spider monkey as a subspecies of

Geoffroy's spider monkey Geoffroy's spider monkey (''Ateles geoffroyi''), also known as the black-handed spider monkey or the Central American spider monkey, is a species of spider monkey, a type of New World monkey, from Central America, parts of Mexico and possibly a ...

. The brown-headed spider monkey lives in tropical and subtropical humid forests that are between above sea level. It lives in population densities of 1.2 monkeys per square kilometer. It has a black or brown body and a brown head, while the

Colombian spider monkey The Colombian spider monkey (''Ateles fusciceps rufiventris'') is a subspecies of the Black-headed spider monkey, a type of New World monkey, found in Colombia and Panama. Some authorities, such as Froelich (1991), Collins and Dubach (2001) and ...

(''A. f. rufiventris'') is entirely black with some white on its chin. The brown-headed spider monkey is critically endangered as a result of habitat loss, due to

deforestation Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal and destruction of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use. Ab ...

, and hunting.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q4976001 Mammals of Ecuador Spider monkeys Mammals described in 1866 Taxa named by John Edward Gray