﻿PROCEEDINGS 
  OF 
  THE 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  NATIONAL 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  issued 
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  ^V 
  <^< 
  

  

  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION 
  

  

  U. 
  S. 
  NATIONAL 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  Vol. 
  96 
  WMhington: 
  1944 
  No. 
  3186 
  

  

  REVIEW 
  OF 
  THE 
  SPIDER 
  MONKEYS 
  

  

  By 
  Remington 
  Kellogg 
  and 
  E. 
  A. 
  Goldman 
  

  

  Field 
  studies 
  have 
  shown 
  that 
  the 
  forest-inhabiting 
  spider 
  monkeys 
  

   of 
  the 
  New 
  World 
  are 
  «nl)jpct 
  to 
  ])lasmodial 
  infections 
  under 
  nat- 
  

   ural 
  conditions 
  and 
  consequently, 
  since 
  they 
  are 
  readily 
  obtainable. 
  

   are 
  now 
  being 
  used 
  in 
  laboratory 
  studies 
  of 
  the 
  malaria 
  Plasmodium. 
  

   Spider 
  monkeys 
  are 
  readily 
  tamed 
  and 
  very 
  adaptable 
  to 
  a 
  life 
  in 
  

   captivity. 
  Owing 
  to 
  their 
  d(jcility 
  they 
  are 
  easily 
  handled 
  by 
  labo- 
  

   ratory 
  assistants, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  difficult 
  to 
  provide 
  suitable 
  vegetable 
  

   fofxl 
  for 
  them. 
  For 
  these 
  reasons 
  it 
  is 
  important 
  to 
  establish, 
  if 
  pos- 
  

   sible, 
  the 
  valid 
  geographic 
  races 
  of 
  these 
  monkeys, 
  to 
  determine 
  in 
  so 
  

   far 
  as 
  available 
  collections 
  permit 
  the 
  geographic 
  ranges 
  of 
  the 
  recog- 
  

   nized 
  forms, 
  and 
  to 
  set 
  forth 
  tlie 
  characteristics 
  by 
  which 
  the 
  several 
  

   races 
  can 
  be 
  recognized 
  with 
  s(jme 
  degree 
  of 
  certainty. 
  

  

  The 
  spider 
  monkeys 
  form 
  a 
  compact 
  group, 
  or 
  subfamily, 
  the 
  

   Ateliiiae, 
  of 
  the 
  primate 
  family 
  Cebidae, 
  'I'liey 
  are 
  characterized 
  by 
  

   slender 
  body, 
  very 
  long, 
  slender 
  limbs, 
  and 
  long 
  tail, 
  naked 
  beneatli 
  

   distally 
  and 
  prehensile; 
  the 
  hand 
  has 
  only 
  four 
  functional 
  fingers, 
  the 
  

   thumb 
  being 
  usually 
  vestigial 
  or 
  absent. 
  

  

  These 
  monkeys, 
  in 
  structure 
  and 
  hai)its, 
  sliow 
  higli 
  specialization 
  

   and 
  adaptation 
  to 
  a 
  strictly 
  arboreal 
  life. 
  They 
  arc 
  limited 
  in 
  range 
  

   to 
  tlie 
  unbroken 
  tropical 
  ff)rests 
  from 
  southern 
  Mexico 
  to 
  northern 
  

   Matto 
  Gnjsso, 
  Brazil, 
  and 
  central 
  Bolivia 
  in 
  South 
  America. 
  In 
  the 
  

   forest 
  areas 
  inhabited, 
  oflen 
  including 
  steep 
  mountain 
  slopes, 
  largo 
  

   trees 
  have 
  interlocking 
  branches 
  through 
  which 
  the 
  spider 
  monkeys 
  

   are 
  able 
  to 
  travel 
  in 
  long 
  leaps 
  at 
  amazing 
  speed, 
  using 
  the 
  tail 
  con- 
  

   stantly 
  as 
  a 
  powerful 
  grasping 
  organ 
  for 
  balancing, 
  and 
  swinging 
  to 
  

   differing 
  levels. 
  A 
  spider 
  monkey 
  in 
  a 
  cage 
  is 
  seen 
  at 
  a 
  disadvantage 
  

  

  