Central American Spider Monkey
Central American Spider MonkeyCentral American Spider MonkeyCentral American Spider MonkeyCentral American Spider Monkey

Central American Spider Monkey

Ateles geoffroyi

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
Daily sighting probability ~80% · Very likely
at Tikal National Park
149 Verified sightings at Tikal National Park From 2019 to 2026
1,798 Verified sightings across all 32 parks From 2019 to 2026
August Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

About the Central American 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 small portion of Colombia. There are at least five subspecies. Some primatologists classify the black-headed spider monkey (A. fusciceps), found in Panama, Colombia, and Ecuador as the same species as Geoffroy's spider monkey.

It is one of the largest New World monkeys, often weighing as much as 9 kg (20 lb). Its arms are significantly longer than its legs, and its prehensile tail can support the entire weight of the monkey and is used as an extra limb. Its hands have only a vestigial thumb, but long, strong, hook-like fingers. These adaptations allow the monkey to move by swinging by its arms beneath the tree branches.

Geoffroy's spider monkey lives in fission–fusion societies that contain between 20 and 42 members. Its diet consists primarily of ripe fruit and it requires large tracts of forest to survive. As a result of habitat loss, hunting and capture for the pet trade, it is considered to be endangered by the IUCN.

Geoffroy's... Wikipedia →

Closest Relatives at Tikal National Park

Mexican Black Howler Monkey
EN

Mexican Black Howler Monkey

☀️ Diurnal Mammal

Alouatta pigra

Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely

Global Distribution

Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.

where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is)  ·  parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Tikal National Park 🇬🇹 Guatemala
~80%
2 Tortuguero National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~70%
3 Corcovado National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~60%
4 Calakmul Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~60%
5 Santa Rosa National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~50%
6 Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~50%
7 Rincón de la Vieja National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~40%
8 Cañón del Sumidero National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
~30%
9 Arenal Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~30%
10 Piedras Blancas National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~30%
11 Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~20%
12 Braulio Carrillo National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%
13 Pico Bonito National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
~20%
14 Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
15 Palo Verde National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
16 Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
17 Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%
18 Cahuita National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
19 La Amistad International Park (Panama) 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%
20 Chirripó National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
21 Soberanía National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%
22 Chagres National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
23 Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
24 San Lorenzo Protected Forest 🇵🇦 Panama
Insufficient data
25 El Triunfo 🇲🇽 Mexico
Insufficient data
26 Poás Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
27 Celestún Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
Insufficient data
28 Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary 🇧🇿 Belize
Insufficient data
29 Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
30 Tenorio Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
31 Carara National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
32 Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Central American Spider Monkey in Tikal National Park?

About 80% of wildlife watchers report a Central American Spider Monkey sighting in Tikal National Park, based on 149 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Central American Spider Monkey in Tikal National Park?

August has the highest sighting rate for Central American Spider Monkey in Tikal National Park in our monthly data.

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