Central American Spider Monkey

Q: What are the chances of seeing a Central American Spider Monkey in Tortuguero National Park?

Very likely. About 70% of wildlife watchers report a Central American Spider Monkey sighting in Tortuguero National Park on a given day, based on 476 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the most-seen of the 19 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

Q: When is the best time to see a Central American Spider Monkey in Tortuguero National Park?

February–April, July, September and November–December. In those months about 80% of wildlife watchers report a Central American Spider Monkey in Tortuguero National Park on a given day, against about 50% in June, the lowest month.

Q: What time of day is best to see a Central American Spider Monkey?

Between 11 am and 2 pm. Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Central American Spider Monkey sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Q: Is Tortuguero National Park the best place to see a Central American Spider Monkey?

2nd of 28. Of the 28 parks where we can rate Central American Spider Monkey sightings, Tortuguero National Park ranks 2nd at about 70%. The best odds are in Tikal National Park (Guatemala, about 80%). All parks ranked.

Q: Where does the Central American Spider Monkey sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records. It is estimated from how often the Central American Spider Monkey is recorded against all the mammals logged in Tortuguero National Park (476 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

Ateles geoffroyi

Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic

LCNTVUENEndangeredCR

KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
PhylumChordata (Chordates)
ClassMammalia (Mammals)
OrderPrimates
FamilyAtelidae (Spider, Howler, and Woolly Monkeys)
GenusAteles (Spider Monkeys)
SpeciesAteles geoffroyi (Central American Spider Monkey)

Daily sighting probability ~70% · Very likely

at Tortuguero National Park

In 3 days >90%

476 Verified sightings at Tortuguero National Park From 2019 to 2026

3,584 In all 28 parks

December Best month

☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

Challenge The Four Monkeys of Costa Rica Central AmericaMedium

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 →

Sounds

Recording0:32

Guatemala · 2025

Recording0:10

Panama · 2022

Recording0:17

Mexico · 2024

Global Distribution

Where it is recorded most Known range (Mammal Diversity Database, Marsh et al. 2022)Our parks where it lives In captivity: 97 zoos & centres

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	~70%
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	~40%
9	Arenal Volcano National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	~30%
10	Piedras Blancas National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	~30%
11	Biotopo Cerro Cahuí	🇬🇹 Guatemala	~20%
12	Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve	🇲🇽 Mexico	~20%
13	Pico Bonito National Park	🇭🇳 Honduras	~20%
14	El Triunfo	🇲🇽 Mexico	~20%
15	Braulio Carrillo National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	~20%
16	Tenorio Volcano National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	~20%
17	Carara National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	~20%
18	Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	~10%
19	Palo Verde National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	~10%
20	Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park	🇲🇽 Mexico	~10%
21	Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	~10%
22	La Amistad International Park (Panama)	🇵🇦 Panama	~10%
23	Cahuita National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	~10%
24	Chirripó National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	~10%
25	Soberanía National Park	🇵🇦 Panama	~10%
26	Chagres National Park	🇵🇦 Panama	<5%
27	Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%
28	Poás Volcano National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

#	Zoo / Centre	Country
1	Zoo d'Amiens	🇫🇷 France	In captivity
2	Belize Zoo	🇧🇿 Belize	In captivity
3	Parque Temático Hacienda Nápoles	🇨🇴 Colombia	In captivity
4	Bioparque Estrella	🇲🇽 Mexico	In captivity
5	Toronto Zoo	🇨🇦 Canada	In captivity
6	Yumka'	🇲🇽 Mexico	In captivity
7	Brookfield Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
8	Ecological Center of Sonora	🇲🇽 Mexico	In captivity
9	Givskud Zoo	🇩🇰 Denmark	In captivity
10	Nashville Zoo at Grassmere	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
11	Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
12	Milwaukee County Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
13	Toledo Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
14	Wildlife World Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
15	Parque Municipal Summit	🇵🇦 Panama	In captivity
16	Central Florida Zoo and Botanical Gardens	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
17	Birmingham Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
18	Africam Safari	🇲🇽 Mexico	In captivity
19	Tuzoofari	🇲🇽 Mexico	In captivity
20	Xcaret	🇲🇽 Mexico	In captivity
21	Guadalajara Zoo	🇲🇽 Mexico	In captivity
22	Nanning Zoo	🇨🇳 China	In captivity
23	Zoológico de San Juan de Aragón	🇲🇽 Mexico	In captivity
24	Ukumarí Biopark	🇨🇴 Colombia	In captivity
25	Granby Zoo	🇨🇦 Canada	In captivity
26	Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
27	Saint Louis Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
28	Brevard Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
29	Catoctin Wildlife Preserve and Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
30	Dickerson Park Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
31	Montgomery Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
32	Zoológico Benito Juárez	🇲🇽 Mexico	In captivity
33	Hamilton Zoo	🇳🇿 New Zealand	In captivity
34	Vallazoo	🇲🇽 Mexico	In captivity
35	Zoológico la pastroa	🇲🇽 Mexico	In captivity
36	Melbourne Zoo	🇦🇺 Australia	In captivity
37	Monkey World	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	In captivity
38	Parque Zoológico y Botánico Baradida	🇻🇪 Venezuela	In captivity
39	Gulf Breeze Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
40	Chapultepec Zoo	🇲🇽 Mexico	In captivity
41	The Wild Safari	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
42	Auckland Zoo	🇳🇿 New Zealand	In captivity
43	Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
44	Asahiyama Zoo	🇯🇵 Japan	In captivity
45	El Paso Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
46	Zoológico del Altiplano	🇲🇽 Mexico	In captivity
47	La Paz Waterfall Gardens	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	In captivity
48	The Abilene Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
49	Buin Zoo	🇨🇱 Chile	In captivity
50	Erie Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity

Show all 50 Show fewer

Closest Relatives at Tortuguero National Park

Alouatta palliata

Daily sighting probability ~70% · Very likely

Cebus imitator

Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely

Bradypus variegatus

Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely

Choloepus hoffmanni

Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely

Rhynchonycteris naso

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely

Dasyprocta punctata

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely

Sphiggurus mexicanus

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible

Tamandua mexicana

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible

Sciurus variegatoides

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible

Panthera onca

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible

Tapirella bairdii

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Procyon lotor

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

See all 12 relatives Show fewer

Before you go

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

Very likely

About 70% of wildlife watchers report a Central American Spider Monkey sighting in Tortuguero National Park on a given day, based on 476 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the most-seen of the 19 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

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

February–April, July, September and November–December

In those months about 80% of wildlife watchers report a Central American Spider Monkey in Tortuguero National Park on a given day, against about 50% in June, the lowest month.

What time of day is best to see a Central American Spider Monkey?

Between 11 am and 2 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Central American Spider Monkey sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Tortuguero National Park the best place to see a Central American Spider Monkey?

2nd of 28

Of the 28 parks where we can rate Central American Spider Monkey sightings, Tortuguero National Park ranks 2nd at about 70%. The best odds are in Tikal National Park (Guatemala, about 80%). All parks ranked.

Where does the Central American Spider Monkey sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Central American Spider Monkey is recorded against all the mammals logged in Tortuguero National Park (476 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

← Back to Tortuguero National Park

Central American Spider Monkey

About the Central American Spider Monkey

Sounds

Recent sightings of Central American Spider Monkey in Tortuguero National Park

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

Zoos & Centres Where Found

Closest Relatives at Tortuguero National Park

Mantled Howler Monkey

Central American White-faced Capuchin

Brown-throated Sloth

Hoffmann's Two-toed Sloth

Proboscis Bat

Central American Agouti

Mexican Hairy Dwarf Porcupine

Northern Tamandua

Variegated Squirrel

Jaguar

Baird's Tapir

Common Raccoon

Before you go

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

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

What time of day is best to see a Central American Spider Monkey?

Is Tortuguero National Park the best place to see a Central American Spider Monkey?

Where does the Central American Spider Monkey sighting chance come from?