Guatemala: flora and fauna

Guatemala : flora and fauna

Guatemala is a small country which is home to 19 different ecosystems, ranging from the mangrove forests on both Pacific and Caribbean coasts to the pine forests of the mountainous interior, to the cloud forests at higher altitudes and to the sub tropical jungle at lower altitudes. These ecosystems include 250 species of mammals, 600 species of birds and 200 species of reptiles and amphibians, many species of butterflies and other insects... and more than 8,000 species of plants !

Here are some examples of this diversity.

Fauna
Jaguar Puma Ocelot Jaguarundi Oncilla Agouti Coati Kinkajou Paca Peccary Tapir Armadillo Spider monkey Howler monkey	Crocodile Iguana Sea turtle Phyllomedusa Swainson's hawk Scarlet macaw Hummingbirds Quetzal Toucan Montezuma Oropendola Vulture Tarantula Fer-de-lance Coral snake

Spider monkey

Spider monkeys are New World monkeys of the family Atelidae, subfamily Atelinae. Found in tropical forests from southern Mexico to Brazil, spider monkeys belong to the genus Ateles; the closely related woolly spider monkeys, are in the genus Brachyteles.

As they require large tracts of undisturbed forest and specialize on ripe fruits, spider monkeys may be considered an indicator species; the monkeys are threatened by habitat destruction through continued growth in South American agriculture.
A recent comparative intelligence comparison gives spider monkeys a value a little above gorillas, so it is reasonable to believe that spider monkeys are among the most intelligent New World monkeys.

Disproportionately long, spindly limbs inspired the spider monkey's common name. Their deftly prehensile tails, which may measure up to 89 centimetres, have highly flexible hairless tips complete with skin grooves similar to fingerprints; this adaptation to the spider monkey's strictly arboreal lifestyle grants the monkeys a fifth hand of sorts. Adults reach an average body length of 20 inches and a weight of 6.4 kilograms.

Spider monkeys have hook-like, narrow and thumbless hands; the fingers are elongated and recurved. The hair is coarse, ranging in colour from a ruddy gold to brown and black; the hands and feet are usually black. Heads are small with hairless faces. An unusually long labia in females may be mistaken for a penis; its function is unclear.

Parts of this text are from Wkipedia