Ateles geoffroyi

9.9

A monkey that lives in trees in Central America with long arms and a tail that holds branches

noun

Specialized

: Ateles geoffroyi

The long, prehensile tail of the Ateles geoffroyi helps it navigate the treetops with ease.

Examples

Researchers observed the Ateles geoffroyi moving quickly through the upper canopy of the rainforest.
The Ateles geoffroyi is often called the spider monkey.
Conservation efforts are being made to protect the habitats of the endangered Ateles geoffroyi.
Did you see the Ateles geoffroyi at the zoo?
Conservation efforts are being made to protect the habitats of the endangered Ateles geoffroyi.
Researchers observed the Ateles geoffroyi moving quickly through the upper canopy of the rainforest.
The long, prehensile tail of the Ateles geoffroyi helps it navigate the treetops with ease.

Synonyms

spider monkey

vsAteles geoffroyi

4 4.2

An animal that lives in trees in the Americas with long thin arms and a tail that grasps branches

is narrower and names a single species limited to Central America

Surface Forms

Ateles geoffroyi singular

Ateles geoffroyis plural

Morphology

Ateles + geoffroyi

The first element 'Ateles' directly signals a genus of monkeys, so a learner who knows that word can infer this is a type of monkey; however 'geoffroyi' is an opaque species epithet (not a common English word) and the Latin binomial convention (genus + species) is not part of ordinary B1 composition. Thus the phrase gives partial (category-level) information but not the full lexical meaning (e.g. 'spider monkey'), making it only partially predictable.

Etymology

Ateles geoffroyi comes from the first part, Ateles, a word that meant 'incomplete' because these monkeys have a very small thumb, and the second part, geoffroyi, honors the French naturalist Geoffroy who studied them. So the name helps you picture a long-armed tree monkey with a tail that can hold branches.