It should go without saying, but please don’t smuggle spider monkeys. Fish and Wildlife Service, the male and female spider monkeys were inside of a pet carrier and were roughly two to three months old. According to the International Fund for Animal Welfare, there are seven recognized species of spider monkeys in the Ateles genus. Spider monkeys generally live in groups called “troops,” in tropical rainforests of Central and South America, stretching from Bolivia north to Mexico. Spider monkeys are protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora and some species are also listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act.