Meet Alberto™. His name, which means "noble," is common in his home of Venezuela. Alberto is an expert gymnast, swinging from tree to tree with ease -- even though he does not have thumbs! He makes up for his lack of thumbs with his athletic tail, which can grasp a branch as strongly as any hand. Alberto still wishes he had thumbs, but he is glad to have his tail. As they say in Venezuela, "If we can’t get what we like, let’s like what we get."

Alberto is a black-handed spider monkey. Even though they do not have thumbs, spider monkeys are skilled at swinging through treetops. They do this by coordinating hands, feet, and tail. The spider monkey’s tail is much like a hand. In fact, the tip of the tail has no hair, and even has a "fingerprint."

These monkeys are found in Venezuela, Mexico, and Columbia. A portion of proceeds from this toy will benefit AZA, and endangered species like the black-handed spider monkey.