The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists 9 species of spider monkey, which can be found in rain forests from southern Mexico through Brazil. The IUCN lists 3 spider-monkey species as Critically Endangered; 5 species of spider monkey are listed as Endangered, and 1 species is Vulnerable.
The foundations of the endocrine system are hormones and glands. A gland is a group of cells that produces and secretes hormones. Hormones are the body's chemical messengers. They send and relay messages between different systems. Many different hormones move through the bloodstream.
The endocrine system, shown in Figure 2, includes glands which secrete hormones into the bloodstream. Hormones are chemical messenger molecules that are made by cells in one part of the body and cause changes in cells in another part of the body. The endocrine system regulates the metabolism and development of most body cells and body systems through feedback mechanisms.