The species occurs in central-northern of Bolivia, north-eastern Peru, and the central-western Brazilian Amazon. The species was recently found to occur in the northern bank of Solimões River, at the Mamirauá Reserve, where it probably colonized through a river meander cutoff process. They live primarily in lowland forests, occupying the canopy and the sub-canopy, but they have been observed using various habitat types, including dry and hilly areas such as the piedmont and cerrado forests, and have been observed to move depending on food availability. They were also observed living in Amazonian seasonally flooded forests. They live in territorial bands of 6–12 individuals whose territory covers about 20 square kilometers. Band size is somewhat seasonal,Iwanaga, S., Ferrari S.F., 2001. Party Size and Diet of Syntopic Atelids (Ateles chamek and Lagothrix cana) in Southwestern Brazilian Amazonia. probably because females separate themselves from the band for a few months to give birth, primarily in the fall. It has to contest with other spider monkeys, woolly monkeys, and howler monkeys for food and territory.
