Interesting Creatures…The Black Howler Monkey (Alouatta pigra)

Oct 23, 2011 Features / Columnists, Interesting Creatures in Guyana

Black Howler Monkeys are among the largest primates in the Neotropics. They can grow to be 22 to 36 inches tall when standing. And, their tails are about the same size in length as their bodies. However, the male howlers are black, while females are brown. They have prehensile tails that they can use to grab onto branches. They make loud vocalizations to mark their territory, thus earning their name. Their howls, which resemble a strong wind blowing through a tunnel, have been heard over two miles away by researchers. While most individuals do not live for more than 15 years in the wild, it is possible for howlers to reach over 20 years in age.
These howler monkeys are found only in the rainforests of the Americas. They live in tall rainforest trees in groups of between four and 19 members. They travel from tree to tree in search of food — walking from limb to limb, rather than jumping. While not particularly perky primates, they are most active during the day (diurnal), sleeping high in rainforest trees at night.
Howlers are strict vegetarians, eating only flowers, fruits and leaves. In Belize, for instance special community-managed protected areas have been established to keep people from over-harvesting the fruit and flowers that the howlers need to survive.
However, these creatures could be subjected to both natural and human-induced threats to their existence. The black howler monkey, known as the “baboon” in Belize, is endangered throughout much of its range due to hunting and habitat destruction. As forests are cleared, howlers, who need several acres of forest per troop to survive, are becoming increasingly rare.
Throughout the region in which they are found, howlers are hunted both for food and for sport. Some experts believe that howlers could become extinct within the next 35 years.
Reports suggest that there are six species of howler monkeys and they are said to be among the largest of the American or New World monkeys. Head and body length, as indicated earlier, is 22-36 inches; tail length is 23-36 inches; and adults weigh from 9-22 pounds. Their hair is coarse and their faces are naked. The notion that males are usually visibly larger than females and as the name suggests, they are generally black in colour with the female being brown, is believed to be a survival strategy. According to experts, this characteristic of these monkey species allow the females to blend into the colours of the forest. Offspring are brown when born, no matter what their sex. As they mature the male’s fur turns black.
Lower jaws and necks are quite large. Legs are shorter and stouter than those of the spider monkeys. The powerful prehensile tails are naked on the underside.
The angle of their lower jaws makes it possible for the animals to produce their remarkable loud resonant sounds for which these primates are especially noted. The loud and persistent calls have been heard by people almost two miles away through jungle growth and over three miles away across lakes.
With the evolution of time the Howler Monkeys have since become inhabitants of New World rain forests ranging through eastern Bolivia, southern Brazil and Paraguay, and northern Argentina. These forest dwellers are arboreal and mainly diurnal. Troop size varies from 3-19; groups usually include 1-3 adult males and 2-7 adult females. They live and travel in these small troops and sleep high in the trees at night. About 75 per cent of their time is spent resting, 20 per cent feeding, and five per cent with social activities. They are reported to eat more leaves than any other New World monkey. They also enjoy fruits, including figs, and other plant parts.
In Black Howler Monkeys, sexual maturity is achieved at five years by males, and at 3-4 years by females. But often the young animals lack the social maturity to be allowed to mate for several more years.
Gestation is 180-194 days and single births are usual. Babies cling to their mothers’ fur, and as the babies get older they make their permanent riding positions on the mothers’ backs. This continues for about a year and older males sometimes kill the young.
Young are weaned at around 10 months of age and the young disperse from their natal group upon adulthood. Average life span is about 16 years in the wild. Maximum longevity is over 20 years.
(Source: Wikipedia – The Free Online Encyclopedia)

Pix – Howler Monkey

Discover more from Kaieteur News

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Latest News