The Mantled Howler (Alouatta palliata)

Jul 15, 2018 Features / Columnists, Interesting Creatures in Guyana

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The mantled howler (Alouatta palliata), or golden-mantled howling monkey, is a species of howler monkey, a type of New World monkey, from Central and South America. It is one of the monkey species most often seen and heard in the wild in Central America. It takes its “mantled” name from the long guard hairs on its sides.
The mantled howler is one of the largest Central American monkeys, and males can weigh up to 9.8 kg (22 lbs.). It is the only Central American monkey that eats large quantities of leaves; it has several adaptations to this folivorous diet. Since leaves are difficult to digest and provide less energy than most foods, the mantled howler spends the majority of each day resting and sleeping. The male mantled howler has an enlarged hyoid bone, a hollow bone near the vocal cords, which amplifies the calls made by the male, and is the reason for the name “howler”. Howling allows the monkeys to locate each other without expending energy on moving or risking physical confrontation.

The mantled howler lives in groups that can have over 40 members, although groups are usually smaller. Most mantled howlers of both sexes are evicted from the group they were born in upon reaching sexual maturity, resulting in most adult group members being unrelated. The most dominant male, the alpha male, gets preference for food and resting places, and mates with most of the receptive females.
The mantled howler is important to the rainforest ecology as a seed disperser and germinator. Although it is affected by deforestation, it is able to adapt better than other species, due to its ability to feed on abundant leaves and its ability to live in a limited amount of space.
The mantled howler is the most folivorous species of Central American monkey. Leaves make up between almost 50% and 75% of the mantled howler’s diet. The mantled howler is selective about the trees it eats from, and it prefers young leaves to mature leaves. This selectivity is likely to reduce the levels of toxins ingested, since certain leaves of various species contain toxins. Young leaves generally have less toxins as well as more nutrients than more mature leaves, and are also usually easier to digest.
Mantled howler monkeys possess large salivary glands that help break down the leaf tannins by binding the polymers before the food bolus reaches the gut. Although leaves are abundant, they are a low energy food source. The fact that the mantled howler relies so heavily on a low energy food source drives much of its behaviour – for example, howling to locate other groups and spending a large portion of the day resting.
Although leaves tend to make up the majority of the mantled howler’s diet, fruit can also make up a large portion of the diet. When available, the proportion of fruit in the diet can be as much as 50%, and can sometimes exceed the proportion of leaves. The leaves and fruit from Ficus trees tend to be the preferred source of the mantled howler. Flowers can also make up a significant portion of the diet and are eaten in particularly significant quantities during the dry season. The mantled howler tends to get the water it needs from its food, drinking from tree holes during the wet season, and by drinking water trapped in bromeliads.
Like other species of howler monkeys, almost all mantled howlers have full three-colour vision. This is different from other types of New World monkeys, in which most individuals have two-colour vision. The three-colour vision exhibited by the mantled howler is believed to be related to its dietary preferences, allowing it to distinguish young leaves, which tend to be more reddish, from more mature leaves.
The mantled howler is diurnal and arboreal. Movement within the rainforest canopy and floor includes quadrupedalism (walking and running on supports), bridging (crossing gaps by stretching), and climbing. It will also sometimes leap to get to another limb.
However, the mantled howler is a relatively inactive monkey. It sleeps or rests the entire night and about three quarters of the day. Most of the active period is spent feeding, with only about four percent of the day spent on social interaction. This lethargy is an adaptation to its low energy diet.
It uses its prehensile tail to grasp a branch when sleeping, resting or when feeding. It can support its entire body weight with the tail, but more often holds on by the tail and both feet. A study has shown that the mantled howler reuses travel routes to known feeding and resting sites, and appears to remember and use particular landmarks to help pick direct routes to its destination.
The mantled howler is regarded as “least concern” from a conservation standpoint by the IUCN. Nonetheless, its numbers may be adversely affected by rainforest fragmentation which has caused forced relocation of groups to less habitable regions. [Source: Wikipedia]

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