Endangered Species
The Black howler monkey
the Alouatta pigra (Mexican black howler monkey)
Howlers are among the largest monkeys in the Americas, and the Guatemalan black howler (Alouatta pigra) is among the largest of the genus. The Guatemalan black howler has a notably long, silky, dense coat of black fur with traces of brown on the shoulders, cheeks and back. A slight crest exists on the crown, and males over the age of four months have a conspicuous white scrotum . The arms and legs are long but stout, and the tail is prehensile, lacks hair on its underside, and is used like a fifth limb to grasp branches and anchor the body.
Sizes. Male head-and-body length: 67 - 71 cm (2)Female head-and-body length: 52 - 64 cm (2)Male tail length: 60 - 67 cm (2)Female tail length: 50 - 54 cm (2)Male weight: c. 11.4 kg (2)Female weight: c. 6.4 kg (2)
Mantled howler monkey
Mantled howler monkeys are large, fairly stocky monkeys (5) that are totally black in colour with the exception of a fringe of long golden hairs on the flanks (3). The tail is prehensile and has a naked patch on the underside towards the tip to aid in grasping (5). The face is naked but features a beard that is longer in males than in females (5). When males reach maturity, the scrotum turns white (3). Newborns are golden brown to silvery in colour and weigh 0.4 kg (5). A range of vocalisations are produced, including barks, grunts, and woofs.
Brown howling monkey (Alouatta guariba)
Brown howling monkeys, like other howler monkeys, are best known for their impressive howls, which can be heard for over 1.6 km and are often mistaken for roars of lions by visitors to the area (2). Far from being dangerous predators, these primates are placid,arboreal vegetarians that live in social groups (2). There are ten species of howler monkeys, which can be identified by their coat colour (2) (3). As expected, brown howling monkeys have brown coats, though the colour may vary from brown to dark red or black.
Red-handed howler monkey (Alouatta belzebul)
Red-handed howler monkeys are found in mixed forest habitats of the Brazilian Amazon, often from the canopy to the ground; the IUCN states that their habitats range from Marajó várzea forest, to lowland Amazon rainforests, and to portions of the northern Atlantic Forest. Alouatta species typically live in undisturbed or modified dry forests to rain forests, mangrove forests, wooded savannas, and gallery forests.