Sunday 6 September 2009

Black Howler Monkey

Photo: Male black howler monkey in a tree
Photo taken by:Joel sartore  Photo found on: animals.nationalgeographic.com

Scientific name: Alouatta Caraya

Fact:  Males are black females are brown or olive and infants are golden

Height: 22-36 inches

Weight: 15-22 Lbs

Lifespan in the wild: 15-20 years

Natural habitat: Tropical Rain Forests

Sexual maturity: 4 Years old

Gestation: Around 180 days

Number of offspring: 1

Predators: Jaguars, Pumas and Harpy Eagles are the only known predators

Diet: Fruit, flowers and the buds of flowers and due to this diet it is rare for a howler monkey to come down from the tree tops as all their food can be found on the tops of the trees.

Interesting facts:
Did you now the loudest call in the animal world is made by a howler monkey. The howler monkey is also defined as a new world monkey. The black howler monkey also is known as a baboon in Belize, also the largest monkey in Belize and one of the largest monkeys in America. The male black howler have very large throats and special vocal chambers that help the males to determine the volume of their "howls". They have a prehensile tail that they use like an extra arm to grab items and hold on to branches no old world monkeys have a tail like this.

Endangerment statute: Threatened