Guatemalan Black Howler Monkey
The Guatemalan Black Howler (Alouatta pigra), also known as the Yucatan Howler, is a remarkable species of New World monkey that inhabits the lush rainforests of the Yucatan Peninsula, spanning areas in Mexico, Belize, and Guatemala. As the largest member of its genus, the Guatemalan Black Howler typically weighs around 25 pounds for males and 14 pounds for females. These monkeys are easily recognizable by their long, prehensile tails, which they use to navigate their arboreal habitats, and their distinctive black fur. They are primarily folivorous, relying heavily on a diet of leaves, fruits, and occasionally flowers, with the breadnut tree being a particular favorite during certain seasons. Their specialized teeth and larger hyoid bone allow them to consume their leafy diet and produce the loud howls that these monkeys are famous for, which serve both social and territorial purposes.
Socially, Guatemalan Black Howlers are diurnal and live in groups that can range from 10 to 16 members, facilitating foraging, grooming, and alertness to potential threats. Although they are not the most active of species, spending a significant portion of their day lounging and socializing, they contribute to the ecosystem by maintaining the health of their forest habitats. Females reach reproductive maturity by four years, while males take up to eight years, with an average lifespan of about 20 years. However, the future of the Guatemalan Black Howler is precarious; it is currently classified as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The species faces severe threats from habitat loss, poaching, and the illegal pet trade, with projections indicating a potential population decline of over 60% in the next three decades if conservation efforts are not enacted.
The plight of the Guatemalan Black Howler serves as a stark reminder of the fragility of biodiversity in the face of human encroachment. As they share their habitat with the Mantled Howler, these monkeys exemplify the delicate balance of ecosystems that can be disrupted by environmental changes and human activities. Conservation initiatives aimed at protecting their rainforest habitats and curbing illegal activities are crucial for ensuring the survival of this iconic species. Raising awareness about their endangered status and the importance of preserving their natural environment is essential not only for the Guatemalan Black Howler but for the overall health of the ecosystems they inhabit.
The endangered
Guatemalan Black Howler
(
Alouatta pigra
) (sometimes called the Yucatan Howler or Yucatan Black Howler) is one of many species of howler monkey, which is what is known as a ‘New World’ monkey. Its range is throughout the Yucatan Peninsula, and includes the areas of Mexico, Belize, and of course Guatemala. The Guatemalan Black Howler prefers to live in very lush areas, mostly sticking to all types of rain forests such as the semi-deciduous, lowland and evergreen. Of its cousins and relatives, the Guatemalan Black Howler is the largest, and is also one of the largest ‘New World’ monkeys (which include marmosets, owl monkeys, sakis, spider, and woolly monkeys). It weighs in at 25 lbs on average in males (11-12 kg) and 14 lbs for the females (6-7 kg). Their fur is usually black and their tails are very long, and prehensile (meaning it can grab and be used to hang from branches with). They also have specialized teeth for their diet of mostly leaves, along with the males possessing a larger hyoid bone located near the vocal chords, which enables their loud calls.
The Guatemalan Black is a diurnal howler, which means it is active during the day and it sleeps at night, as well as being arboreal, meaning it dwells in the trees most of its life. They are a social species that lives in groups up to ten members strong, which helps in alerting, foraging, and general upkeep through grooming. Some groups can be as large as sixteen, while larger groups are plausible, however at these sizes it is unlikely to function as well as a smaller group. Their diets consist of mostly leaves, and fruits, however they will snack on a flower here and there and their favorite tree of all is the breadnut, which provides most food during some seasons.
Not a particularly active species, the Guatemalan Black Howler would rather lounge about during the day; eating takes up a quarter of the day while moving locations for eating consists of only about a tenth of their daily activity. The rest of the day is devoted to socializing and grooming, with some other random antics. Females are old enough to have offspring by four years of age, while males may take up to eight years to reach maturity, and their total life-spans are an average of twenty years.
The Guatemalan Black Howler’s binomial name (its species and genus) is Alouatta pigra, the Alouatta’s as a genus make up most of the Howler Monkeys, which are the largest of the New World Monkeys with but a few possible exceptions. Alouatta is home to all of the howler monkeys (ten species and ten subspecies), and belongs to the subfamily Alouattinae. Alouattinae belongs to the family Atelidae which is one of the four families of New World Monkeys; this includes the howler monkeys, along with spider monkeys, woolly monkeys, wooly spider monkeys, and Yellow-tailed Woolly Monkeys. Atelidae belongs to the Parvorder Platyrrhini, which contains all New World Monkeys, and includes
Marmosets
and Muriquis. Platyrrhini belongs to the infraorder Simiiformes, or ‘higher primates’, and this includes all New World and Old World monkeys from South America and Africa, and includes gibbons, great apes, and the family Hominidae of which we are members. Simiiformes belongs to the Suborder Haplorrhini, otherwise called dry-nosed primates; this includes all of the higher primates as well as
Tarsiers
. Haplorrhini belongs to the Order Primates, which is all related apes, monkeys, lorids, galagos, lemurs and human ancestors. Primates are in the class of Mammalia of the phylum Chordata in the Kingdom of Animalia.
Fact
The Guatemalan Black Howler is sympatric with another species, the
Mantled Howler
. Sympatric means that they share the same niche and territory, and encounter each other in the wild, they are also closely related.
Warning
The Guatemalan Black Howler is an Endangered Species, and is close to being classified as Critically Endangered if nothing is done to curb the loss of the species. In the next 30 years the IUCN expects to see a population loss of over 60%, making this species on the more endangered alive today. Major threats are habitat loss, poaching, and capture for use as ‘pets’.
