Black Howler Monkey

Habitat

Howler monkeys live in the forests across central regions of South America. Males have black fur while females and youngsters are more sandy in colour.

Wild Diet

They consume mostly leaves, and like to live in areas that have a high variety of different plant species.

Behaviour

This species forms units of individuals which are very social and can display territorial behaviour. The howling signals allows different groups to keep distance from one another.
Howler monkeys are also known for emitting the loudest call of all primates, which they do through a special, egg-shaped hyoid bone.

Breeding

After a gestation period of arounf 20 weeks, females typically give birth to a single young. During the first month of its life, the infant will cling to the belly of its mother, who will care for their young until it's about one year old.

Conservation

There is a European Endangered species breeding Programme (EEP) in zoos for the black howler monkey. They are widely distributed, but it thought that their numbers are decreasing, due to threats of hunting and fragmentation of their natural habitat.