Guatemala Howler Monkey
| Guatemala Howler Monkey | ||||||||||||
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Guatemala Howler Monkey ( Alouatta pigra ) |
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| Alouatta pigra | ||||||||||||
| Lawrence , 1933 |
The Guatemala howler monkey ( Alouatta pigra ) is a species of primate from the genus of the howler monkey within the spider- tailed monkey (Atelidae). He lives in Central America .
features
Guatemala howler monkeys, like all howler monkeys, are stocky primates. They reach a head body length of 52 to 67 centimeters, the tail becomes just as long. At around 11.4 kilograms, males are significantly heavier than females who weigh 6.4 kilograms. Their fur is long, soft and silky, it is generally black in color, but can contain brown tones on the back, shoulders and cheeks. The scrotum is strikingly white in color in adult males. The limbs are long and powerful, the tail, which is also long, is designed as a grasping tail and hairless in the rear area of the underside.
distribution and habitat
Guatemala howler monkeys inhabit the Yucatán Peninsula in eastern Mexico and Belize and Guatemala . The distribution area of the closely related coat howler monkey connects to the west and south-east . Their habitat are forests, although they can occur in rainforests, partially flooded riparian forests and swamp areas. Mostly they stay below 400 meters above sea level.
Way of life
Guatemala howler monkeys are diurnal tree dwellers. They tend to be slow climbers and seldom jump; when they eat, they often hang by their limbs or their prehensile tail. In general, they lead a sedate, energy-saving way of life and often take breaks, which is due to the low nutritional value of their leaf food. They are pure herbivores, in addition to leaves they also consume fruits and flowers. They live in small groups of 2 to 10 animals made up of one or two males and several females.
After a gestation period of around six months, the female usually gives birth to a single young.
Danger
The main threat to the Guatemala howler monkeys is the destruction of their habitat by deforestation. The IUCN lists the species as endangered and fears a further decline in populations.
literature
- Thomas Geissmann : Comparative Primatology. Springer-Verlag, Berlin et al. 2003, ISBN 3-540-43645-6 .
- Don E. Wilson, DeeAnn M. Reeder (Eds.): Mammal Species of the World. A taxonomic and geographic Reference. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2005, ISBN 0-8018-8221-4 .
