Mantled Howler Monkey | endemiccostarica

Mantled Howler - Alouatta palliata

The Mantled Howler Monkey weighs up to 20 pounds, covered in black fur. They are often recognizd by their brown or golden color mantle formed by long hairs from the flanks and back of the monkey.
Living from southern Mexico to Central and South America, the Mantled Howler Monkey is most commonly found in Costa Rica.
- They are found in canopies of lowland and montane rainforets, as they are inhabited in many of the Costa Rica national parks and reserves.
  - Corcovado National Park, Arenal National Park, and Monteverde Cloud Frorest Reserve

It is the only Central American monkey eating leaves for large quantities of their folivorous diet. As any leaves are difficult to digest, the Mantled Howler spends most of their time resting and sleeping,
- To be able to diegest and consume a large variety of leaves, the Mantled Howler has developed a few adaptations. Its molars have high shearing crests allowing it to eat leaves, its enlarge hyoid bone around the vocal chords allows the Mantled Howler to locate its surrounding othes without using much energy.
  - Consumes flowers as the majority of their leave diet.
These Howlers generally travel together in groups of 10 to 20 memebers, but some groups have been seen with members up to 40 Mantled Howlers.
Many Mantled Howlers do not controll territory, and instead stay in its designated "home" but doesn't fight to the death to controll it.

The name "Howler" is a great discription of this species communication. The males often call durring dawn and dusk, but have been know to cal when there is a disturbance in their habitat.
The hyoid bone allowing the great call is 25 times larger than those of the similary sized Spider Monkey.
Female calls are a higher pitch than male calls
Mantled Howlers are indifferent to the presence of many humans, yet to show their aggravation, they can accuratly urinate and deficate on their targets!