Black and Gold Howler Monkeys (Alouatta caraya)
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Physical Description: Black-and-Gold Howler Monkeys grow to about 2 ft. in length, not including tail, and have long, soft fur (females are gold, males are black). Males weigh on average about 15 lbs., twice as much as the females. These monkeys have a long prehensile tail, with a hairless underside, useful for grabbing onto tree limbs when they are feeding. The hyoid bone in the throat of the howler monkey, and the shape of the jawbone, is especially adapted to produce their loud howl.
Habitat: They live in tropical and subtropical forests and wooded areas. Range: They live in central South America, in countries like Brazil, Paraguay, and Bolivia. Diet: Black-and-Gold Howler Monkeys are herbivores. They eat leaves, fruits, buds and flowers! Life Span: They live 15 years on average in the wild, and up to 20 years in human care! The oldest in human care lived to 32 years old at Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo! Social Structure: They live in troops, or groups, which share space and resources together. They communicate through a variety of calls, some of which can travel miles across the canopy. Black-and-Gold Howler Monkeys breed year-round, giving birth to one offspring at a time after a gestation period of 187 days. Status: Threatened1 Other: Black-and-Gold Howler Monkeys are named and known for the loud, guttural howls that they routinely use at the beginning and end of the day. They are the loudest animal in the New World and while their howl is not a piercing sound, it can travel for three miles through dense forest. These monkeys are a great example of sexual dimorphism, when females and males of the same species have different colors or appearance. Females and young are a golden color, while the adult males are black. Visit our Rainforest Building to see them; you may even get to hear their loud calls! 1 https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/41545/190414715 |
Rainforest Building open daily from 10:30 am to 3:30 pm
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