Mexican howler facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mexican howler |
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| A Mexican howler | |
| Conservation status | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Primates |
| Suborder: | Haplorhini |
| Infraorder: | Simiiformes |
| Family: | Atelidae |
| Genus: | Alouatta |
| Species: |
A. palliata
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| Subspecies: |
A. p. mexicana
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| Trinomial name | |
| Alouatta palliata mexicana Merriam, 1902
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The Mexican howler (Alouatta palliata mexicana) is a type of mantled howler monkey. These monkeys mostly live in forests from southeastern Mexico to northeastern Peru. Like other howler monkeys, the Mexican howler has a tail that can grab things like a hand. It also has a big jaw and throat that help it make loud, booming howls. Mexican howler monkeys are known for living in big groups, usually around 14 monkeys, but sometimes as many as 40!
About the Mexican Howler
There are five different types, or subspecies, of the mantled howler monkey. The Mexican howler is one of them. In Tabasco, Mexico, the Mexican howler lives in the same areas as the Guatemalan black howler. The Mexican howler is a bit different from the golden-mantled howler. Their main differences are in the shape of their skulls and some small differences in their fur. The golden-mantled howler lives in parts of Guatemala and Honduras. It's not clear if the areas where Mexican and golden-mantled howlers live touch each other.
Where They Live
The Mexican howler monkey mainly lives in southeastern Mexico and northeastern Peru. Since 2020, experts have said this monkey is endangered. This is because their forest homes are being cut down, a process called deforestation. Now, they only live in small patches of forest in these areas. Losing their homes has forced different groups of howler monkeys closer together. This means there is less food for everyone, and the monkeys have to search harder to find enough to eat.
What They Eat
Mexican howler monkeys can eat many different things. Their diet includes leaves, flowers, buds, stems, and fruits. They are known for eating a lot of fruit (frugivores) and leaves (folivores). Their bodies digest food slowly. They also have fewer enzymes to break down protein and fiber compared to other fruit-eating animals. To make up for this, they carefully choose to eat leaves that have less fiber. Because of this, Mexican howler monkeys spend a lot of their time looking for fruit and young leaves that are easy to digest. Eating mostly fruit is common for New World monkeys, but howler monkeys are special because they do this too.
How They Behave
Mexican howler monkeys save energy because their digestive system works slowly. They don't interact much with other monkeys of their kind. They also show very little aggressive behavior. However, there can be fights when groups move to new places or when a new monkey tries to become the leader. When male monkeys fight for dominance, they have been seen hurting younger monkeys and even older males. For a younger male to take control of a group, he often has to defeat the current dominant male. Female monkeys also show aggression when they want to be in charge, but this usually involves things like pulling hair or biting.
