Wildlife: Black Howler Monkeys sleep and eat in trees most of their time

The Guatemalan black howler or Yucatán black howler, Alouatta pigra is a species of howler monkey, a type of New World monkey, from Central America. It is found in Belize, Guatemala and Mexico, in and near the Yucatan Peninsula. It lives in evergreen, semideciduous and lowland rainforests. It is also known as the baboon in Belize, although it is not closely related to the baboons in Africa. The Guatemalan black howler is the largest of the howler monkey species and one of the largest of the New World monkeys. Guatemalan black howler males are larger than those of any other Central American monkey species. The Guatemalan black howler shares several adaptations with other species of howler monkey that allow it to pursue a folivorous diet mostly leaves. Its molars have high shearing crests, to help it eat the leaves, and the male of the species has an enlarged hyoid bone near the vocal cords. This hyoid bone amplifies the male howler`s calls, allowing it to locate other males without expending much energy, which is important, since leaves are a low-energy food. Howling occurs primarily at dawn and at dusk. The Guatemalan black howler is diurnal and arboreal. It lives in groups of generally one or two adult males, with a ratio of about 1.3 females for every male. The Guatemalan black howler`s diet includes mostly leaves and fruit. Flowers also make up a small part of the diet. The breadnut tree can provide as much as 86% of the monkey`s diet during some seasons.

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