Mammals · Primates · Atelidae

Colombian Red Howler Monkey

Alouatta seniculus

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

The Venezuelan red howler is a platyrrhine primate of the family Atelidae that lives in Venezuela, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia, its presence in Brazil being disputed: the taxa found in that country have all been included in other species. The records and photographs indicating its presence in Bolivia do not match the current characterisation of A. seniculus, so the only species of the genus whose presence has been confirmed in that country are considered to be Alouatta sara and A. caraya, with A. puruensis possible but unrecorded.

Weight

4 kg – 9 kg

Size

45 cm – 72 cm

Lifespan

25 years

Diet

Herbivore

Feeds mainly on plants.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

RainforestHerbivore Diurnal Rainforest Mammal

12countries 14parks8same family

Fun facts

GeneralIts howls, amplified by a hollow hyoid bone, carry 5 km.
Its roar carries more than five kilometres and is produced by an enlarged, hollow hyoid bone the size of a large walnut that acts as a sounding box.
There is a curious trade-off in its anatomy: the howler species with the largest hyoid have the smallest testes, as though evolutionary investment were split between roaring loudly and competing through sperm.