Nature Atlas

How Nature Works
Sign In
Text size
100%
Theme
Taxa

Alouatta

Mammal Genera

Alouatta is a genus of New World monkeys, family Atelidae, known as howler monkeys, comprising fifteen recognized species and forming the most widespread primate genus in the Neotropics, ranging from Mexico through Central America and across much of South America to Argentina. Howlers are among the largest platyrrhine monkeys, have prehensile tails, and are named for an enlarged hyoid bone that lets them produce deep, guttural howls audible over long distances through rainforest canopy; unusually among New World monkeys, both sexes have trichromatic color vision. They are primarily leaf eaters but also consume significant fruit, and their digestive processing makes them important seed dispersers in the forests they inhabit.

Facts
Taxonomic Rank
Genus 2
Member Count Band
10 to 100 Species 3
Era First Appeared
Quaternary 4
Classification
Living or Extinct
Yes 1
In the Other Atlases

Found In

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Source Howler Monkey (Wikipedia)Article text (intro)tier 2
Quote, Article text (intro)
The monkeys are native to South and Central American forests.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Source Howler Monkey (Wikipedia)Article text (intro)tier 2
Quote, Article text (intro)
The monkeys are native to South and Central American forests.
Sources
1. Wikidata (taxon extant/extinct status)
Wikimedia Foundation / Wikidata contributorsQ504247, descriptionView the Source
2. Wikipedia: Howler monkey
Taxonomic rank (Wikipedia confirms the entity; rank from slug/structure-wave classification)View the Source
3. Catalogue of Life (ChecklistBank): Taxon metrics for Alouatta
Catalogue of Life (ChecklistBank)Taxon metrics, speciesExtantCount
Quote, Taxon metrics, speciesExtantCount
"speciesExtantCount": 12
View the Source
4. Paleobiology Database: Taxon record for Alouatta
Paleobiology DatabaseTaxon record, first appearance (firstapp_max_ma, early_interval)
Quote, Taxon record, first appearance (firstapp_max_ma, early_interval)
"taxon_name": "Alouatta" ... "firstapp_max_ma": 0.129 ... "early_interval": "Late Pleistocene"
View the Source
Wikidata: Alouatta
Wikidata Q504247, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)View the Source
Comments (0)
No comments yet. Be the first to share a thought.
Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.