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Saraguato de Manto (Spanish) Alouatta palliata Class: Order: Family: Genus: Mammalia Primata Atelidae Alouatta Distribution Mantled howler monkeys are native to Central and South America. Juvenile These monkeys are found in southern Mexico, from Honduras in Central America south through Panama. West of the Andes they are in Columbia, Ecuador and northern Peru. In Costa Rica it is the most commonly found monkey. Habitat Most forested areas that lie between sea level and 2500 metres in altitude. Mantled howler monkeys inhabit lowland and montane rain forests, including primary and regenerated forest habitats. They use all forest levels, but most frequently the upper canopy and emergents. They are also found in mature and old secondary evergreen, riverine, semi-deciduous and cloud forested areas. Food Primarily a folivore They also eat fruit when available during the wet season as well as flowers during the dry season. Howlers eat mainly top canopy leaves. They are species selective. Food choice is influenced not only by digestibility and nutrient value, but also by secondary compounds such as tannins that may be undesirable. They prefer young leaves with higher protein to fibre ratio and lower tannin content. Availability of other food items consumed varies seasonally. Reproduction Females undergo a regular estrus cycle. The average duration is 16 days. Her genital area swells and changes colour from white to light pink. She approaches a male and begins rhythmic tongue movements while facing him. He responds with similar motions. She turns and elevates her rump. There is no particular breeding season, it occurs year round. Females initiate courtship with a male. She advertises her breeding condition by the in and out movements of her tongue. He willingly responds the same way and after a short period of time mating takes place. She may copulate with several males. The ovulation time is unknown, it may be predicted by the alpha male’s behavior, as he copulates only at the midpoint of her sexual skin swelling and remains uninterested at other times. On average the gestation period is 186 days or about six months or so. Mantled howler monkeys give birth to a single young. The interbirth interval is about 22.5 months. This will shorten if an infant dies within four months of birth. Infant mortality appears to be lower when the timing of births is clustered. Development Newborn infants weigh on average 409 g. They appear silver to golden brown. Infants spend the first weeks of life clinging to their mother and nursing. They begin mouthing leaves at three weeks of age. They do not leave the mothers side until five weeks old. Characteristics These are named for the mantle of long gold-brown hair along their sides. The rest of the hair is black and relatively short. Skin is black; the face, palms, bottoms of the feet, and underside of the tail tip are hairless. They have a short snout, and wide-set, round nostrils. Beards are more pronounced in males. Adaptations They are diurnal. Days begin with a “dawn chorus” of howling roars. They move quadrapedally. The tail is long and prehensile. It is strong enough to support the monkey’s entire body weight and is used as a fifth limb. They live an arboreal lifestyle, very rarely leaving the trees. Seasonal changes affect the amount of time devoted to specific activities. Status/Threats IUCN Red List: Least Concern. Cites: Appendix I . Sightings at Cano Palma Daily morning choruses Babies at first cling to the mother’s chest. They progress to riding on her back using their tails to curl around the base of hers. When they first start to explore their surroundings they move no further away from mum than about 2 m. By week ten to eleven they begin exploratory feeding and spend a significant portion of time independent of their mother. By the age of four months the infant no longer has an influence on the mother’s reproduction. Other females will provide care for infants. Juveniles remain within a group until they are ready to leave the natal group. Both males and females disperse to new groups. Females reach sexual maturity at approximately 36 months and males at 42 months of age. Of the New World monkeys these are the largest. They are sexually dimorphic by size, the mean body weights of males and females are 7.15kg and 5.35 kg, respectively. Adult head and body length ranges from 38 to 63 cm with the tail being an additional length of between 52 and 70 cm. old. When males reach adulthood, their scrotum turns from black to a prominent white. Group size varies a great deal. Generally it includes one to three adult males and five to ten adult females. Neither adult males nor adult females in a group are typically related. Males may remain solitary for a period of time as long as four years. Females spend much less time alone. They form the stable social unit, rarely leaving once established within a group. . They have an enlarged hyoid bone which helps with their “sound effects”. The hyoid bone is larger in males than females, and is expanded into a large, hollow, resonating chamber. This produces the roaring howls after which they are named. Calls also include grunts, woofs and barks. Vocal communication is an important part of their social behavior. Calls communicate group location, distance and composition. They maintain linear hierarchies and demonstrate complex interactions within social groups. They usually hold on to a branch with at least two hands or one hand and the tail during locomotion or feeding. They are travel minimizers; the less time spent traveling, the more energy is conserved, thereby increasing the efficiency of foraging. They adapt to what food is available to them. Being canopy dwelling folivores they have large salivary glands that help to break down the tannins in leaves before they reach the gut. Threats include being hunted for food and captivity as well as forest fragmentation In Costa Rica regenerated forests are becoming habitable to these monkeys. New social groups are occurring. These are very common around the station, seen at least once daily. Babies often come close to people in the compound. References: http://www.geocities.com/rainforest/canopy/3220/mantledhowler.html?200814 ext. Oct.23, 2008 http://www.theprimata.com/aloutta_palliata.html Ext. Oct. 23, 2008 http://animaldiversity.ummz.unmich.edo/site/accounts/information/Alouatta_palliata.html Ext. Oct 24, 2008 Canadian Organization for Tropical Education and Rainforest Conservation www.coterc.org