Posted September 14, 2021
On our September expedition we visited several rivers in El Golfete, Livingston, Izabal. Among them was the Río Higuerito, in which we got a great surprise: howler monkeys! We found and documented approximately 10 mantled howler monkeys, which were eating and moving among trees. One of them had her calf on her back. This species is in danger of extinction so we are happy to find more monkeys. We had already seen this species on our May expedition in the Río Dulce area.
In Guatemala there are two species of this primate, commonly called the saraguate or howler monkey. In the coastal areas of the Caribbean, you can find the mantled howler monkey (Alouatta palliate), which is characterized by being of black ceded hair and lighter hair stands out on the back, which is why it is called the golden-mantled howler monkey. While in the petenera jungles and Alta Verapaz area we find Alouatta pigra, which is characterized by being entirely black in color. Both species feed mainly on plants of the Moraceae family such as ficus spp, Anacardaceae, Fabaceaee among others. Because their diet depends on various species of trees, they are being greatly affected by the fragmentation of forests caused by human activities. Howler monkeys need to distribute themselves to find food and reproduce, which is why various investigations ensure that the fragmentation of forests has contributed to the decline of their populations.
| Family | Atelidae | Estado de Conservacvión |
| Species | Alouatta palliata Gray. | Vulnerable (UICN) |
| Species | Alouatta pigra Lawrence. | En Peligro (UICN) |
Alouatta palliate at Rio Higuerito, El Golfete, Livingston. September, 2021. Photo by Alejandra Gutiérrez, FLAAR Mesoamerica.
Written by Vivian Hurtado & Roxana Leal
Identified Species by Victor Mendoza
