--- title: "Mantled Howler Monkey (Alouatta palliata) | AnimalTracks.wiki" description: "A leaf-eating monkey whose males' calls seem to help keep neighbouring troops apart." image: "https://animaltracks.wiki/images/animals/mantled-howler-monkey-1.webp" published: "2026-10-11" updated: "2026-10-11" --- # Mantled Howler Monkey (*Alouatta palliata*) > **Status**: Checked against 6 sources, listed under Sources below. > **Tagline**: A leaf-eating monkey whose males' calls seem to help keep neighbouring troops apart. > **Soundtrack Vibe**: Melodic Death Metal & Gothenburg Sound // Amon Amarth, "Twilight Of The Thunder God" > **Soundtrack Links**: [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/track/5u3l2TONYacJgmRPQVaF9y) > **Vibe Match**: Male mantled howlers judge a rival by the sound of his call: in playback tests they were less likely to approach calls that sounded like a large male. Twilight of the Thunder God is sung in a deep growl, the sound metal uses to make one voice seem huge. ## Biological Superpowers & Stats - **Taxonomy**: *Alouatta palliata* - **Danger Level**: Low - **Conservation Status**: Vulnerable ([IUCN Red List](https://doi.org/10.2305/iucn.uk.2021-1.rlts.t39960a190425583.en)) - **Superpower**: Calls that seem to help keep neighbouring troops apart - **Habitat**: Lowland and montane rain forest, in southern Mexico and from Honduras to western Ecuador, from sea level to 2,500 m - **Diet**: Mostly leaves, fruit and flowers, favouring young leaves - **Tags**: mammal, primate, arboreal, canopy, rainforest, herbivore, vocalist, social ## Natural History & Behavior ## The monkey that answers back Mantled howlers woof, grunt and bark as well as howl. The characteristic howls come at dusk and dawn, or whenever something disturbs the troop (a troop is a social group). Males' calls seem to help neighbouring troops keep their distance from each other. > **Size from sound** > In playback tests, males were less likely to approach recorded calls that sounded like a large rival, and approached small-sounding ones faster. Researchers tested this on 11 adult males by playing them calls from strangers. The males always called back. The calls differed in formant spacing, a feature of a voice that tracks the caller's body size, and the males also showed stronger hormone responses to the large-sounding calls. A comparison with its sister species, the black howler (*Alouatta pigra*), found that the black howler's exaggerated roars seem better suited to contests between groups, while the mantled howler's calls may suit attracting mates and competing within groups. ## Leaves on a slow budget Males weigh 6 to 7 kg and adult females typically 4 to 5 kg. The body is 38 to 58 cm long, with a prehensile tail (one that can grip) of 52 to 67 cm. They are stocky and black, with long guard hairs on the flanks that give the "mantled" name, and most wear a yellow or brown saddle. Leaves, fruit and flowers make up most of the menu, and howlers favour young leaves, which carry more protein for their fibre and less of the plant chemicals called tannins. They spend most of their time foraging, and their lifestyle is described as energetically conservative. At Los Tuxtlas in Mexico one study found them eating the fruit of 35 plant species and spreading the seeds of 28. Dung beetles then bury the droppings quickly: a clump stayed on the ground for only 2.5 hours on average. ## Troop life A troop of 10 to 20 monkeys usually holds 5 to 10 adult females and 1 to 3 adult males. Both sexes leave the group they were born in: in one study, 79% of males and 96% of females did. A female has her first baby at about 42 months, pregnancy lasts about 186 days, and births come about 22.5 months apart. The AnAge database estimates that wild adults live 16 years on average, and gives a captive maximum of 24 years. ## From southern Mexico to Ecuador The species lives in southern Mexico and from Honduras to Colombia and western Ecuador, in forest from sea level up to 2,500 m. The Red List rates it Vulnerable. Where rainforest has been chopped into fragments, especially in southern Mexico, many howlers have shifted into cacao and coffee plantations grown under shade trees. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How long do mantled howler monkeys live? By AnAge's estimate, adults in the wild live about 16 years on average. Its captive maximum of 24 years rests on one wild-born female who lived more than 15 years in captivity and may have been as old as 24. *(Source: [Human Ageing Genomic Resources, AnAge]())* ### How big is a mantled howler monkey? Adult males weigh 6 to 7 kg and adult females typically 4 to 5 kg, and a newborn weighs about 0.4 kg. The head and body measure 38 to 58 cm, and the tail adds another 52 to 67 cm. *(Source: [Animal Diversity Web]())* ### When do mantled howler monkeys howl? The characteristic howls ring out at dusk and dawn, and in response to any kind of disturbance. Besides howls, their calls include woofs, grunts and barks. *(Source: [Animal Diversity Web]())* ### Are mantled howler monkeys endangered? The IUCN Red List rates the species Vulnerable. *(Source: [Cortes-Ortíz et al. 2021]())* ## Sources 1. [Alouatta palliata (mantled howler monkey). Animal Diversity Web.]() 2. [AnAge entry for Alouatta palliata. Human Ageing Genomic Resources, AnAge.]() 3. [Cortes-Ortíz et al. (2021). Alouatta palliata. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021: e.T39960A190425583.]() 4. [Maya Lastra et al. (2024). Mantled howler monkey males assess their rivals through formant spacing of long-distance calls. Primates.]() 5. [Bergman et al. (2016). Striking differences in the loud calls of howler monkey sister species (Alouatta pigra and A. palliata). American Journal of Primatology.]() 6. [Estrada & Coates-Estrada (1991). Howler monkeys (Alouatta palliata), dung beetles (Scarabaeidae) and seed dispersal: ecological interactions in the tropical rain forest of Los Tuxtlas, Mexico. Journal of Tropical Ecology.]() *Published October 11, 2026. 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