The Black Howler Monkey, known as the "baboon" in Belize, is the largest monkey in Belize and one of the largest in the Americas. Throughout most of its range, the Howler Monkey is endangered from hunting and habitat destruction. Fortunately, Belize has a healthy population of these loudest of primates. Here at Jaguar Paw we have one that lives on the premises and a troop that comes every so often.

   

Black howler monkeys live in troops of between 4 and 8 members. Each troop has its own territory in which it feeds and lives. The size of the territory depends on the size of the troop, ranging from 3 to 25 acres. Baboons defend its territory from other troops through the use of their voices. The howling is one of the loudest animal sounds in the tropical forest of Belize. Howler monkeys are named and known for the loud, guttural howls that they routinely use at the beginning and end of the day, which can travel for three miles through dense forest.

Male howler monkeys use their big voices to defend their turf. Howls by one troop are answered by other males within earshot. Every-one starts and ends the day by checking out where their nearest competitors are. In this way, they protect the food in their territory. Finding young, nutritious leaves is a priority. Fruit and flowers are valued so it's crucial that the troop stakes its claim on these treasures when they are found.

Howler monkeys are vegetarians, feeding on flowers, fruits and leaves. Within Belize, a special community based conservation organization has protected land along the Belize River for the Howler, ensuring that their food trees are not destroyed to make way for pasture. It is called "Community Baboon Sanctuary" and it supplies numerous animals for translocation throughout Belize, most successfully within the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary.

Interestingly, when there are few howler monkeys in an area, the howling routine takes on a different pattern. In Belize, where black howler monkeys were reintroduced into a wildlife sanctuary, the howler monkeys were heard only a few times a week rather than every day. Apparently, with plenty of space and no other howler monkeys, there was no need to check on the whereabouts of competitors. As the population grows and new troops are established, there will be more reason to check in with the neighbors. At the Zoo, keepers will use recorded howler vocalizations from a distance to try and elicit the territorial calls from the monkeys as they would do in the wild.

Despite the volume of their howl, it's disorienting to try to find a troop of loud howler monkeys in the wild. They hang out in the treetops where younger, greener leaves are abundant. However, if you do find yourself in the rainforest and it seems that an unusually large amount of fruit is falling from above or a fine spray of urine rains down on your head, you will know you are close!