Presentation on the theme of the red howler. The howler monkey is the noisiest monkey. Range, habitats
View: Alouatta seniculus Linnaeus = Red [red] howler
Species: Alouatta seniculus Linnaeus = Red [red] howler
Red howler monkey: Alouatta seniculus Linnaeus, 1766 - lives in the northern part South America from Colombia to Venezuela. The red howler has been recorded in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guyana, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela.
These are the largest animals among American monkeys, the size of big dog. The faces are bare, fringed with fur, with prominent snouts and upturned noses. Red howler monkeys have a powerful neck and protruding lower jaw, which gives them an intimidating appearance and unattractive expression.
Red howler monkeys have a long, silky coat. Both sexes have a long, prehensile tail that is covered with dense fur except for the underside of the apical third, which is hairless. This is an adaptation for grabbing branches with the tail.
Red howler monkeys have upper molars with sharp ridges that they use to grind shoots; large salivary glands help digestive system in the processing and splitting of tannins coming in the composition plant shoots before the food reaches the stomach and intestines.
The color of the coat is reddish or reddish brown, although its shade changes slightly with age.
Red howler monkeys are characterized by sexual dimorphism in body size. Head and body length of females - 46-57 cm, males - 49-72 cm, tail length (49-75 cm). On average, the body weight of howler monkeys is 4.5-6.5 kg, according to other sources, it varies from 5700-7400 g, while average weight males and females is equal to 6.690 g and 5.210 g, respectively.
The red howler lives in rainy evergreen tropical and deciduous forests.
Enemies: The harpy eagle successfully hunts not only young, but also adult red howler monkeys. There is an observation when a harpy attacked an adult male, grabbed it with its claws and carried it about 30 m through the air. Interestingly, harpy eagles weigh significantly less than adult males.
Many young people die from alien males invading the family group. And although mothers try to protect their babies, only 25 percent of them successfully survive. Infanticide - main reason infant mortality in red howler monkeys.
Apparently, these animals live in captivity up to 25 years, in nature - much less. One wild-born animal was still alive after 22.8 years in captivity.
Red howler monkeys are famous for their "dawn chorus": a deafening roar that can be heard at a distance of up to 5 kilometers. This resonant howl, performed primarily by the males of the group, is answered by all other units of the dumbest howler within earshot. In this way, one squad can constantly inform the other of its composition and exact location, thereby avoiding energetically expensive quarrels over trifles and control over resources. In addition, this call also informs solitary animals about the location of their fellows.
Red howler monkeys are primarily green eaters, feeding mainly on young leaves and shoots and also on fruits. The leaves contain less nutrients, but the gut of howler monkeys has two sections where bacteria that digest cellulose live. The intestine occupies one third of the body. A powerful lower jaw also serves to thoroughly chew the leaves. Howler monkeys can feed on leaves alone for weeks without suffering much from a lack of any nutrients or trace elements.
Red howler monkeys also improve the digestive efficiency of their feed by selecting primarily tender young shoots that are remarkably nutritious. In addition, they eat nuts, sweet fruits, and flowers when available. Small animals are also usually eaten if they are caught by monkeys. These foods are important additions to the monkey's diet, which is 40% green shoots.
Howler monkeys spend almost all their lives in the upper tier rainforest where they feed on leaves, flowers and fruits. Due to the low caloric content of the food they consume, red howler monkeys are forced to save their energy by moving slowly and little through the forest, covering only about 400 m per day. The dominant male searches for food for the detachment in the forest crown.
Monkeys are most active in the morning and evening, resting most middle of the day and night, sleeping in the trees. Thanks to their adaptations and slowness, they can afford to sleep 15 hours a day.
This species uses its tail for locomotion as a support and for balance, but especially for feeding, to pull a branch towards itself with a treat.
Red howler monkeys have a funny reaction to rainy days during the tropical wet season. heavy rains, they howl before they approach, and when it starts to rain, they sit still, stooped, until the rain stops.
Shortly after dawn, each group of howler monkeys, located at a height of about 20 m above the ground, practice loud choral singing for at least 15 minutes, stopping to catch their breath and listen to the singing of neighboring groups of howler monkeys.
Young males live outside the order when they reach sexual maturity. Having become sexually mature, they look for a new squad to join it. Upon joining a new troop, the male often kills all the offspring of the previous, dominant male whose place he has taken in the troop, to ensure that he does not waste time watching another monkey's young while he himself proceeds to breed.
Howler monkeys live in family groups of 5-40 individuals, among which only one, less often two, are adult males.
Upon reaching puberty, young males are expelled from the family group and forced to look for a new herd. In the event that the male is accepted, he begins to crack down on small cubs, expressing dissatisfaction with any other offspring except his own. Mothers defend their children, but in this case, after the aggression of the male, no more than 25% of all offspring survive. After birth, the cub becomes the object of attention of several females; in fact, those females who do not have offspring take care of him. Males are tolerant of their offspring, they allow the cubs to crawl on them.
Like other types of howler monkeys, they breed all year round. However, according to observations from Venezuela, offspring are born less often during the rainy season from May to July. Estrial cycles repeat every 16-20 days, and females remain receptive to mating and conception for 2-4 days.
After giving birth, newborns usually become the focus of attention of several females that make up the group. Usually, these are females without babies of their own, and their instinct is attracted to these babies. Females are extremely friendly to babies. They usually even sometimes allow the baby to crawl on them.
The mating behavior of red howler monkeys is another interesting aspect of their social interactions. Males and females form a mating pair, with an unusually close spatial relationship, even before any sexual relationship begins. Once these associations are formed, persistent sexual requests and harassment begin. While seductive behavior can be performed by both sexes, the female most often takes on the aggressive role. Trying to attract the male, the female approaches him and moves rhythmically with her pelvis. The male usually responds to her in the same way, but if he does not make such movements, the female is simply trying to seduce another male.
Frenzied sexual competition is often seen between males; members of the squad, consisting of young already sexually mature males, enter into combat with males living in a female (mixed) group in an attempt to become a member of it. Males who are expelled from their groups in which they were born must now, upon reaching puberty, invade another troop in order to gain access to females. If they succeed, they usually, first of all, destroy the newborns left in the group from the previous male, with the goal of leaving only their offspring.
Pregnancy: 140-190 days. One cub is born, but rare cases of twins are known. The weight of babies at birth is 263 g. Newborns are completely helpless and are in the care of their mother, tightly clinging to her fur on her belly. Over time, having matured a little, he moves onto the mother's back, additionally holding his tail to the base of the mother's tail, and in this way travels with the detachment through the forest.
Newborns often become the focus of other females, especially those without babies of their own. Females usually gently touch the baby with their muzzle and hands, and encourage their actions if the baby wants to climb on them.
Already at the age of a month, they know how to grab the branches with their tail, and since then the mother has been less careful about their safety. Babies ride on their mother for at least one year and continue to feed on mother's milk for 18-24 months. Females reach sexual maturity at 5 years, males - at 7. Therefore, females start breeding a couple of years earlier than males.
The red howler is the most common of all New World primates and has no special conservation status. They are still common and numerous in Brazil, but in some areas they have become rare, probably due to the destruction of their habitat.
Howler monkeys (Aloautta) - a genus that includes representatives broad-nosed monkeys belonging to the large family of arachnids (Atelidae). Such bright and unusual representatives of the Mammals class and the Primates order are capable of making very loud roaring sounds, which is the reason for their original name.
Description of howler monkeys
Stocky and large mammal animal has an extraordinary appearance and loud voice, thanks to which he has earned very great popularity among people. The genus Revuna now includes fifteen species and several subspecies that have several differences in appearance.
Appearance
The body of the howler monkey is quite large in size. The body length of adult males reaches 62-63 cm, and females - in the range of 46-60 cm. The tail is grasping and incredibly strong, and the total length of the tail of an adult male is approximately 60-70 cm. varies within 55-66 cm. An adult animal has a very impressive weight: the weight of a male is 5-10 kg, and sexually mature female– in the range of 3-8 kg.
A feature of the appearance of the howler is the presence of noticeably close nostrils and large thirty-six teeth, which give the mammal some fearlessness and even ferocity. The jaw of the primate is quite wide and slightly extended forward, and the impressive fangs allow such an animal to quickly get coconuts for themselves, and also to easily drink milk from them.
It is interesting! The sexually mature male howler has a long beard, characteristically distinguishing him from the female, and areas completely devoid of hair are represented by ears, face, palms and feet.
The most popular Colombian howler monkeys are usually black in color, and on the sides of the body there is a golden-red long hair, reminiscent of a noble mantle. The end of the grasping tail is distinguished by the presence of a characteristic bald patch, which is used by the howler monkey to capture and hold food. Along the entire length of the tail there are patterned patterns or peculiar combs. Each paw of a mammal is equipped with five tenacious claws.
Character and lifestyle
Howler is one of the most major Brazil. Such a primate is a magnificent acrobat, and the incredibly mobile and well-developed tail is regularly used by the monkey as a fifth paw. By nature, all howler monkeys are calm mammals that remain active only during daylight hours.
The list of usual daily chores includes walking around their own territory, as well as feeding. Only with the onset of the dark time of the day, howler monkeys prefer to go to bed, but some males even at night do not stop screaming loudly enough and intimidatingly.
It is interesting! Sometimes the reason for bloody fights is the signs of attention that the female bestows on the opposite sex belonging to the neighboring group, and the fights between males are extremely tough, while the winner necessarily finishes off his victim.
Primates in the conditions wildlife unite in a kind of family communities, which include, as a rule, from fifteen to seventeen individuals. Within each such group there is always a dominant male, as well as his deputy and several females.
It is with a loud roar that the howler male announces the boundaries of his entire territory, but the lack of a clear division of the site often causes battles between several groups. It is in such fights that many males die.
How long do howler monkeys live
The average life expectancy of the loudest and most impressive monkey is about twenty years.
Range, habitats
The little-studied red-handed howler (Alouatta belzebul) is endemic to Brazil, found in the southeastern part of the Amazon and in the coastal forest zones between Sergipe and Rio Grande do Norte. The black howler (Alouatta caraya) is found in the northeastern part of Argentina, in the eastern territories of Bolivia, in the east and south of Brazil or in Paraguay, and along with the brown howler this species classified as the most southern of all representatives of the numerous genus.
Guyanese howler (Alouatta macconnelli), relatively recently isolated in separate view, is ubiquitous in the Guiana Highlands, north of the Amazon, east of the Rio Negro and south of the Orinoco, and its range may also extend further south of the Amazon, in areas between the Madeira and Tapajos rivers.
It is interesting! The Coiba howler (Alouatta coibensis) is represented by two subspecies and is endemic to Panama, and the Brown howler (Alouatta guariba) lives mainly in forest areas in southeastern Brazil, and is also found in northeastern Argentina.
Representatives of the species Amazonian howler (Alouatta nigerrima) some time ago were considered a subspecies of the red-handed howler. They live in territories belonging to central Brazil. The Bolivian Howler (Alouatta sara) lives in northern and central Bolivia, up to the borders with Peru and Brazil. The Central American Howler (Alouatta pigra) is found in the rainforest zones of Belize, Mexico and Guatemala. Red, or red howler (Alouatta seniculus) is a very typical inhabitant of territories stretching from the Amazon to Colombia, from central Bolivia to Ecuador.
Diet of howler monkeys
The standard diet of the red howler is represented by peanuts, tree foliage, various seeds, numerous fruits and flowers. The digestive tract of such a large primate is very well adapted to the digestion of fairly coarse food of plant origin.
It is quite long and developed, and also contains a certain amount of special bacteria that help digest solid food. Sometimes insects are included in the diet of howler monkeys.
And you will hear a loud growling sound, do not rush to run away, perhaps it is a howler monkey. This is a small stocky animal, its body length is from 40 to 70 centimeters, and its body weight is only 6-8 kilograms. With such a small size, the roar of a monkey is heard for many kilometers. Most known species the howler monkeys are the red howler and the Central American howler, the latter having a black coat color.
Howlers for "singing"With these calls, monkeys communicate with their relatives and lure females, so they report their location. The monkey is active during the day, eats plant foods, leaves of trees or fruits. Howler is resting 75%, and the rest of the time looking for food. In the rich forests of South America, finding delicious fruits is not difficult.
Howler monkeys live in groups. They are tree monkeys, which means that they rarely descend to the ground. They live in the upper tier of the forest. A long tail very well helps the animal to move from branch to branch. Nests, as they do not build, prefer to spend the night directly on the "naked" tree.
Red howler monkeys
In time mating season the female lures the male with dances and displays swollen labia. After a while, a baby is born, it weighs only 500 grams. The cub stays with the mother for up to six months, after which the mother tries to spend less time with him. By the year, the howler is already completely independent.
Scientists have recently made a discovery. They learned that the louder the howler screamed, the smaller his testicles. This is due to the fact that the contribution of resources to the development of a powerful roar and related organs during the growth of the young does not leave energy for the development of large genital organs. On the other hand, it may be that powerful ligaments and a throat are so effective in driving away other males and attracting females that their owners do not need to acquire large testicles.
Titles: Guyanese red howler, red howler.
area: the northern part of South America - from Colombia to Venezuela (Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guyana, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela).
Description: red howler the size of a large dog. The face is bare, fringed with fur. Nose upturned. The neck is strong. The lower jaw is powerful, protrudes forward, helps to thoroughly chew the leaves. Upper molars with sharp edges, adapted for thorough grinding of shoots.
The coat is long and silky to the touch. The tail is prehensile, covered with dense fur (the underside of the apical third is bare).
The salivary glands are large and help the digestive system process and break down tannins before food reaches the stomach and intestines. The intestine occupies one third of the body.
Sexual dimorphism is pronounced.
Color: coat reddish or reddish brown. With age, the shade changes slightly.
The size: heads with a body in females up to 46-57 cm, in males up to 49-72 cm, tail - 49-75 cm.
The weight: males 5.2-7.1 kg, females 4.1-5 kg.
Lifespan: in captivity up to 25 years.
Voice: red howler monkeys - famous for their deafening morning roar, which spreads at speeds up to 1-2 km / h. The males begin to scream, and then the females pick up. The group is answered by other howler monkeys within earshot. Thus, the monkeys inform each other about their composition and location.
The red howler has the deepest and loudest roar of any howler.
Habitat: lowland primary rain tropical, gallery and dry deciduous forests. In Suriname, red howler monkeys most often live in rainforests, places near swamps and streams, mountain forests, mangroves. In Guyana, howler monkeys prefer forests near rivers. In Venezuela in secondary, deciduous and gallery forests.
Enemies: young and adult howler monkeys are hunted by a monkey-eating harpy ( Pithecophaga jefferyi) .
Food: most of the diet is vegetation (up to 195 species from 47 families) - young leaves and shoots, fruits (wild figs), nuts, flowers, seeds, moss and bark. They also eat small invertebrates and mammals.
In the gut of the howler monkeys, there are two sections where bacteria live to help digest cellulose. Therefore, monkeys can eat only leaves for many weeks and still not suffer from a lack of nutrients or micronutrients.
Behavior: Red howler monkeys spend most of their lives in trees, although they sometimes descend to the ground to move to another tree or to a watering hole (during the dry season). They lead a daily life. Due to low-calorie feed, primates have to save energy - they move little and slowly.
During the day, the group can walk no more than 400 m.
The greatest activity of howler monkeys is observed early in the morning and in the evening, most of the day (up to 70% of the time) they rest in the trees (lying or sitting). It takes up to 15 hours a day to sleep.
When moving along the branches of trees, they help themselves with their tail - they use it to maintain balance or pull branches with food with them.
In the rainy season, before the rain, red howler monkeys howl, and when it starts to rain, they sit stooped motionless until the rain stops.
At dawn, located at a height of about 20 m above the ground, a group of howler monkeys sing loudly. Sometimes the monkeys will pause to listen to the singing of neighboring groups. Usually such a roll call lasts no more than 15 minutes.
social structure: red howler monkeys live in family groups of 5-40 individuals (in Suriname, group sizes were from 2 to 8, in French Guiana - 6-8), which consist of one (less often two) males, 1-3 adult females, adolescents and their cubs.
When young males reach puberty, they are expelled from the group and go to look for their herd. If such a male is accepted by another group, he tries to kill all the cubs from other males. Mothers try to protect their offspring, but of all the cubs, only about 25% survive.
An individual plot of a group occupies, on average, 6x10x11 ha.
reproduction: male and female form a mating pair, before they start sexual relations. The female has estrus every 16-20 days, estrus - 2-4 days.
The female in these relationships most often plays an aggressive role - trying to attract the male, she approaches him and moves her pelvis in front of him. The male answers her the same. If there is no response, then the female will try to seduce another male.
On average, the intervals between births are about 16.6 months, due to the death of the cub, the interval decreases.
Season/breeding period: during the whole year.
Puberty: females at 5 years old, males at 7 years old.
Pregnancy A: lasts 140-190 days.
Offspring: the female gives birth to one helpless cub weighing 263 g. In the first weeks of life, the cub clings to the wool on the mother's belly, and then moves to her back. Babies ride on their mother's back until they are one year old. At the age of one month, the cubs can already grab the branches of trees with their tail. Lactation lasts up to 18-24 months.
The newborn is looked after by several childless females who are very friendly to him.
Benefit / harm to humans: the local population hunts howler monkeys for their meat, as well as for the sale of live monkeys for export.
Population/conservation status: red howler - the most common primate of the New World. In Brazil, it is common and abundant, although it is declining in other parts of its range due to habitat destruction.
The species is listed in the International Red Book as a species of least concern.
The main threat to the species: loss of habitats due to their destruction, commercial hunting.
The population density in Suriname is 17 individuals per 1 km 2, in Guyana - 11-15 individuals per 1 km 2.
Did you know that the noisiest primate is the howler monkey? The Colombian and loud-voiced representative of these animals more than once terrified the conquistadors.
Ecuador, Guatela, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Colombia, Costa Rica - in these territories you can get acquainted with an unusual representative of primates - the Colombian howler. A stocky large animal belongs to the family of capuchins or chain-tailed monkeys. With its extraordinary appearance, the howler earned great popularity, which, however, did not save him from the risk of extinction. Today, the monkey needs human protection and help.
Howler's appearance
The body of the monkey is quite large: in males, the body length reaches 63 cm, and in females - 46-60 cm. The tail is grasping and strong, has a length of 60-70 cm in males, and 55-66 cm in females. The weight of the animal is also impressive: males weigh 5-10 kg, and females - 3-8 kg. Contiguous nostrils and large thirty-six teeth give the animal ferocity. The Colombian howler is usually black in color, on both sides of the body, like a mantle, long golden-red hair grows.
At the end of the prehensile tail there is a bald spot, which the monkey uses to capture food. In adult males, the color of the scrotum changes from black to white. Males have a long beard, which distinguishes them from females. The hairless areas are the ears, face, palms and feet.
Howler is one of the most harmless monkeys for humans. They are not only afraid of people. Rarely do they go down at all. tall trees. Howler - the noisiest primate
Yes, yes, as you might have guessed - the howler got its name for a reason. This animal is famous for its long and loud roar. The howler usually makes noise in the morning and after dinner. The initiators of the cry are males, and females usually pick up the desire of male howlers.
Listen to the voice of the howler monkey
With their noise, animals “communicate” with their relatives, informing those of their location. For a loud voice, howler monkeys should be grateful for their throat bone, which allows them to be heard at a distance of up to three kilometers.
Where does the loud-voiced howler live?
The residence of these singers is woodland different heights. Low-lying and mountainous rain regions are no exception. AT recent times a mass migration of monkeys to coffee plantations was recorded, namely in southern part Mexico.
What does the howler eat
The diet of these animals is quite diverse: starting with flowers and ending with large snakes. They also prefer mammals, birds and insects. During wet seasons, howler monkeys will not refuse fruit. On the day, the animal can eat several leaves, plant shoots and fruits. Their stomach is designed in such a way as to process cellulose correctly and quickly. Thanks to this, the animal can eat only foliage and flowers for weeks, while the body will not lack trace elements.
Lifestyle of noisy primates
“Choral” singing is started by males, and after that females also pick up the general singing. As you know, howler monkeys are active during the daytime. They spend most of their time in trees. A monkey spends up to 75% of its time on rest. The rest of the time howler monkeys devote to feeding. In dry seasons, animals make transitions and migrations. This is mainly due to a decrease in food sources. The tail helps them to move and move through the trees, they also grab food with it. They live in groups or families, do not build nests, preferring to live directly on the branches of the upper tier. They do not like to go down to the ground, they are afraid to swim.
Seeing a howler on the ground is a very rare sight. Reproduction of howler monkeys
When the female's vaginal lips turn red, the males know it's breeding time. In the middle of this period, mating occurs. The female attracts her man with rhythmic marriage dance. The female gives birth to one cub, which weighs 400-500 g. The cub has a gray-golden fur color, which soon darkens. Up to 6 months, the child does not part with his mother and only by the year he takes his first independent steps.
Benefit and harm to humans
There is no harm from these animals to humans. But the benefit is that the local population hunts howler meat. It is also known that these monkeys are used for scientific purposes.