{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Taxon",
  "slug": "howler-monkey",
  "name": "Howler Monkey",
  "scientificName": "Alouatta spp.",
  "category": "Mammal",
  "summary": "The howler monkey is a large, leaf-eating New World primate famous for having one of the loudest calls of any land animal in the Americas. Living in the tropical forests of Central and South America, it weighs around 5 to 10 kg and spends almost its whole life high in the canopy. Its booming dawn chorus, produced with the help of a specialised throat bone, can carry for several kilometres. Howlers live 15 to 20 years in the wild and are listed as Least Concern.",
  "conservationStatus": "Least Concern",
  "taxonomy": {
    "kingdom": "Animalia",
    "phylum": "Chordata",
    "class": "Mammalia",
    "order": "Primates",
    "family": "Atelidae",
    "genus": "Alouatta"
  },
  "stats": {
    "weightKg": 8,
    "lengthM": 0.9,
    "topSpeedKmh": 16,
    "lifespanYears": 20
  },
  "facts": [
    {
      "label": "Scientific name",
      "value": "Alouatta spp."
    },
    {
      "label": "Diet",
      "value": "Folivore — leaves, fruit, flowers, and buds"
    },
    {
      "label": "Habitat",
      "value": "Tropical forests of Central and South America"
    },
    {
      "label": "Lifespan",
      "value": "15–20 years in the wild"
    },
    {
      "label": "Weight",
      "value": "5–10 kg (11–22 lb); males larger"
    },
    {
      "label": "Top speed",
      "value": "Up to 16 km/h (10 mph); mostly slow arboreal movement"
    },
    {
      "label": "Conservation status",
      "value": "Least Concern (IUCN)"
    }
  ],
  "range": {
    "nativeRange": "Tropical forests from southern Mexico through Central America to Brazil, Bolivia, and Paraguay.",
    "continents": [
      "North America",
      "South America"
    ]
  },
  "sources": [
    {
      "citation": "IUCN Red List — Alouatta spp..",
      "url": "https://www.iucnredlist.org/search?query=Alouatta%20spp.&searchType=species"
    },
    {
      "citation": "Animal Diversity Web — Alouatta spp.. University of Michigan Museum of Zoology.",
      "url": "https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Alouatta_spp./"
    }
  ],
  "lastReviewed": "2026-07-16",
  "canonicalUrl": "https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/howler-monkey/",
  "license": {
    "name": "CC BY-NC 4.0",
    "url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/",
    "attribution": "Global Animal Guide — https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/howler-monkey/",
    "note": "Free to reuse for non-commercial purposes with attribution and a link back to the canonical page."
  }
}