CreatureData

Black howler

Alouatta caraya (Humboldt, 1812)

NTNear Threatenedprimates

The black howler (Alouatta caraya) is a species in the family Atelidae, order Primates. Recorded adults weigh 5.46 kg to 5.86 kg and live up to 26.3 years. Its IUCN Red List status is Near Threatened.

Black howler (Alouatta caraya)
Photo: Miguelrangeljr · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the black howler

Weight
5.46 kg – 5.86 kgsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
26.3 yearssrc for Lifespan
Diet
Herbivoresrc for Diet
Longest recorded lifespan
32.4 years
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
Not recorded
Gestation
187 dayssrc for Gestation
Young per litter or clutch
1src for Young per litter or clutch
Age at maturity
2.54 years – 3.33 yearssrc for Age at maturity
Litters or clutches a year
1src for Litters or clutches a year
Active
By day (diurnal)src for Active
Lifestyle
Arborealsrc for Lifestyle
Conservation status
Near Threatened (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the black howler live?

Not recorded

What is the black howler?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The black howler (Alouatta caraya) or black-and-gold howler, is among the largest New World monkeys and a member of the Alouatta genus. The black howler is distributed in areas of South America such as Paraguay, southern Brazil, eastern Bolivia, northern Argentina, and Uruguay. This species is sexually dimorphic, with adult males having entirely black fur and adult females and babies of both sexes having an overall golden colouring; which emphasizes black-and-gold in the name. The IUCN Red List has classed the black howler as Near Threatened as a result of a recent population reduction due to a variety of human-caused factors.

From the Wikipedia article “Black howler” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Black_howler&oldid=1360619915), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the black howler endangered?

The black howler is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List: it is close to qualifying as threatened.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Near Threatened species.

How is the black howler classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classMammalia
  4. orderPrimates
  5. familyAtelidae
  6. genusAlouatta
  7. SpeciesAlouatta caraya (Humboldt, 1812)

Synonyms Mycetes barbatus, Simia caraya, Simia straminea, Stentor niger

Other names and names in other languages (38)
  • Black and gold howler monkeyEnglish
  • Black howler monkeyEnglish
  • Black howler monkeyEnglish
  • Black howler monkeyEnglish
  • Black howling monkeyEnglish
  • Black howling monkeyEnglish
  • Black-and-gold howler monkeyEnglish
  • Black-and-gold howler monkeyEnglish
  • Paraguayan howlerEnglish
  • عواء أسودArabic
  • vřešťan černýCzech
  • Sort brøleabeDanish
  • Schwarzer BrüllaffeGerman
  • Μαύρος ΜυκητήςGreek
  • ManechiSpanish
  • Aullador NegroSpanish
  • Carayá negro y doradoSpanish
  • Manechi NegroSpanish
  • Mono Alluador NegroSpanish
  • Mono aullador carayáSpanish
  • Mono aullador negro y doradoSpanish
  • mustamölyapinaFinnish
  • Hurleur noirFrench
  • Singe hurleur noirFrench
  • fekete bőgőmajomHungarian
  • Aluatta neraItalian
  • Scimmia urlatrice neraItalian
  • クロホエザルJapanese
  • SvartbrølapeNorwegian Bokmål
  • Zwarte BrulaapDutch
  • wyjec czarnyPolish
  • BugioPortuguese
  • Bugio-pretoPortuguese
  • GuaribaPortuguese
  • Чёрный ревунRussian
  • Чёрно-красный ревунRussian
  • Kara elli uluyan maymunTurkish
  • 黑吼猴Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the black howler

Other species in the same genus Alouatta.

CompareBlack howler vs Colombian red howlerBlack howler vs Yucatán black howlerBlack howler vs Mantled howlerBlack howler vs Brown howler

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the black howler?

An adult black howler weighs 5.46 kg – 5.86 kg, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the black howler endangered?

The black howler is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is close to qualifying as threatened.

How long does the black howler live?

The black howler has a recorded lifespan of 26.3 years.

How long is the black howler pregnant?

The recorded gestation period is 187 days.

What kind of animal is the black howler?

The black howler (Alouatta caraya) belongs to the family Atelidae in the order Primates.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Black howler (Alouatta caraya). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/black-howler

MLA

“Black howler (Alouatta caraya).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/black-howler.

BibTeX
@misc{black_howler_2026,
  title = {Black howler (Alouatta caraya)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/black-howler},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}