CreatureData

Mantled howler

Alouatta palliata (Gray, 1849)

VUVulnerableprimates

The mantled howler (Alouatta palliata) is a species in the family Atelidae, order Primates. Recorded adults weigh 5.66 kg to 7.28 kg and live up to 22 years. Its IUCN Red List status is Vulnerable.

Mantled howler (Alouatta palliata)
Photo: © Leonardo C. Fleck (leonardofleck@yahoo.com.br) · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the mantled howler

Weight
5.66 kg – 7.28 kgsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
22 yearssrc for Lifespan
Diet
Herbivoresrc for Diet
Longest recorded lifespan
25 years
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
Not recorded
Gestation
186 dayssrc for Gestation
Young per litter or clutch
1src for Young per litter or clutch
Age at maturity
3.51 yearssrc for Age at maturity
Litters or clutches a year
0.6src for Litters or clutches a year
Active
By day (diurnal)src for Active
Lifestyle
Arborealsrc for Lifestyle
Conservation status
Vulnerable (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the mantled howler live?

Not recorded

What is the mantled howler?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The mantled howler (Alouatta palliata) is a species of howler monkey, a type of New World monkey, from Central and South America. It is one of the monkey species most often seen and heard in the wild in Central America. It takes its "mantled" name from the long guard hairs on its sides.

The mantled howler is one of the largest Central American monkeys, and males can weigh up to 9.8 kg (22 lb). It is the only Central American monkey that eats large quantities of leaves; it has several adaptations to this folivorous diet. Since leaves are difficult to digest and provide less energy than most foods, the mantled howler spends the majority of each day resting and sleeping. The male mantled howler has an enlarged hyoid bone, a hollow bone near the vocal cords, which amplifies the calls made by the male, and is the reason for the name "howler". Howling allows the monkeys to locate each other without expending energy on moving or risking physical confrontation.

The mantled howler lives in groups that can have over 40 members, although groups are usually smaller. Most mantled howlers of both sexes are evicted from the group they were born into upon reaching sexual maturity, resulting in most adult group members being unrelated. The most dominant male, the alpha male, gets preference for food and resting places, and mates with most of the receptive females. The mantled howler is important to the rainforest ecology as a seed disperser and germinator. Although it is affected by deforestation, it is able to adapt better than other species, due to its ability to feed on abundant leaves and its ability to live in a limited amount of space.

From the Wikipedia article “Mantled howler” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mantled_howler&oldid=1370215729), 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 mantled howler endangered?

The mantled howler is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List: it faces a high risk of extinction in the wild.

  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 Vulnerable species.

How is the mantled howler classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classMammalia
  4. orderPrimates
  5. familyAtelidae
  6. genusAlouatta
  7. SpeciesAlouatta palliata (Gray, 1849)

Synonyms Alouatta aequatorialis, Alouatta inclamax, Alouatta palliata inconsonans, Alouatta palliata matagalpae, Alouatta palliata quichua, Mycetes niger, Mycetes palliatus

Other names and names in other languages (45)
  • Ecuadorian mantled howling monkeyEnglish
  • Ecuadorian mantled howling monkeyEnglish
  • Mantled howler monkeyEnglish
  • Mantled howler monkeyEnglish
  • Mantled howler monkeyEnglish
  • South Pacific blackish howling monkeyEnglish
  • South Pacific blackish howling monkeyEnglish
  • عواء مغطىArabic
  • vřešťan pláštíkovýCzech
  • KappebrøleabeDanish
  • MantelbrüllaffeGerman
  • Μανδυοφόρος ΜυκητήςGreek
  • Coto MonoSpanish
  • Aullador De La CostaSpanish
  • Aullador NegroSpanish
  • Coto Mono De TumbesSpanish
  • Coto NegroSpanish
  • GüeviblancoSpanish
  • Mono AulladorSpanish
  • Mono aullador de manto doradoSpanish
  • Mono Aullador PardoSpanish
  • Mono chongoSpanish
  • Mono CongoSpanish
  • Mono Coto De TumbesSpanish
  • Mono MongSpanish
  • Mono zamboSpanish
  • SaraguatoSpanish
  • Saraguato de mantoSpanish
  • Saraguato pardoSpanish
  • tummamölyapinaFinnish
  • Hurleur à manteauFrench
  • Hurleur du GuatemalaFrench
  • Singe hurleur à manteauFrench
  • mellényes bőgőmajomHungarian
  • Scimmia urlatrice dal mantelloItalian
  • マントホエザルJapanese
  • KappebrølapeNorwegian Bokmål
  • MantelbrulaapDutch
  • Wyjec płaszczowyPolish
  • Bugio-de-mantoPortuguese
  • Bugio-da-América-CentralPortuguese
  • Колумбийский ревунRussian
  • mantelvrålapaSwedish
  • Matolu uluyan maymunTurkish
  • 鬃毛吼猴Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the mantled howler

Other species in the same genus Alouatta.

CompareMantled howler vs Colombian red howlerMantled howler vs Black howlerMantled howler vs Yucatán black howlerMantled howler vs Brown howler

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the mantled howler?

An adult mantled howler weighs 5.66 kg – 7.28 kg, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the mantled howler endangered?

The mantled howler is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, meaning it faces a high risk of extinction in the wild.

How long does the mantled howler live?

The mantled howler has a recorded lifespan of 22 years.

How long is the mantled howler pregnant?

The recorded gestation period is 186 days.

What kind of animal is the mantled howler?

The mantled howler (Alouatta palliata) 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). Mantled howler (Alouatta palliata). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/mantled-howler

MLA

“Mantled howler (Alouatta palliata).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/mantled-howler.

BibTeX
@misc{mantled_howler_2026,
  title = {Mantled howler (Alouatta palliata)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/mantled-howler},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}