Red Howler Monkey

: Armida Madngisa
: Rob & Anita Loos | Dustytours.nl
: Popular Places Magazine edition 2
< 1 min read

Red Howler Monkeys (Alouatta seniculus) are medium sized, slow moving monkeys. Their habitat is found in primary and secondary forests.


They are often seen in groups consisting of 4 – 9 members. Red Howler Monkeys are social and terrestrial mammals, who are spending most of the day foraging. They are folivorous mammals, meaning that they are leaf eaters. Their long tail is used as an extra support to reach out to the farthest young fresh leaf. Sometimes they dangle and eat upside down.

Red Howler Monkeys are the only monkeys who can survive on green foliage if nothing else is available. In Suriname there are 8 different kind of monkeys and the Red Howler monkey can be easily identified by:

  • Their bright red-brown fur, highly visible when they are in broad daylight.
  • Their trademark howling. Everyone who heard their howling for the first time will agree that it sounds a bit scary. This is especially the case when they are nearby. The alpha male is the one responsible to start and stop this unique symphony.
After approximately 190 days the female will bare one young who will travel along by clinging the entire time to its mothers’ back.

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