This page was done as part of an assignment
for Animal Behavior at Davidson College.
Howler monkey eat a low energy diet that restricts them to having a home range rather than a territory which would be very costly and require a lot of energy to defend. The only predators that the howler monkey has are humans and large birds of prey. Human destruction of howler habitat is of recent concern. Food is generally very plentiful and evenly dispersed in the forests where the howler monkeys dwell. Therefore males can not possibly defend a territory to attract females. The mating system has adapted so that one dominant male defends many females that only he mate with. He therefore defends his females from associating with other males. Offspring are cared for only by females. Females without offspring contribute to the care of the offspring in the troop.
This page was done as part of an assignment
for Animal Behavior at Davidson College.