page_title: Howler monkey
section_title: Diet and feeding
hierarchical_section_title: Howler monkey / Behaviour / Diet and feeding
caption_attribution_description: English: Ursine howler monkey (Alouatta arctoide) in Hato el Cedral, Venezuelan llanos.
context_page_description: Howler monkeys are among the largest of the New World monkeys. They are famous for their loud howls, which can travel five kilometres through dense rain forest. These monkeys are native to South and Central American forests. Threats include human predation, habitat destruction and capture for pets or zoo animals. Fifteen species are recognized. Previously classified in the family Cebidae, they are now placed in the family Atelidae.
context_section_description: These large and slow-moving monkeys are the only folivores of the New World monkeys. Howlers eat mainly top canopy leaves, together with fruit, buds, flowers, and nuts. They need to be careful not to eat too many leaves of certain species in one sitting, as some contain toxins that can poison them.  Howler monkeys are also known to occasionally raid birds' nests and chicken coops and consume the eggs.
caption: An ursine howler
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