Alouatta pigra
Silhouette: PhyloPic
In 3 days ~90% in a week >90%
The Yucatán black howler, or Guatemalan black howler, (Alouatta pigra) is a species of howler monkey, a type of New World monkey, from Central America. It is found in Belize, Guatemala and Mexico, in and near the Yucatán Peninsula. It lives in evergreen, semideciduous and lowland rain forests. It is also known as the baboon in Belize, although it is not closely related to the baboons in Africa.
The Yucatán black howler is the largest of the howler monkey species and one of the largest of the New World monkeys. Yucatán black howler males are larger than those of any other Central American monkey species. On average, males weigh 11.4 kg (25 lb) and females weigh 6.4 kg (14 lb). The body is between 521 and 639 mm (20.5 and 25.2 in) in length, excluding the tail. The tail is between 590 and 690 mm (23 and 27 in) long. Adults of both sexes have long, black hair and a prehensile tail, while infants have brown fur. Males over four months old have white scrotums.
The Yucatán black howler shares several adaptations with other species of howler monkey that allow it to pursue a folivorous diet (mostly leaves). Its molars have high shearing crests, to help it eat the leaves... Wikipedia →
Recording0:29
Guatemala · 2025
© sammatey · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
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Guatemala · 2023
© darmozrac · iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0
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Mexico · 2025
© Jan Ebr & Ivana Ebrová · iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Calakmul Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 2 | Tikal National Park | 🇬🇹 Guatemala | |
| 3 | Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 4 | Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary | 🇧🇿 Belize | |
| 5 | Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lisbon Oceanarium | 🇵🇹 Portugal | |
| 2 | Belize Zoo | 🇧🇿 Belize | |
| 3 | Banham Zoo | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 4 | Parque Municipal Summit | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 5 | Xcaret | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 6 | Zoológico de San Juan de Aragón | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 7 | Jackson Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | El Nispero Zoo | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 9 | Biouniverzoo | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 10 | Parque del Centenario | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 11 | Seattle Marine Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 12 | Zoológico Miguél Álvarez del Toro | 🇲🇽 Mexico |
Likely
About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Mexican Black Howler Monkey sighting in Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve on a given day, based on 188 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. Over three days the chance rises to about 90%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
December
In that month about 70% of wildlife watchers report a Mexican Black Howler Monkey in Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve on a given day, against under 5% in March, the lowest month. That is one of Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve's driest months, with about 100 mm of rain against 370 mm in June.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Mexican Black Howler Monkey sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
3rd of 5
Of the 5 parks where we can rate Mexican Black Howler Monkey sightings, Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve ranks 3rd at about 50%. The best odds are in Calakmul Biosphere Reserve (Mexico, about 60%) and Tikal National Park (Guatemala, about 60%). All parks ranked.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Mexican Black Howler Monkey is recorded against all the mammals logged in Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve (188 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
