Mexican Black Howler Monkey

Mexican Black Howler Monkey

Alouatta pigra

Silhouette: PhyloPic

LCNTVUENEndangeredCR
Daily sighting probability ~60% · Likely
at Tikal National Park

In 3 days ~90% in a week >90%

123 Verified sightings at Tikal National Park From 2019 to 2026
722 In all 5 parks
October Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Mexican Black Howler Monkey

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 →

Sounds

Recording0:29

Guatemala · 2025

© sammatey · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0

Recording0:25

Guatemala · 2023

© darmozrac · iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0

Recording0:38

Mexico · 2025

© Jan Ebr & Ivana Ebrová · iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Calakmul Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~60%
2 Tikal National Park 🇬🇹 Guatemala
~60%
3 Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~50%
4 Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary 🇧🇿 Belize
~30%
5 Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~20%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 Lisbon Oceanarium 🇵🇹 Portugal In captivity
2 Belize Zoo 🇧🇿 Belize In captivity
3 Banham Zoo 🇬🇧 United Kingdom In captivity
4 Parque Municipal Summit 🇵🇦 Panama In captivity
5 Xcaret 🇲🇽 Mexico In captivity
6 Zoológico de San Juan de Aragón 🇲🇽 Mexico In captivity
7 Jackson Zoo 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
8 El Nispero Zoo 🇵🇦 Panama In captivity
9 Biouniverzoo 🇲🇽 Mexico In captivity
10 Parque del Centenario 🇲🇽 Mexico In captivity
11 Seattle Marine Aquarium 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
12 Zoológico Miguél Álvarez del Toro 🇲🇽 Mexico In captivity

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Mexican Black Howler Monkey in Tikal National Park?

Likely

About 60% of wildlife watchers report a Mexican Black Howler Monkey sighting in Tikal National Park on a given day, based on 123 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 4th most-seen of the 11 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 90%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Mexican Black Howler Monkey in Tikal National Park?

April, June and October

In those months about 70% of wildlife watchers report a Mexican Black Howler Monkey in Tikal National Park on a given day, against about 10% in September, the lowest month. Those are among Tikal National Park's wettest months, with about 140 mm of rain a month against 30 mm in February.

What time of day is best to see a Mexican Black Howler Monkey?

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.

Is Tikal National Park the best place to see a Mexican Black Howler Monkey?

Among the best

Of the 5 parks where we can rate Mexican Black Howler Monkey sightings, Tikal National Park ranks 2nd at about 60%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Calakmul Biosphere Reserve (Mexico, about 60%). All parks ranked.

Where does the Mexican Black Howler Monkey sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Mexican Black Howler Monkey is recorded against all the mammals logged in Tikal National Park (123 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.

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