Howler Monkey Family Grows by One

There’s a new bundle of joy at the Houston Zoo just in time for the holidays. A baby howler monkey, named Marlie, was born on Nov. 17 to mom Charlie and dad Howie. Both mom and baby are healthy, and after spending time together bonding, they can now be seen with the rest of the howler monkey family in South America’s Pantanal.

Named for their vocalizations, howler monkeys are heard most often around sunrise. This “dawn chorus” announces the howlers’ position to avoiding conflict with other groups. Their call can be heard more than three miles away. The dimorphic monkeys—males are black, females are gold—rarely come down from the trees they live in and use their strong prehensile tail as a fifth limb, allowing them greater versatility when climbing.

The Houston Zoo provides support and training for education campaigns that reduce hunting and trapping of howler monkeys in Colombia. They also provide support for planting trees in Colombia. These trees offer the necessary habitat howler monkeys need to survive in the wild.

Simply by visiting the Houston Zoo, guests also help to save howler monkeys in the wild.