Howler Monkey Skull BC-017
$165.00

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This skull is from a male howler monkey, a large platyrrhine (flat-nosed) New World simian with a strong prehensile tail. Howler monkeys inhabit tropical deciduous forests of southern Central America. They get their name from the loud raucous territorial call they use to advertise their presence, which can be heard from almost 2 miles away. The ramus of their lower jaw has been modified and enlarged to accommodate their extraordinarily large hyoid and ossified larynx, which is used as a resonating chamber to project their signature roaring howl.

These arboreal primates are mainly folivorous, but will also eat fruits, buds, flowers and herbaceous plants. They have lovely, round potbellies to contain a digestive tract sufficiently large and efficient enough to extract enough sustenance from their nutrient-poor diet. Howlers live in large matrilineal groups occupying loose overlapping territories and all members of the troop howl each morning while shaking and breaking branches to announce their position to the other groups. Howler monkeys seldom descend to the ground, but when they do, they sometimes seemingly voluntarily fall from the trees. Broken bones are not uncommon.