Monte

Matea with her infant and Monte at the Birmingham Zoo

Monte (born December 9, 2014) is a male black howler (Alouatta caraya) exhibited at the Birmingham Zoo.

Black howlers, also known as black howler monkeys, are native to southern Brazil and neighboring countries, south of the Amazon basin. They are exceptional for their dormancy, sleeping or resting about 70% of the time, and their cries, the loudest among terrestrial animals in the western hemisphere. Howlers spend almost all their time in trees and eat mainly leaves along with some fruits. While black howlers are born a light brown color, the fur of the males darkens with age to nearly black.

The Birmingham Zoo participates in the Species Survival Plan for black howlers administered by the American Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

Monte was transferred from the San Antonio Zoo in 2017 and shares an exhibit with Matea, a female who came from the Cleveland Zoo at the same time. The couple have born three offspring: Miko (born May 31, 2021), Myla (born November 26, 2022), and a third (born June 6, 2024).

References

• Roop, Lee (May 15, 2021) "Birmingham Zoo ‘thrilled’ to welcome new red panda ‘Gizmo’ and baby howler monkey." The Birmingham News
• Garrison, Greg (June 14, 2024) "Birmingham Zoo gets loud new addition in time for Father’s Day." AL.com