An experimental census method and estimates of population density of a black howler monkey (Alouatta pigra) highland population in the Sierra Yalijux, Guatemala

Authors

  • Swen C. Renner Conservation & Research Center, National Zoological Park, Smithsonian Institution, 1500 Remount Road, Front Royal, VA 22630, USA.
  • Regula Rieser Universität Zürich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zürich, Switzerland.
  • Robert H. Horwich Community Conservation, 50542 One Quiet Lane, Gays Mills, WI 54631, USA.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1896/044.014.0104

Keywords:

Alouatta pigra, Neotropics, Guatemala, cloud forest, Sierra Yalijux, ecology, GIS, home range, minimal convex polygon, saraguate

Abstract

Groups of the Guatemalan black howler monkey (Alouatta pigra) in a fragmented northern Guatemalan cloud forest in the Sierra Yalijux were analyzed for group composition and size using an ornithological census technique. Audio and visual records were combined to estimate each group’s home range size. The 361 observations in 2002 estimated 50 individuals in seven groups. Two home range classes were observed with ≤ 1.87 ha and ≥ 2.87 ha. Compared to other recent studies, the density of A. pigra in the Sierra Yalijux is considerably higher than in other areas (83.3/km2 vs. 15.1/km2 in Quintana Roo and 23.0/km2 in Palenque) but about half the density found in Belize (178/km2). We discuss the relevance of the ornithology assessment method for howler monkeys.

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Published

2007-01-01

Issue

Vol. 14 No. 1 (2007)

Section

Articles

License

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

Renner, S. C., Rieser, R., & Horwich, R. H. (2007). An experimental census method and estimates of population density of a black howler monkey (Alouatta pigra) highland population in the Sierra Yalijux, Guatemala. Neotropical Primates, 14(1), 19-24. https://doi.org/10.1896/044.014.0104