Alouatta

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A genus of New World monkeys known for their distinctive howling vocalizations due to the structure of their enlarged hyoid bone
2. A group of large, tree-dwelling primates characterized by their long limbs, prehensile tails, and social behaviors
3. Typically found in Central and South America, these monkeys inhabit tropical forests and are known for their strong family groups and territorial calls

Etymology: Alouatta is the scientific name for the howler monkeys, and its origin is a modern coinage rather than an ancient one. The genus was named in 1797 by the French naturalist Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, who built the name on a Tupi-Guarani-derived word for these animals, "aluato" (also recorded as "aluata"), which was used by Indigenous peoples and European observers in South America. Geoffroy gave it a Latinized form, which is why it looks like a classical word even though its roots lie in the languages of Brazil. The name is a good example of how taxonomists took vernacular terms from newly encountered regions and turned them into formal Latin-style names. Many animal genera described in the late 1700s and 1800s followed this pattern, drawing on local words, Greek and Latin roots, or the names of people and places.

Synonyms: howler monkey