Fatty acid profiles of major food sources of howler monkeys (Alouatta palliata) in the neotropics.

Wild howler monkeys (Alouatta palliata) get most of their calories from carbohydrates (65%) and fats (18%) of native tropical plants, but little is known about their intake of individual fatty acids. The fatty acid composition of several natural food sources of howler monkeys collected in Panama was determined by gas-liquid chromatography. The predominant fatty acids were palmitic (30%), linoleic (23%), alpha-linolenic (16%) and oleic (15%). Fatty acids with less than 16, and more than 18, carbon chains were uncommon (0-7%). Although total saturated fatty acids were high in some specific food sources (22-54% of total fatty acids and 8 energy %), most of the calories from fat in the animals' diets are derived from mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids (9.75 energy %). All food sources had significant amounts of the omega-3 fatty acid, alpha-linolenic acid (2.9 energy %). In terms of human diets, the howler monkey's fat consumption would not be considered atherogenic. Unless these animals show a particular adverse susceptibility to dietary fat, it is unlikely that their fat intake is the primary cause of the low, but significant, incidence of atherosclerosis that develops in these animals in the wild state.