Rather passive by nature, the howler monkey (Alouatta) is not a hunter. Its predominantly folivorous herbivorous diet exempts it from seeking preys, although it does occasionally consume eggs, chicks and small reptiles. It feeds on more than a hundred varieties of plants from which it selects the large leaves, fruits, flowers, stems and buds. Its seed dispersal through defecation through its habitat plays an important ecological role by promoting forest renewal.