Howler monkeys may owe their color vision to leaf hue

Distinguishing red from green makes healthier leaves stand out

howler monkey

MONKEY BUSINESS  Being able to tell red and green apart helps howler monkeys like this one pick out younger, more nutritious leaves, research suggests.  

Lorraine Logan/Shutterstock

BOSTON — A taste for reddish young leaves might have pushed howler monkeys toward full-spectrum color vision.