This species is endemic to the Atlantic Forest region of Brazilian states of Rio de Janeiro, Espírito Santo, Minas Gerais and Bahia.

Northern muriquis exhibit features that allow them to utilize all of their limbs and tail for travel and obtaining food items.

[5] Evolutionary features that further aid these large atelids are elongated hook-like fingers, and shoulder that allows for a wide range of movement.

[4] As these monkeys are primarily suited for life in trees, they still venture down to the ground to drink from water sources, consume soil or to obtain ripe fruit that has fallen.

[7] Northern muriqui are frugivorous and folivorous, but they also rely on seeds, flowers, nectar, bark, twigs, stems, vines and soil to supplement additional nutritional needs.

[13] Males display tendencies to form cooperative associations between cliques, and therefore leads to diminished intragroup conflicts compared to other species of primate.

[7] Evidence points to having multiple partners in order to confuse paternity, limit male aggression, or improving odds of fertilization.

[20] The northern muriqui also suffers from very low genetic diversity[21] and is poorly understood, causing problems in conservation.

[22] The estimated wild population of northern muriquis was raised from about 500 to 1000 individuals in 2005, due to new discoveries and research in other forests.

[23] The success of males fathering offspring links to the maternal investment they gain from their mothers and coresident female kin.