Saturday, March 21, 2009

Howler monkeys in trees

The top photo today is a howler monkey frolicking in the trees in Tortuguero. As we floated on the waterways, we were able to observe several groups of howler monkeys eating, or swinging from tree to tree.

The top photo is a typical vantage point for watching howlers. They present a challenge to photograph because usually they are seen when you are pointing the camera upward into a light sky background, and the monkeys, of course, are very dark. That produces a result like the first photo above.
To give you a better appreciation of howlers, I am posting the second photo of a howler up close. My wife took this photo while on a raft, although this was not taken in Tortuguero.
Howlers are appropriately named because they make an amazing noise. They travel in groups of about 6 in number, and the deep hoots or howls of a group can be heard a mile (1.6 km) away.
We had an unforgettable experience with howler monkeys in Tortoguero. Our room at the Tortuga Inn had screens for walls, as I will show in a few days. Each morning we had a group of howlers come by close to the room. It sounded as loud as a freight train coming through.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Your wildlife assortment is diverse and tropical and that is quite different from our seasons and daily temp changes from cold to hot etc. I like to hear the Howler monkeys.

brattcat said...

It's wonderful just imagining the experiences you live every day. Thank you for sharing this with us.

Sharon said...

This is one of my favorite photos. It looks like he's posing for the photo which is very rare indeed.

crocrodyl said...

Great photos! For me it is so exotic:)

VP said...

This is one of the cases in which the cayman has its advantages. At least it is quiet!

Julie ScottsdaleDailyPhoto.com said...

Howler monkeys sound great. I have heard and seen them when I walk along the Langosta beach.

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