Red Howler Monkey

Description:

These large red monkeys are known for their loud roaring or howling choruses which usually occur at dawn or dusk and can last for several minutes. Choruses can also be heard just before rainstorms. Supposedly the call of a howler monkey is one of the loudest animal noises on earth and can carry for long distances - up to three miles. Howlers have prehensil tails and move easily through the tree tops. If you can get close enough or have a powerful telephoto lens, you will see a rough gripping pad near the tip of the tail. Note the picture showing the underside of this monkey's foot and its opposable big toe.

Habitat:

According to Neotropical Rainforest Mammals (Louise Emmons), Red Howler Monkeys feed on fruits and leaves in the middle and upper levels of mature and disturbed rainforests. They are quiet and slow moving. Typically they have small home ranges and move little during the day. You may smell them before you see them - they leave copious droppings that have a strong, pungent, stablelike smell. If you alarm them, you may find yourself showered with feces and urine so use caution! Red howlers are one Amazon monkey that is easily seen from a boat as they are often found high on riverside trees.

Notes:

These photos were taken an Isla de los Monos, an island refuge for Amazon primates who have been injured and orphaned in the wild or for monkeys that have been rescued from human captors. The monkeys have free range on the island and will eventually leave the island and return to the wild.