Mantled Howler Monkey
by Anne Watcher on Saturday March 29th, 2008 at 10:36pmWe were told, by some people, when we are in Costa Rica not to expect to see a monkey in the wild. So we didn't really expect to see this fellow during our visit to the Cloud Forest at Monteverde. What a pleasant surprise to see him moving around up in the trees, jumping from one to the other.
This monkey is quite large and is often heard before he is seen. His howl can carry for over 1km, even with the denseness of the jungle. They don't travel a lot and prefer to live in groups of about 10 in a 10 hectare area. Leaves, fruits and flowers make up most of their diet. They weight between 5 and 8 kgs. and are approximately 1 -1.25 m. in length, half of which is a very strong tail. They like to be up in the tree tops, scurrying along the branches like trapeze artists.
In June of 1976, this monkey was placed on the endangered species list as a result of being threatened by habitat destruction, rainforest fragmentation and natural disasters. Apparently there are around 1300 individuals left of this legally protected tree dwelling Central and South American animal.

He was telling us who's boss.

Notice his coiled tail, carried this way until he needs it to prevent him from falling
or to help propel him to another tree. It was amazing to watch how quickly and
accurately he maneuvered the moss covered branches.