Howler Monkeys

 Howler monkeys were the first of four species of monkeys we saw in Costa Rica. While we were fortunate enough to see them several times, they are very dark in color and almost always moving quickly about in the forest canopy against a bright sky. This makes them a bit of a nightmare to photograph since they are tricky for both exposure AND focus, but we got a nice handful of pictures of them. The picture below may appear that we are on the same level, but it was actually peering down towards us from the canopy.

 They earn the "howler" part of their name with a very distinctive call. Every time I hear it, I wonder what it must have been like to be the first people hearing it, not knowing it was a 7kg monkey but thinking it was some enormous forest demon. They often start calling early in the morning and the sound carries for miles across the countryside.

 Like all monkeys, gravity is simply someone else's problem rather than a constraint on their daily lives. In Cahuita we saw a troop moving through the trees, which included a 30-foot vertical leap between branches. This same leap was also done by a mother with a baby clinging to its back, so they certainly learn how to get around from an early age.