Curu Wildlife Preserve, Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica
The last morning of our voyage found us just outside of the Curu Wildlife Refuge on the North Pacific Nicoya Peninsula of Costa Rica. The sun was out and the heat was on, today will be a hot one! Binoculars, cameras, sunblock, and waterbottles in hand, we were ready for our excursions, long fast walk, long slow walk, flat bird-watching-walk – we had them all. Up a tidal river we went on our Zodiacs that delivered the rare treat of a dry landing along these tropical coasts.
New birds, new plants, a new type of forest, everything went well; but nothing attracted our attention as much as the hollow calls of 2 or 3 mantle howling monkey groups. Very vocal, howlers grunt, roar and produce highly intimidating roars lasting four to five seconds, often repeated several times. Their best known calls are given mainly by adult males, where the hyoid bone is 25 times larger than that in another similar-sized monkey. Howler calls can be heard several kilometers away and are given mostly at dawn and dusk, for territoriality purposes, in response to other howler troops, and to loud noises such as thunder or motor cars.
Their common name refers to the mantle of blond fur on their back that distinguishes them from the other five species that exist. The genus Alouatta comes from the Greek and means “another that moves using the tip of its tail”, and the species palliata is the Latin for “mantle.” Alouatta palliata is the name.
Howlers forage during the day, though sometimes they start moving before dawn. At night they sleep on canopy branches, alone or in small clusters, with troop members often dispersed through more than one tree. They do not use any sort of nest, nor do they sleep on the same tree every night. They differ from all other New World monkeys – and, for that matter, all other arboreal New World mammals except for sloths – in feeding mainly on leaves. Though, they will also eat fruits, flowers, and new leaves depending on the season. Because this is the rainy season, and leaves are most abundant, howlers don’t move too much in search for food, we found out this makes it harder for us to find them. Nevertheless, a solitary male was not worried by the calls of his neighbors, nor by us, who had a ball taking pictures of him or simply looking at his relaxed disposition.
Back on board to pack, take a last dip in the Pacific Ocean waters, or a last Zodiac cruise along the coast of Curu Wildlife Refuge, we were torn between leaving our home away from home and our new friends and going back home.
A warm farewell, until our next point of interest… Pura Vida!
The last morning of our voyage found us just outside of the Curu Wildlife Refuge on the North Pacific Nicoya Peninsula of Costa Rica. The sun was out and the heat was on, today will be a hot one! Binoculars, cameras, sunblock, and waterbottles in hand, we were ready for our excursions, long fast walk, long slow walk, flat bird-watching-walk – we had them all. Up a tidal river we went on our Zodiacs that delivered the rare treat of a dry landing along these tropical coasts.
New birds, new plants, a new type of forest, everything went well; but nothing attracted our attention as much as the hollow calls of 2 or 3 mantle howling monkey groups. Very vocal, howlers grunt, roar and produce highly intimidating roars lasting four to five seconds, often repeated several times. Their best known calls are given mainly by adult males, where the hyoid bone is 25 times larger than that in another similar-sized monkey. Howler calls can be heard several kilometers away and are given mostly at dawn and dusk, for territoriality purposes, in response to other howler troops, and to loud noises such as thunder or motor cars.
Their common name refers to the mantle of blond fur on their back that distinguishes them from the other five species that exist. The genus Alouatta comes from the Greek and means “another that moves using the tip of its tail”, and the species palliata is the Latin for “mantle.” Alouatta palliata is the name.
Howlers forage during the day, though sometimes they start moving before dawn. At night they sleep on canopy branches, alone or in small clusters, with troop members often dispersed through more than one tree. They do not use any sort of nest, nor do they sleep on the same tree every night. They differ from all other New World monkeys – and, for that matter, all other arboreal New World mammals except for sloths – in feeding mainly on leaves. Though, they will also eat fruits, flowers, and new leaves depending on the season. Because this is the rainy season, and leaves are most abundant, howlers don’t move too much in search for food, we found out this makes it harder for us to find them. Nevertheless, a solitary male was not worried by the calls of his neighbors, nor by us, who had a ball taking pictures of him or simply looking at his relaxed disposition.
Back on board to pack, take a last dip in the Pacific Ocean waters, or a last Zodiac cruise along the coast of Curu Wildlife Refuge, we were torn between leaving our home away from home and our new friends and going back home.
A warm farewell, until our next point of interest… Pura Vida!
