Howlers will Poop on You… for Real. Check out the Video

By Blue, February 25th, 2011

We are blessed to have so many Howler Monkeys troops around Rancho Chilamate. They are heard daily and we hope to never tire of their wonderful howls.

Walking our dogs yesterday in the river with my camera I caught this big guy here howling.. so hard in fact… that he howled out some feces. I’ve been hit once before because the monkey actually threw it at me. Never a dull moment in Nicaragua!

Check out this video I took.

Here’s a few interesting facts about our noisy neighbors:)

Howler monkeys are considered the loudest land animal in the Americas.

According to Guinness Book of World Records, it can be heard clearly for 3 miles (5 km).

Howler monkeys are the only folivores of the New World monkeys. Howlers eat mainly top canopy leaves, together with fruit, buds, flowers, and nuts.

As their name suggests, vocal communication forms an important part of their social behavior. They have an enlarged basihyal or hyoid bone which helps them amplify their calls.

They rest about 80 percent of the time and are considered the least active of all monkeys.

They live in groups of usually about 18 individuals – ranging from 2 – 15 monkeys.

Howlers are called “congos” in Nicaragua and Costa Rica.

They range in size from 56 to 92 cm, excluding their tail which can be equally as long.

These monkeys weigh 15 to 22 lbs (7 to 10 kg).

Howler monkeys have beards and long, thick hair which may be black, brown, or red.

They have an average lifespan of 15 to 20 years in the wild.

Howler monkeys live in groups where the number of females is greater than the number of males. Groups may have only one male or several males.

Because they are so sedentary they are often not heard only seen, but if you do find yourself in the forest and it seems that an unusually large amount of fruit is falling from above or a fine spray of urine rains down on your head, you just need look up.