It’s 4 am in the rainforest and you are awakened by the sound of loud eerie roaring; if you are new to the environment it can be a disconcerting sound. This is the call of the Red Howler Monkey (Alouatta seniculus) sounding out its location to other family groups. Howlers, or “baboons” as they are locally known, call early in the mornings and at the close of the day to let each group know where their territories are. When one group calls the others answer helping them to avoid direct contact. Known as the loudest of all monkeys the Howler’s call can be heard from over 3 miles away. Howler monkeys have large throats and specialized voice boxes that give them the ability to call loudly through the rain forest.
Red Howler Monkeys are easily recognised by their goldish red coat. The males are slightly larger than the females. Howler monkeys range in size from 22 to 36 inches in head and body length, with tails that are 23 to 36 inches long. They weigh from