Mantled Howler Monkey (Blondie) and her Baby
Mutated Orange Howler Monkey is considered very rare. This one I photographed in the Cano Negro National Wildlife Refuge in Costa Rica, where local people named her "Blondie".
The Mantled Howler is one of the largest Central American monkeys, males can weigh up to 9.8 kg (22 lb). This primate lives up to an elevation of 2,500 m from southern Mexico to northwestern South America. Adults are black with brown or blonde saddles; infants are silver to golden brown and become increasingly like adult coloration until they are about 12 weeks old.
It is the only Central American monkey that eats large quantities of leaves; it has several adaptations to this folivorous diet. Since leaves are difficult to digest and provide less energy than most foods, the mantled howler spends the majority of each day resting and sleeping. The male mantled howler has an enlarged hyoid bone, a hollow bone near the vocal cords, which amplifies the calls made by the male, and is the reason for the name "howler". Howling allows the monkeys to locate each other without expending energy on moving or risking physical confrontation.
The mantled howler lives in groups that can have over 40 members, although groups are usually smaller. Most mantled howlers of both sexes are evicted from the group they were born in upon reaching sexual maturity, resulting in most adult group members being unrelated. The most dominant male, the alpha male, gets preference for food and resting places, and mates with most of the receptive females. The mantled howler is important to the rainforest ecology as a seed disperser and germinator.
Mantled Howler Monkey (Blondie) and her Baby
Mutated Orange Howler Monkey is considered very rare. This one I photographed in the Cano Negro National Wildlife Refuge in Costa Rica, where local people named her "Blondie".
The Mantled Howler is one of the largest Central American monkeys, males can weigh up to 9.8 kg (22 lb). This primate lives up to an elevation of 2,500 m from southern Mexico to northwestern South America. Adults are black with brown or blonde saddles; infants are silver to golden brown and become increasingly like adult coloration until they are about 12 weeks old.
It is the only Central American monkey that eats large quantities of leaves; it has several adaptations to this folivorous diet. Since leaves are difficult to digest and provide less energy than most foods, the mantled howler spends the majority of each day resting and sleeping. The male mantled howler has an enlarged hyoid bone, a hollow bone near the vocal cords, which amplifies the calls made by the male, and is the reason for the name "howler". Howling allows the monkeys to locate each other without expending energy on moving or risking physical confrontation.
The mantled howler lives in groups that can have over 40 members, although groups are usually smaller. Most mantled howlers of both sexes are evicted from the group they were born in upon reaching sexual maturity, resulting in most adult group members being unrelated. The most dominant male, the alpha male, gets preference for food and resting places, and mates with most of the receptive females. The mantled howler is important to the rainforest ecology as a seed disperser and germinator.