Nov. 30, 2014 - Costa Rica - Monkeys

Howler Monkeys were one of the four monkey species we saw in Costa Rica. They spend most of their time in trees and don’t often come down to the ground. One of their main food items is tree leaves but they also eat fruit, flowers, and nuts. These Howler Monkey photos were taken at Lapa Rios Nature Reserve.

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Here are two adult Howler Monkeys and a baby. Howlers are one of the largest monkeys in the world. They can be from 22 to 36 inches in height. Their tails are even longer than their bodies. They weigh from 15 to 22 pounds.

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Here’s another photo of a Howler mother and her baby. The prehensile tail is just as useful as a fifth arm and can even be used to pick fruit.

MonkeyHowlerLapaRiosNatureReserveCostaRica20141022

This is one of the Spider Monkeys that we saw on a hike at Arenal Observatory Lodge. They very noisily moved through the trees above us. Spider Monkeys are 14 to 26 inches tall but they have very long, thin arms and legs.

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A glance at this picture might make you think there are too many limbs for one animal but, in fact, this Spider Monkey is using its tail to grasp the branch above. This photo was also taken at Arenal Observatory Lodge.

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This Spider monkey was climbing around right outside our bungalow at Lapa Rios Nature Preserve.

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Squirrel Monkeys are smaller, 10-14 inches tall and 1 to 2½ pounds in weight. They have a long tail but it is not prehensile, meaning they can’t grip things with it. As a result, they can’t, like other monkeys, use it as a fifth hand. Instead, it is used to help them balance when climbing in the trees. They eat mostly fruit, insects, and nuts.

MonkeySquirrelLapaRiosNatureReserveCostaRica20141023