In the pitch black night, deep in the verdant rainforest
of the Yucatan Peninsula, a furry creature swings swiftly
from branch to branch, calling so loud, you can hear
it from five kilometers away through deep jungle growth.
The question is though, what is it coming from? Wait,
it sounds like a jaguar. No, it can't be, its a.monkey?
With the head and body length from 22 to 36 inches,
the tail length from 23 to 36 inches, and adults weigh
from 9 to 22 lbs., the six species of howling monkeys
are among the largest America or New World monkeys.
Their hair is course and their faces are naked and males
are visibly larger than females. Males are black and
females are brown in color. Known as the baboon in Belize,
Black Howler Monkeys live and travel in small groups
and are reported to eat more leaves than any other New
World monkey in the world. Their average life span is
about 16 to 20 years in the wild and their scientific
name is Alouatta Pigra or Alouatta Caraya.
The Black Howler Monkey rarely comes down to earth
from his high perch. Why? He was once pronounced as
the God of writing to the Mayan. The Mayan, who lived
in the Yucatan Peninsula, developed one of the most
sophisticated written language native to the Americas.
As weird and unusual as it is, no one really knows much
about the appearance of the Mayan, either.
Screams of the Black Howler Monkey are often mistaken
by visitors for those of a jaguar. It screams so loud
that you can hear it from 5 kilometers away through
vast jungles. But as rare as these screams and other
features of this monkey are, throughout most its range,
this furry animal is now endangered as the rainforest
habitats shrink and as the monkeys are hunted down by
many people. These poor inhabitants need our help in
saving their lives from the fatal disasters. What will
you do to save these remarkable creatures?
About the Author
Jacob Maddox manages content for Wildlife Animals http://www.wildlife-animals.com
an educational wildlife and animal website. Jacob also
guest writes for Dog Pound http://www.dog-pound.net