HOWL!

Minutes before sunrise, the howls of monkeys echoing through the forest stir me from a deep slumber.  My mind flashes to my first encounter with our primate cousins fifteen years ago when I visited the lush rainforests of Costa Rica here at the La Selva Biological Research Station.  I am now here with ten students and my excitement is as palpable as it was all those years ago when I first visited this wondrous place.  I am excited to introduce my students to the magical experience of trekking through the rain forest as the animals greet the dawn.   Our team is investigating how the frequency of howler monkey calls changes within our study period.  We leave the River Station cabins, which are nestled within the interior of the rainforest, to follow the calls of the majestic howler monkeys (g. Alouatta sp. Palliata).  Through the darkness we follow the piercing calls which dominate the tranquil morning.  After hiking for twenty minutes with our eyes glued to the tree tops, we get our first glimpses of our intended subjects.  There is some movement in the canopy!  We spot one, then two, and then another.  We have found a troop of howlers and they have spotted us.  Their calls suddenly change to grunts reminiscent of those of chimpanzees.  They don’t seem pleased with humans intruding on their breakfast.  The females and babies travel further away from us as four males descend closer for a closer look.  Holwer monkeys are territorial and have been known to pee on folks who attempt to get to close.  We spot two males directly above vigorously shaking branches scattering leaves and twigs all around us.  One of the males falls from the tree not ten feet from us and quickly scurries back up a tree.  Invigorated, we head back to camp not wanting to disturb these creatures any further.  This experience leaves us with more questions than answers as it is often the case in science.   We are also left with memories and connections to the natural world that will last forever.