It sounds like a pack of tigers or lions roaring. Massive loud screams that make your ears ring when you hear them. It feels as if dinosaurs are charging forward. But no, this is not a tiger, lion, or dinosaur. This is a monkey. One that looks somewhat different from ordinary monkeys.
The howler is one of the loudest calling animals in the world. Their bodies are covered in thick fur. They look quite like gorillas. This species of monkey has many varieties. Black, red, brown, and golden howlers.
They don't call throughout the day. Howlers produce their harsh sounds during dawn and dusk. They are mostly found in Central and South America. They have a special type of bone in their throat. This makes their voice heavy and harsh.
Their harsh sounds drift from the dense forests of Mexico and Argentina. They mainly prefer to live in groups. Each group has 15-20 howlers.
Howlers' diet consists of tree leaves, flowers, fruits, and nuts. They don't need to drink water separately. The water in their food meets their needs. However, when nature becomes dry, they feel much more thirsty.
They live on tree branches. Their tails are quite long. Like other monkeys, howlers have two hands and two feet. However, they use their tail as another hand. The tail is 23 to 36 inches long.
They use their tails to move from one branch to another. When hanging upside down on tree branches, their tail holds their entire body weight. That is, the tail wraps around thin branches. So there's no fear of falling.
Color differences are seen between male and female howlers. For example, males show black color in their fur. These are called black howlers. On the other hand, golden howlers are females. They spend most of the day sleeping.
Howlers can sleep for about 15 hours. They roar to frighten other forest animals. To prevent anyone from entering their territory, they climb high in trees and start calling at the top of their voices. During breeding season, male monkeys also make such sounds to attract females.
