(Español) VACACIONES EN COSTA RICA: DESCUBRIENDO LOS MONOS DE TORTUGUERO [:es]
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VACATIONS IN COSTA RICA: DISCOVERING THE MONKEYS OF TORTUGUERO

As we’ve been telling you in our blog, Tortuguero has a vast variety of animals, which goes from the three-toed sloth to the amazing crocodile, making of this area a great destination for enjoying nature.

Tortuguero has jungles, water canals, lagoons, beaches and swamps, which form 11 habitats where animals live in complete freedom and peace.

Is in the more than 400 kinds of trees that exist in the jungles of this region of the Costa Rican Caribbean, where we will find the exotic animals that dominate them. We are talking about the Spider monkey (also known as Colorado), the Congo (or Awller) and the Cariblanco.

To appreciate the monkeys that live in Tortuguero just look carefully to the top of the trees, although some of them are so agile -like the Spider– that you will need to be very fast not to miss them.

The middle name of the Spider monkey is ‘quick’

The Spider monkey (Ateles geoffroyi) is in danger of extinction, but in Tortuguerothey live freely. It is a delight to see how they use their long arms and tail to climb the trees, jump and move so fast.

You can appreciate the way they dominate the trees, thanks to a video posted on YouTube by a tourist.

Characteristics of the Spider monkey:

  • Is 30 to 60 centimeters long and can weigh up to 9 kilograms
  • It uses its tail as another limb and it can be about 80 centimeters long
  • This monkey has 4 fingers and practically no thumb
  • It eats fruits, insects, leaves, roots, seeds and bird eggs

Do not be intimidated by the howling of the Howler monkey

We now turn to the Congo or Howler Monkey (Alouatta palliata) whose name obeys to the fact that their howls can be heard from kilometers away. They move in ‘troops’ and howl to know where they exactly are.

Here we show you several of these monkeys, captured on video by another tourist.

Just like the Spider monkey, the Howler is in danger of extinction. These are some of their attributes:

  • The males are bigger than females; their weight, respectively is 5-9 kilos and 3-7 kilos
  • Their diet is mainly based on the consumption of leaves but they also eat flowers and fruits
  • The ‘troops’ of the Howlers are usually made up of adult females and males, who are joined by juveniles and infants
  • In the ‘troops’ they respect a hierarchy, led by the adult males
  • They tend to howl more during sunrise and sunset

Distinguishing the Cariblanco monkey is easy…

The third monkey that lives in Tortuguero is the Capuchino or Cariblanco(Cebuscapucinus).

With a cream-white fur in its head, shoulders and chest, the Cariblanco is easy to distinguish.

The Cariblanco is omnivorous: eats fruits, insects, ants, crickets, grasshoppers and even drones. We can see them eating between 5 and 9 a. m., and between 3 to 5 p.m. Here we show you the Cariblancos in action:

Remember that your vacation to enjoy Costa Rica’s nature will start when you stay at Manatus Hotel, a great location to experience all the wonders ofTortuguero.

Book today!

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