Monkeys, Macaws and the Marvelous Rain Forest
Ahhhhhhhhh. We are just back from a ridiculously luxurious vacation on the Osa Peninsula in Costa Rica. National Geographic calls it “the most biologically intense place on earth”, and it just takes a few hours there to understand why. It covers less than a thousandth of a percent of the earth’s surface area, but houses 2.5% of the biodiversity of the entire world.
Lest “2.5 %” doesn’t sound like a lot, keep in mind that it includes 463 species of birds, 140 mammals, over 4,000 vascular plants and 10,000 species of insects. Surprisingly, even though we were in the rain forest, there were literally no bothersome insects. Not a mosquito all week, and some killer-cool, huge beetles that surely anyone would love.
Jim and I took a gazillion photos, and lucky for you, I can’t begin to share them all. (Anyone remember endless slide shows in the 60’s and 70’s of your friend’s not-very-good vacation pictures?).
Since less is more, here are just a few highlights from our trip. I’ll share a few more as the weeks go on, cuz, well, there are just so many “dogs and sheep in the snow pictures” a person can take.
First, the monkeys. Be still my heart, the monkeys. Baby Spider monkeys, baby Howler monkeys and Squirrel Monkeys that look like babies. Absolutely everywhere.
We took this photo of a Geoffrey’s Spider Monkey and her young right off the deck of our bungalow. It’s the dry season in the Osa, and according to local guides, it is a better time for monkeys to give birth. Although Spiders can breed any time of the year, the rainy season can include drenching, endless rain, which is hard on infants and mothers alike.
We saw Spider Monkeys more than any other monkey species, in part because they are so active. Sadly, of course (you know what’s coming…), they are listed by the IUCN as endangered, primarily because of habitat loss, but also because of hunting pressure. But the Osa Penninsula is one of the few places that they are thriving. Fun behavior fact: Unlike most primates, females disperse from their natal groups, and have to find a new group to join once mature. Note that her magnificent tail is also an grasping appendage, just like her arms and legs. Too cool to watch them move through the trees with all 5 stretched out and holding on to something.
We didn’t see as many Mantled Howler Monkeys, but we sure as hell heard them. You can listen here to an example from National Geographic. I wouldn’t call them “howlers” myself, their calls sound more like “Bark-Roar-Wailing” to me. But I guess it would be a bit awkward to call them BarkRoarWailer Monkeys.
I do have some photos that include the entire monkey, but I love the photo below because it shows their grasping hind feet so well and has a sense of action in it. Most of the howlers we saw were draped over a limb, napping in the sun. Because they eat leaves exclusively, they are basically the cows of the primate world. Leaves have little nutrition, so the monkeys have to conserve their energy when they can. Which is pretty much anytime between 7 in the morning and 5 in the evening. Before and after that, the forest literally vibrates with their calls. It felt like we were living in Jurassic Park.
We got to see Central American Squirrel Monkeys twice, both times up close and personal. We’re talking about the King Charles Cavalier of monkeys, the ultimate oxytocin pump primate who looks like it came out of a Disney movie. They were always active and agile, leaping from branch to branch like squirrels. (They are also about the size of a grey squirrel, so their name is pretty much right on).
The good news here is that the IUCN has upgraded their conservation status from Threatened to Vulnerable. There are a number of conservation efforts underway, and it is heartening to see all the people working hard to preserve all the amazing primates in South and Central America.
And now, the Macaws. Oh oh oh oh, the Macaws. The Osa Penninsula is perhaps the only place on earth that you can see Scarlet Macaws as frequently as you would blue jays in a Wisconsin summer. It was the beginning of nesting season, and so we had the joy of watching several pairs at their nest site.
Macaws pair for life. This pair was either involved in courtship or simply pissed off at each other, because, really, what couple doesn’t have a bad moment? I got to watch them spar for a good fifteen minutes, seriously one of the highlights of my life.
One of the most beautiful sights on our trip was watching Macaws fly overhead, almost always in pairs. We got to do it often, but it was worth the entire trip for me to see it even once. Some of you may recall that I got to train a Scarlet Macaw (captive bred, of course) at Natural Encounters a few years ago. His name was Iago, but I called him George. Iago seemed like rather a lot of baggage for a parrot to carry.
No baggage on these birds, such a joyous sight throughout the day.
26 Comments
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Not going to lie, I’m very sad that I ALSO am in the Osa Peninsula right now and I didn’t get to see the rare Dr. McConnell on an unusual migratory voyage through that part of the world. Your photos are amazing!
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One can never see too many photos of beautiful, rare creatures…domestic or foreign. I say, keep the photos coming……dogs, sheep, birds, even flowers. Thank you for sharing.
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Wow, a it’s a blast hearing your descriptions and seeing your pictures. I spent a summer in Carate just a bit further south on the Osa peninsula as a sea turtle research field assistant back in 2008. You reminded of seeing those critters for the first time. I hope I can go back someday to see some more wildlife – I didn’t find a sloth despite three months of looking! Thanks for your posts, I eagerly await your next one!
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Off to Osa Peninsula in April, I cannot wait. And I like Kayla would have loved a trip that included a Dr. McConnell sighting! Amazing photos!
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Photos are beautiful! Color, oh yes color, we are still lacking that here in MI. It is white, white, and more white. The colorful bird photos are just lovely. Thank you for sharing.
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Wow!!! Beautiful!!! Keep the pictures coming!! Seeing those macaws flying over would have been “it” for me too!!
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Thanks for helping us decide where to honeymoon next year!!!
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How perfectly wonderful to read about and see photos from your experiences on the Osa! My husband and I are going in a few months. Can not wait! My family had a Capuchin monkey as a pet when I was a kid. Your description of monkey feet reminds me of times we would give him a lot of crackers— he would take one in each hand, then each foot, and would even wrap his tail around one too. “Ain’t nobody gonna take my crackers!” Fascinating critters.
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Wonderful photos and loved the Nat Geo clip of the howlers–wow! I visited Brazil’s Pantanal a few years back and saw many such birds, few monkeys but lots of other mammals. Have you visited there? I hope to go to Costa Rica someday.
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I love hearing your absolute joy at seeing these wild creatures in their world. Thank you for sharing.
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Were you staying at Lapa Rios by any chance? That’s the highest level of accommodations–or at least it was when my husband and I had a house there on the road around the peninsula to the national park. The highlight of every visit was getting up early in the morning and driving into the rain forest to hear the jungle wake up. And those raucous conversations as the lapas (scarlet macaws) flew over morning and evening. Thank you for reviving those memories. I’ve not been there in years, but miss it every winter.
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I always wonder if the natives think we are nuts oooohing and aaaahing over their every day animals. I remember walking thru Central Park and seeing tourists taking pictures of squirrels and being absolutely in awe of these curious wild creatures roaming free all over the place.
Beautiful pictures! Thanks for sharing.
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Glad you got away for some R&R! I’m not sure if I could do that and return to the cold, wind, & snow! Seems to be hard on the body. But there was the rest and the beauty to balance things out. Glad it was a joyful time for you both.
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Looks like a fantastic and well-deserved vacation! I’m just curious, though, about how you arrange care for the farm and dogs when you’re out of town. Do you have someone staying there full time?
I ask because we go back and forth between a sitter who knows and loves dogs, and a doggie daycare with boarding. The latter is great when we need to park them for one or two nights; the people are great, but it’s expensive. Of course we do not have to provide for sheep.
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Post as many photos and travel stories as you like. I could happily view them for hours. Thank you!
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I can’t think of a better way to celebrate a milestone birthday! With macaws!!! And OMG those squirrel monkeys…So glad you’re sharing highlights with us.
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About the Author
Patricia B. McConnell, PhD, CAAB Emeritus is an applied animal behaviorist who has been working with, studying, and writing about dogs for over twenty-five years. She encourages your participation, believing that your voice adds greatly to its value. She enjoys reading every comment, and adds her own responses when she can.
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