Feb 2 2016 Howler Monkey Yucatan Mexico.mp3

Recorded audio of a Howler Monkey in the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. As their name suggests, vocal communication forms an important part of their social behavior. They each have an enlarged basihyal or hyoid bone which helps them make their loud vocalizations. Group males like the one you hear in this recording generally call at dawn and dusk, as well as interspersed times throughout the day. I recorded this one at dusk. The main vocals consist of loud, deep guttural growls or "howls". Howler monkeys are widely considered to be the loudest land animal. According to Guinness Book of World Records, their vocalizations can be heard clearly for 3 mi (4.8 km). The function of howling is thought to relate to intergroup spacing and territory protection, as well as possibly to mate-guarding.