Vocal hero

Northern brown howlers by Kitty Harvill http://www.natureartists.com/kitty_harvill.asp

He’s a big noise,
One of the boys,
Roaring success.
Reading aloud from
The gruff guide
To life.

There hangs by a tail
In his primate pomp,
Proudly proclaiming
A New World order.

Headline news
From the guttural press.
Pumps up the volume,
Pushes the throat out.

Staking his claim,
Fortissimo fashion,
Unleashing decibel hell
From the trees.

He’s out on a limb,
Hanging tough,
Uncowed.
No silencing him,
He’s brown
And he’s loud.

© Tim Knight and timknightwriter, 2014.

Species profile:
Northern brown howler

IUCN Red List Category:
Critically Endangered

As their name suggests, brown howler monkeys are best known for their loud territorial calls, which can be heard over distances of several kilometres. One of ten species of howler, they are confined to the Atlantic coastal forest of south-east Brazil and north-east Argentina, where they live in social groups high in the canopy. The Northern brown howler subspecies is believed to number fewer than 250 individuals, restricted to an area north of the Rio Jequitinhonha in Brazil.