Listen to the early morning sounds of Costa Rica - Howler monkeys echo through the rain forest

(975k aiff file)

You glance overhead in time to see a family of howler monkeys skip gingerly from one limb to another using their thick tails like a third hand. A loud crashing of limbs signals a confrontation between males. Early next morning a solitary male calls out his territory through the darkness. Mosquitos drift through the thick morning air searching for a meal while the distant waves of the Caribbean crash against the shore.

Dense rain forests line the waterways in Tortuguero. A thick canopy obscures most of the early morning sun as a leaf shaped praying mantis steps cautiously along the damp undergrowth of decaying leaves. The sound of condensing water droplets falling and bouncing off umbrella sized leaves echos across the forest. The sound of the millions of insects chirping in harmony slowly subsides as hidden birds begin to sound off.