I found this pair on the shores of a river leading into Lake Nicaragua. Golden Mantles are named for the long golden hairs on their backs and shoulders. They are the largest Central American monkey and are critical seed dispersers and germinators.
I stood very still,
and shot them for quite awhile.
They both eventually became curious,
and walked down the tree branches directly towards me!
They hooted gently, causing me to back up!
I wasn’t sure at first if it was safe for them to get this close.
My cowardice seemed to disappoint them, and they went back up the tree, and about their business, ignoring me.
Cheers to you from Nicaragua’s friendly Golden Mantles~
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The baby is so cute! They have such long tails! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Thank you more for appreciating the 🙈🙈
Beautiful photos! 🙂 I think I would have backed up as well!
I wasn’t sure about their motivations, but I think now they were just curious 🙈
Just curious is my guess too, but there is much to be said for erring on the side of caution if one does not have specific knowledge of how a critter shows alarm or annoyance. U got great shots anyway.
That is exactly my policy. I don’t want to be responsible for getting a wild animal or myself in trouble.
What a wonderful close encounter!
It was special 🙈
Adorable Cindy 😊
They look at you with such intelligence.
Thank you for sharing the photos, amazing 😊
<3 <3
Your photographs are enchanting.
Awww, so are yours!
You had some great looks at them or it. The baby is adorable!
Baby animals in the wild are so special to see 🙈
Backing up was a good idea. They probably only wanted to make your acquaintance up close and personal. But you wisely defined your space. Great photography as always and my armchair is close enough.
Thank you Dor & yep. Better safe than sorry.
Interesting how they reacted when they approached you. You got some good photos Cindy.
Leslie xoxo
Thanks my friend. They were not at all scared of me.
I would have been wary of them too. They are still a wild animal and they have teeth and can bite you.
Oh Cindy, this has to be one of your best series of wildlife! What a treat to be rewarded by their attention and lack of fear for so long!
Wildlife encounters are an absolute thrill for me. I am sending prayers to you and Marion <3
Thaey look a lot like Woolies. We had one as a pet when my first son was one or two years old.
What is a woolie?
A kind of monkey from S. America. Looks a lot like the ones you photoed
Fabulous! You’re such a talented photographer.
Awww, so kind & so appreciated 🙈
Mother and child – iconic. A marvelous capture, Cindy.
Awww, thank you Rebecca. I loved them both too <3
I love your shots of the monkeys. I remember confronting one in my brother-in-law’s verandah, it was trying to snatch a cookie from my little nephew. They are little rascals. It ran when it saw me. 🙂
I saw a monkey jump down from a tree in Africa and bite a woman on her derriere. She was eating a sandwich. I think the monkey thought she would drop the sandwich, but she didn’t, she took off after him! 🙈
WOW!!!!!!
🙈 fun!
I wonder what they were expecting you to do. Play? Converse? Share some food, perhaps?
It shall forever remain a mystery. 🙈
I’ve never been a fan of monkeys, but there’s a cuteness about this pair. Like you, I think I’d have been a bit on the reserved side though. One can’t predict how wild critters will behave.
I got chased by a riled up baboon in Africa. People had been throwing rocks at him because he was raiding the camp. I took photos as I was running away and I have the pics to prove it!
Oh what an experience that must have been. Lucky you! All wonderful photos Cindy, but I think my fave is the last one.
Alison
Thank you Alison. Baby returned to mama for the climb back up the tree. Smart baby 🙈
Fascinating, Cindy! It doesn’t sound like they were being aggressive, but I probably would’ve backed-off too. Mothers usually don’t allow their offspring to tag along if they plan to physically challenge an intruder. I think you’re correct that they were just curious about you. Who knows? Maybe they wanted to take your camera! Monkeys are known to steal shiny things from tourists in SE Asia, and have even done so to extort food from them!
In Africa, I got chased by a very hostile baboon. That WAS scary! I took photos as I was running away….
Egads! Baboons are very powerful. They even stand up to lions sometimes. I sure hope you’re taking enough precautions, Cindy.
WOW!
Monkey fun!
Wow! love the creatures but glad you played it safe by not getting to close. Great shots.
So happy you enjoyed them Darnell & cheers to you 🙈
You are the luckiest person on earth to be on this trip! I so enjoy your posts, Cindy! 🙂
The truth is, I am the luckiest person on earth to have friends like you. I so enjoy your comments.
Thank you! Same here! 😊
<3
I think that you made the right move. I would do the same just for your safety at least at first. I understand though that the mantles look very gentle.
I didn’t know, so I went with a bit of caution. There’s another story here, about other critters, ones that would scare both you and me, but they seemed to be sleeping, and not interested in me, so I will tell you that story maybe next. Be well my friend. And thank you so much for your comments. I love them.
Darling pics of the little ones. You were brave to stand there and get all those amazing photos.
Awww, you are so kind to say so. Thank you <3
They are really beautiful and look sweet, but I think I would have backed up a bit too. Charming!
It was my back up though, just some steps, that made them veer away. I will always wonder what would have happened if I had just continued to stand still.
Great photos! You are fortunate to have seen howler monkeys. My husband and I heard them quite often during our bike-pack trips in Costa Rica. We were never lucky to see any.
Yes. They are amazing creatures. We are so lucky to live in a world with wild animals. I am glad you heard them in the trees.
Sweet shots, Cindy! 😀 I think I recognized one of my cousins! xx
Laughing….Love you Resa. I think I saw my relatives too <3
How wonderful and the baby is so adorable. Thank you for this.
Thank you more for caring <3
Oh my gosh, Cindy. What beautiful shots! This takes me straight back to Belize where a local farmer persuaded a wild howler mama with her baby on her back to stand on my shoulders. She smelt just like a freshly washed teddy bear.
Wild monkeys tend to like to interact with us. I have definitely experienced this many places. I think they know we are close relatives.
How special is that? <3 (I probably would have backed off, too. They have big incisors!)
It was pretty freaking special. Experiences like this are why I love to travel. I bet your son is now able to exit his home without burrowing under 20 feet of snow!
It has been melting – now there’s only 4′ of snow in the yard, but another storm is expected. Don’t know how he does it!
Wow!! So good the drought has been pushed back.
What a beautiful post! I would back up too!
Thank you & yes. I know why I did this. But I think the monkeys just wanted to get a closer look at me, since I was staring at them.
🙂
Cindy, thank you for these beautiful photographs!
Thank you Charles for appreciating these incredible creatures.
You are very welcome.
<3
Great work, thank you.
Thank you for the kind appreciation.
Fascinating, Cindy.
Honestly, it’s a pleasure to see such amazing creatures in their natural habitats.
I feel I am along for your rides. Thanks!
You are along, and you make my rides more fun. Thank you for joining me Sheila <3
Terrific photos, Cindy. What amazing creatures.
Gracias Lyn. So fascinating to watch them up close like this and not in a nature documentary.
Disappointed ☹️ or shy?
Yeah, when I look at the photos now, I wish I just kept standing there. She and her baby were not aggressive. They were just interested, but shy. You are right. They wanted to look at this frozen silent human, as much as I wanted to look at them. It is so fascinating to find wild animals. They teach me so much about myself, and about us.
They look adorable. 🌷
They are adorable cheeky monkeys <3
🙂
Reblogged this on Musings on Life & Experience and commented:
Cindy Knoke’s Nicaragua photos of a Golden Mantled Howler mother and baby.
Thank you for supporting the 🙈🙈 sweet lady! <3
Amazing pictures again, Cindy. What a sweet mama and baby. It looks like they pose especially for you 🙂 Pawkisses for a Happy Week ahead🐾😽💞
Thanks my friend & cheers to you and your furry felines <3
Nice Moonky
🙈🙈 rock!
I don’t expect these were easy to catch
The biggest challenge was getting clear shots not impeded by branches and leaves, plus there were crocs around. Lots of them around the bend opening their mouths and sunning. I’ll post photos soon.
🙂
Liebe Cindy, hab eine gute Woche mit vielen schönen Momenten
Vielen dank mein lieber Freund <3 🙈
alles Gute für dich
<3 <3
Wonderful series of photos, Cindy.
Beautifully captured too 🙂
Those are great shots and you are wise to be cautious of any animal with their young around. You just don’t know.
Exactly.
Great photo essay on the Golden Mantles! The first time I read about these interesting animals. Thanks for sharing, Cindy!
Thank you more for appreciating the 🙈🙈 Peter!
I love being still in nature and seeing what happens. It seems once we get quiet, nature accepts us. How fun that they came to see you Cindy.
And this strange this happens, we remember we are animals too, people in the forest <3
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Muchos gracias mi amigo <3 🙈
Gracias a ti Cindy por tu amabilidad amiga.
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Es muy hermosa! Muchas gracias es muy amable <3 🙈
oh, wow, what a privilege, Cindy. To see these beauties up close. xxx
Yes, experiences like this are thrilling to me <3
I love monkeys. And these pictures are just for me.
I <3 people who <3 🙈🙈
😁
awww you missed out on a big furry hug =^_^=
Laughing…..I have a friend who got lice from hugging a three toed sloth hug!
The hooting was “You got any food?”
Maybe, but these guys are plant eaters and that tree was full of fresh green shoots. I had nothing to give her!
Poor attempt at a joke…
Ahhhh. Sorry. Sometimes humor gets lost in online communication! 😉
😀