Sister howler monkeys join Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo
BRIDGEPORT — Two black and gold howler monkeys — sisters from Texas — now call the Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo home.
Estrella, 6, and Catalina, 4, joined the Bridgeport zoo from San Antonio. The sisters joined the city zoo’s current howler monkey, Cain, whose two previous female companions died of old age.
“Our black and gold howler monkeys are some of the most popular animals who make their home here at the zoo for their charismatic personalities,” said Zoo Director Gregg Dancho in a statement.
He said the zoo’s new residents are also known by their nicknames: Ella and Lina.
The zoo’s howler monkeys can be found in the Rainforest Building alongside a golden lion tamarin, a goeldi’s monkey and a two-toed sloth — all added to the zoo in the last year.
Native to Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina, howler monkeys grow to about 2-feet in length, not including their tail, and have long, soft fur. The males of the species average around 15 pounds, sometimes weighing twice as much as the female monkeys.
Females and young monkeys are a golden color, while adult males are black. Their average lifespan is about 16 to 20 years. Previously, the zoo had a resident howler monkey, Zuele, who lived to be 32 — the oldest of her species in human care.
Howler monkeys are the loudest animals in the Americas, with a guttural howl that can travel up to three miles through dense forests. Females and young are a golden color, while adult males are black.
The species faces threats of habitat loss, as well as being hunted for meat and for export in the illegal pet trade.