While paddling down the headwaters of the Samiria River, we have been fortunate enough to see many wild animals. One of the most exciting discoveries today was a group of Squirrel Monkeys!

We could tell that these monkeys were in the forest ahead of us because there would be a lot of rustling and movement in the leaves. Whenever we saw this we would stop paddling and just float down the river. Trying not to scare them away, we would quietly exchange our paddles for cameras and binoculars. As we neared, we could see some of these little monkeys scampering around, checking us out, and alerting the rest of the troop that there were intruders coming.

It didn't take long for the monkeys to take off into the jungle. They would leap from tree to tree, sometimes flying accross openings up to 6 feet wide! It was especially cool to see the mothers jumping with their babies holding onto their backs!

In total we observed about 40 Squirrel Monkeys today. They generally travel in large groups which are led by the females. The Germans call this monkey the "death's head monkey," because its white face looks similar to a human skull. These animals are relatively small and are said to make 26 different noises.

-Jesse

Come join the team in the Chat Room Tomorrow! The Wilderness Classroom Team will be in the Chat Room on Tuesday, April 12 at 1:00 PM CST.