Choruses of Mantled Howler Monkeys pierce the cold dawn in the cloud forests of north western Honduras.


An enlarged hyoid bone gives these primates one of the loudest sounds of any terrestrial animal, with calls that can be heard up to 5km away. Howlers use their voices to claim and defend family territories, but their numbers are decreasing.

As local forests suffer threats from illegal logging, hunting and climate change, their resident monkeys are increasingly vulnerable to extinction. If current trends hold, close to 30% of this species' suitable habitat will have disappeared by 2048. Having felt their calls reverberate in my chest, I can't help but imagine the pieces of me that would also disappear.