On Sunday mornings I used to wake to the sound of howler monkeys in Adams Morgan.
My dad and stepmom lived on Adam’s Mill Road in a neighborhood of Washington D.C. that adjoined The National Zoo. Some people living close to the Zoo heard the lions – the stomach-shaking roar that shocked and frightened our mute ancestors on the savannah – but we lived close to the monkey house, so we heard the howler monkeys.
The howler monkey, one of the largest New World primates, is distinguished not only by its prehensile tail and thick, shaggy coat, seemingly too warm for the DC summers, but also by the unmistakable sound that gives the howler its name. Native to the forests of Central and South America, howler monkeys spend their days high up in the canopy, where their resonant calls can travel for miles at dawn and dusk, serving as both territorial warnings and social communication. Even though the Zoo moved these majestic beasts into DC, I still felt like I was in their territory, rather than the other way around. I would not find my voice until many years thereafter.
As I learned when I visited the outside of their enclosures when we would walk over after breakfast, the howler monkey’s enlarged hyoid bone looked somewhat resembled ours, but in monkeys this oversized, horseshoe-shaped bone acts as a natural amplifier, producing a guttural roar that is among the loudest sounds made by any land animal. Their howls can reach around 110 decibels (at close range), comparable to a jackhammer or a rock concert.
Despite their fearsome voices, howler monkeys don’t bother with others and didn’t deserve to be uprooted thus. They spend much of their time quietly feeding on leaves, fruit, and flowers, moving deliberately through the treetops in cohesive social groups – families of tropical treetop grazers. To my sleepy ears on a Sunday morning, unmitigated by the typical DC car traffic, the howlers embody a striking paradox: They are creatures whose daily life is slow and almost meditative, like we all wish we could be, yet whose presence is announced with extraordinary, almost primeval intensity.
Six times a month I also get to interrupt the calm of others to announce that I have something to say. The cowbell and the PA system secretly show my appreciation, my imitation, and my emulation of the howler monkeys of D.C.’s National Zoo. Long may they sound their alarms.
Happy late-August to you! The weather will be pleasant tonight. One thinks of Wallace Stevens who said “The summer night is like a perfection of thought.” I invite you to join the regulars and irregulars outside our favorite brewery tonight, perhaps in the shade, for a grand competition featuring 31 questions on a variety of topics you should know something about.
In addition to topics raised above and below, expect questions tonight on the following: volcanos, views of the west, city visionaries, car manufacturers, catch phrases, directors, tall mountains, Triangles, twins, horses, people who actually enjoy the law, days of the week, pride in the color yellow, data centers, local theaters, enemies, authors who were born in one country but who now represent a different country, British actors, predicted disasters, real estate, warm temperatures, healthy lives, muscles, August obituaries, boxes, big breakfasts, hoods, paintings, talking robots, Warcrafts, new principals, cable cars, phones, gangsters, juices, The Beatles, messengers,, U.S. states, geography, current events, and Shakespeare.
For more Pub Quiz fun, please subscribe via Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/c/yourquizmaster.
Thanks to all the new players joining us at the live quizzes and to all the patrons who have been enjoying fresh Pub Quiz content. We have over 70 Patreon members now, including the new paid subscribers Esther, James, Damian, Jim, and Meebles! Thanks also to new subscribers Prescott, Bill and Diane, Tamara, Megan, Michael, Janet, Jasmine, Joey, Carly, The X-Ennial Falcons, and The Nevergiveruppers! Every week I check the Patreon to see if there is someone new to thank. Maybe next week it will be you! I also thank The Original Vincibles, Summer Brains, Still Here for the Shakesbeer, The Outside Agitators, John Poirier’s team Quizimodo, Gena Harper, the conversationally entertaining dinner companions and bakers of marvelous and healthy treats, The Mavens, whose players or substitutes keep attending, despite their ambitious travel schedules and the cost of the aforementioned avocado, which I prefer over onions on my weekly salad. I appreciate the Mavens’ kind words to me in the newspaper (details on that soon). Thanks in particular to my paid subscribers on Substack. Thanks to everyone who supports the Pub Quiz on Patreon. I would love to add your name or that of your team to the list of pub quiz boosters. Also, I sometimes remember to add an extra hint on Patreon. I appreciate your backing this pub quiz project of mine!
I also want to recognize those who visit my Substack the most often, including Luna, Jean, Ron, Myrna, and Maria, to whom I send sustained compassion. My new paid Substack Subscriber is Anne Da Vigo. Check out her mysteries!
Best,
Dr. Andy
P.S. Thanks to Dan who filled in for me last week. Here are three questions he asked:
- Retail in South Davis. Starting with the letter S, what seller of outdoor apparel and camping gear is now found in the old Office Max location?
- Daylight Saving Time. Does a majority or a minority of the world’s population observe Daylight Saving Time?
- Pop Culture – Music. Only one singer has his name on two top ten hits in America this week. His first name is Morgan. What is his last name?
P.P.S. What should I buy Kate to celebrate our 33rd wedding anniversary?