Ministry of Education of Ukraine

on the theme "Animals of South America"

Performed:

Grade 7-B student

Shostak A.I.

Checked:

Donetsk 2004

PLANTS AND ANIMALS The natural world of South America is one of the richest on the planet. In the Amazon, at least 44,000 different plant species, 2,500 species of river fish and 1,500 species of birds can be found. The jungle is home to vast sciences that feed on birds, and mammals such as armadillos and sloths. The rivers of South America are inhabited by sea cows, freshwater dolphins, giant catfish and electric eels. Thousands of species of forest insects have not yet been studied.
  In the Andes there are alnaki and vicunas from the camelidae family. In the steppes of Pamna there is a large running bird, Nanda, or American ostrich. In colder areas on the southern outskirts of the continent, penguins and seals are common. On the Galapagos Islands, lying in the Pacific Ocean west of the shores of Ecuador, there are such rare representatives of the animal world as the famous giant turtles.
  Fertile soils nourish the rich flora of the continent. South America is the birthplace of prickly araucaria, rubber-bearing plants, potatoes and many domestic plants (e.g. monsters).
  The nature of South America is in danger of destruction. As people cut down forests, many species of forest animals and priceless plants that have not adapted to new living conditions disappear without a trace.

TAPS
  (Tapirus terrestris)

Mammals / Equidae / Tapirs / TAP
Mammalia / Perissodactyla / Tapiridae / Tapirus terrestris

· View TAPIR PLAIN listed in the international Red Book

TAPIR PLAIN (Tapirus terrestris) is the most famous and wider than other types of tapirs. He is relatively small in stature, his body length is about 2 m, the height at the withers is about 1 m, and his weight is 200 kg. Dark brown short hair covers the whole body. Starting between the ears, a stiff, stiff mane stretches along the entire neck. Plain tapir lives in the forests of South America, from the Amazon basin to Paraguay and northern Argentina. Tapir is a solitary, cautious inhabitant of the rainforest. He avoids open spaces, but is very attached to water. Where it does not bother him, tapir feeds at any time of the day, except for the hot midday hours that it spends in the water. Swimming places for tapirs are easy to find along the trails and a lot of litter on the shore and in shallow water. In water, tapirs not only escape from the heat, but also get rid of the blood-sucking arthropods. They walk along the same paths that are laid in dense thickets in the form of tunnels, more often along rivers and streams. Along these paths on the foliage and grass accumulates a lot of ticks and ground leeches awaiting the victim, so a person should not use these paths. Fleeing the attack, the tapir (and its main enemy - the jaguar) throws the path, breaks through dense thorny bushes with extraordinary speed. Plain tapir feeds on young leaves of shrubs and trees, marsh, water and meadow herbs, as well as fruits and fruits, grabbing leaves with a moving trunk. If the tapir cannot get a tidbit, he gets up on his hind legs, leaning his fore feet on the trunk. The tapir trunk is unusually mobile; he stretches and retracts all the time, feeling all the objects. The tip of the trunk with a button-like patch is equipped with sensitive coarse hair - vibrissa - and serves as a sense of touch. Like all forest animals, tapir has a good sense of smell and hearing, but poor eyesight. Near human settlements, tapir raids fields and plantations of corn, sugarcane, mango, cocoa. Females become sexually mature at the 3-4th year of life; males, probably a year later. The sexual cycle occurs every 50-60 days throughout the year, and the cub (always one) can be born in any month. Pregnancy lasts 390-400 days, and the female produces offspring, on average every 15 months. Before mating, animals are usually agitated; the male, looking for the female, makes a short coughing sound or a sharp lingering whistle. Like all tapirs, the striped-spotted cub walks with its mother for a long time. He sucks his mother when she lies on her side, like a pig, and sleeps lying next to her mother. She does not let go of the cub far away from her, calling him as soon as he runs back two or three steps to the side. With age, a young tapir becomes very mobile, runs around his mother, jumps, shakes his head. Locals prey on plain tapir for meat and skin. In danger, the tapirs try to hide in the water, where the natives catch them in boats and, as soon as the animals come up, kill them with spears or knives. In villages, you can often see young tapirs taken from murdered mothers. They quickly become tame, take a pacifier with milk, and at the age of a few weeks they eat well boiled vegetables and porridge. Later, tapirs feed on leaves and grass and especially like leaves and young ears of corn. Village kids ride hand-held tapirs on horseback. It is said that in the last century, colonists plowed with success, harnessing hand-held tapirs to a plow. In captivity, the tapirs lived to 30 years.

JAGUAR
  (Panthera onca)

Mammals / Predators / Feline / JAGUAR
Mammalia / Carnivora / Felidae / Panthera onca

· View JAGUAR listed in the international Red Book

JAGUAR (Panthera onca) is a representative of a group of large cats in the fauna of North and South America. It is slightly larger than the leopard: the body is 150-180 cm, the tail is 70-91 cm, the mass is 68-136 kg. The body of the jaguar is more stocky, massive, the tail and legs are relatively shorter than that of a leopard, and rather it resembles a tiger. Jaguar is distributed almost throughout South and Central America and in the south of North America. For him, the most characteristic are dense tropical forests, to a lesser extent - arid thickets of shrubs. Sometimes jaguars appear even in pampas. They lead a wandering life and often overcome wide rivers, as they swim excellently and, most importantly, willingly. Deer, bakers, agouti, capybaras are the prey of the jaguar. He attacks large tapirs when they come to a watering place, abducts dogs and livestock, catches alligators, turtles, fish, and small animals. Jaguars breed all year round. Pregnancy lasts 100 to 110 days. In the brood, there are up to 4 cubs. They grow quickly, but reach puberty in three years.

WHITE BRUSHNESS
  (Euphractus sexcinctus)

Mammals / Nawtooths / Armadillos / WHITE BRUSHNESS
Mammalia / Edentata / Dasypodidae / Euphractus sexcinctus

WHITE-BADDEN BARNESET (Euphractus sexcinctus) is distributed farthest from the north from Middle Argentina to the lower Amazon; the second inhabits Northern and Central Argertina. White-bristled, in addition to the color of the bristles, differs in somewhat larger sizes (length of its body is 40-50 cm, tail -20-25 cm, weight 3.5-4.5 kg) and relatively poorly developed bristle cover. These armadillos, which are called peludos (hairy) in Argentina, are better known than others because they dig numerous temporary burrows in the savannah and often emerge from the burrows during the day, even in bright sunshine. If the earth is soft and there is no hole near, then in danger, the peludos quickly buries in front of the pursuer. The course of an ordinary hole does not exceed 2 m and ends with a camera. In addition, there are many small holes or, more precisely, deep skates dug by the animal in search of food. Because of its burrows, peludos for local gaucho (riders) is a “thorn in the eye,” since horses often fall into its burrows and break their legs. In addition, digging a hole armadillos spoil crops. In some areas, even premiums for the destruction of peludos have been established, and hunters get hundreds of these animals in a few days. They hunt them in the moonlight with dogs and kill with a stick or fill holes with water. Bristled armadillos feed on insects, worms and other invertebrates, as well as carrion. In the corpse of an animal, several animals can be found at the same time, usually living alone. They breed twice a year. Pregnancy lasts 62-74 days. Usually bring two cubs, which the female feeds in the hole for a month.

Caiman Crocodile
  (Caiman crocodilus)

Reptiles or reptiles / Crocodiles / Alligators / CAYMAN Crocodile
Reptilia / Crocodylia / Alligatoridae / Caiman crocodilus

Caiman crocodilus (Caiman crocodilus) has a relatively long muzzle narrowed in front. In adults, through holes are formed to accommodate large - the first and fourth - teeth of the lower jaw (in the premaxilla in front of the nostrils and in the suture between the maxillary and maxillary bones). Often, on one or both sides of the skull, the outer wall of the hole on the suture of the premaxillary and maxillary bones is destroyed, forming not fossae, but notches in the edges of the upper jaw to accommodate the fourth lower teeth. This gives the skull the appearance usual for the skulls of real crocodiles, which led to the species name of this species. Animals reach 2.4-2.6 m in length. Crocodile caiman is widespread in Central and South America: from Chiapas in the north to the mouth of Parana in the south, in Mexico, Central America, Venezuela, Guiana, Colombia, Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay , Argentina. On this vast territory, the caiman forms 3-5 subspecies. It is tolerant of brackish water, which allowed it to settle from the continent of America to some islands close to the mainland: Trinidad, the small islands of Gorgon and Gorgonilla off the western coast of Colombia. Crocodile caimans were sometimes met in the sea near the coast. In the distribution of these animals, floating islands, formed from water hyacinths (Eichhornia) and other plants, sometimes reaching considerable sizes (over 900 m²) and often floating downstream, play an important role. These floating islands (“mats”) provide refuge for young caimans and can carry them long distances and into the open sea. Animals prefer quiet waters and are more often found in swamps and small rivers. Young individuals feed mainly on aquatic insects. Adults attack any prey that they can handle. The main food consists of large water snails, freshwater crabs and fish. Propagate throughout the year, but especially intensively from January to March (Colombia). Females for laying eggs build nests from rotting plants among thickets near water. Clutch consists of 15-30 eggs. Adult males occupy a certain territory and fight with males who have violated the boundaries of individual plots. The number of crocodile caimans has now fallen sharply due to intensive hunting for them for the sake of the skin.

Dwarf game
  (Cebuella pygmaea)

Mammals / Primates / Needle-shaped / Dwarf game
Mammalia / Primates / Callitrichidae / Cebuella pygmaea

The Dwarf Toy (Cebuella pygmaea) lives in the upper reaches of the Amazon River - from the west bank of the Purus River to the foot of the Andes, also found on the banks of the Putumayo River in Colombia. Their fur is thick, brownish, with yellowish and greenish marks on the hair, the lower parts of the body are whitish, on the tail are not clearly defined stripes. The face is frayed. The ears are small, bare and hidden in a thick mantle. They sleep in the hollows of trees. They feed on insects, fruits, small birds and their eggs. They are difficult to observe in the wild. At the slightest approximation of danger, they instantly hide in the thick of the foliage. Judging by the observations, in captivity dwarf marmosets give birth to two cubs, which are kept on the body of their father for up to 6 weeks. From 8 weeks they gradually become independent and independently seek food for themselves. By 24 weeks they reach the size of adults.

ANACONDA
  (Eunectes murinus)

Reptiles or Reptiles / Scaly / Snake-legged / ANACOND
Reptilia / Squamata / Boidae / Eunectes murinus

ANACONDA (Eunectes murinus) is the largest snake in the world - inhabits the whole of tropical South America east of the Cordillera and the island of Trinidad. The average size of the adult anaconda is 5-6 m, but individuals up to 10 m long are occasionally found. The unique and largest reliably measured specimen from East Colombia reached 11 m 43 cm (we recall, however, that this specimen could not be preserved). The main body color of the anaconda is grayish-green with large dark-brown spots of a round or oblong shape, alternating in a checkerboard pattern. On the sides of the body there is a series of small bright spots surrounded by a black stripe. This color perfectly conceals the anaconda when it lurks, lying in a quiet backwater, where brown leaves and bunches of algae float on gray-green water. Favorite places of anaconda are low-flowing arms and backwaters, elders and lakes, swampy lowlands in the Amazon and Orinoco river basins. In such secluded corners, the anaconda, lying in the water, guards its prey of various mammals coming to a watering place (agouti, paka, bakers), waterfowl, sometimes turtles and young caimans. Domestic pigs, dogs, chickens, and ducks also fall victim to the anaconda when they approach water. Anaconda often crawls ashore and takes sun baths, but does not depart far from the water. She swims perfectly, dives and can be under water for a long time, while her nostrils are closed by special valves. When the reservoir dries, the anaconda moves to neighboring ones or descends downstream of the river. In the dry period, which may occur in some areas, the anaconda burrows in the bottom silt and falls into a stupor, in which it remains until the rains resume. The molting process at the anaconda also often takes place under water: in captivity it was necessary to observe how the snake, plunging into the pool, rubs its belly against its bottom and gradually pulls itself out of the crawl. The anaconda is ovoviviparous, and the female brings from 28 to 42 cubs 50-80 cm long, but occasionally can lay eggs. They do not live in captivity for long - 5-6 years, the maximum life expectancy in captivity is 28 years. The main food of the anaconda is rabbits, guinea pigs, rats, but it also eats various reptiles, fish and sometimes swallows snakes. Once a 5-meter anaconda strangled and ate a 2.5-meter dark python, which took her only 45 minutes. Contrary to the numerous "scary" stories of "eyewitnesses", the anaconda cannot be considered dangerous for an adult. Isolated attacks on people are carried out by an anaconda, apparently by mistake when a snake sees under water only part of a person’s body or if it seems to her that they want to attack or take her prey. Only the case of the death of a thirteen-year-old boy swallowed by an anaconda is completely reliable. Local hunters, as a rule, are not afraid of anaconda and kill it whenever possible. A number of myths and superstitions that exist among the Indian tribes are associated with this snake.

COLIBRI-SAPFO
  (Sappho sparganura)

Birds / Long-winged / Hummingbird / COLIBRI-SAPFO
Aves / Macrochires / Trochilidae / Sappho sparganura

COLIBRI-SAPFO (Sappho sparganura) is characteristic of southern Bolivia and Northwest Argentina. It adheres to the dry open landscape of the foothills and the high plateau of the Bolivian Andes. Her head and front of her body are brilliantly green, her back is purple-violet, and her long forked tail is red with black endings for each feather. When a bird soars upward with great ease, its “burning” tail gives the impression of a comet trail. Due to excessive persecution, this bird is now very rare.

CONDOR
  (Vultur gryphus)

Birds / Day Birds of Prey / American Vultures / CONDOR
Aves / Falconiformes / Cathartidae / Vultur gryphus

· Kind CONDOR listed in the international Red Book

CONDOR (Vultur gryphus) is a huge bird: the male is about 1.15 m long, the wingspan is up to 2.75 m. The female condor is slightly less. The coloring of adult birds of the condor is black with a white collar of leaf-shaped feathers. Minor flywheels with wide white rims, shoulder white with black bases. The bare skin of the head and throat is blackish-gray, the neck and goiter are red. Condor's legs are dark gray. The rainbow is red. The beak is black with a yellow top. Males have a crest on the waxworm (females do not have it). Young condors are brown in color, their head is covered with down. Condor is widespread in South America from Venezuela and Colombia to the southern tip of the mainland (Patagonia, Tierra del Fuego) and the Falkland Islands. In the northern part of the breeding range, the condor inhabits a high mountain belt at an altitude of 3000-5000 m, sometimes it flies higher (at Chimboraso it was recorded at an altitude of more than 7000 m). In the southern part of the nesting area, condor is found both in the foothills and in the plains. In nesting time, the condor is kept in separate pairs, at other times of the year it leads a flocking lifestyle. A condor nests on the rocks, sometimes arranging a small litter of twigs. There are 2 eggs in the clutch. The female incubates for 54-55 days. The development of young condors is slow, puberty (full dress), they, apparently, reach only six years of age. Condor feeds mainly on carrion, decomposed to varying degrees. Occasionally, condors also attack live animals (newborns or weakened wigons, calves and lambs).

VICUNA
  (Lama vicugna)

Mammals / Callosophy / Camelids / VICUNA
Mammalia / Tylopoda / Camelidae / Lama vicugna

· View VICUNA listed in the international Red Book

VICUNA (Lama vicugna) is a species of wild lamas. It is smaller than guanaco: body length 125-190 food, height - 70-110 cm and weight - 40-50 kg. Her head is shorter, but her ears are longer. The coat is brighter, reddish; it is longer than that of guanaco, on the neck and chest forms a suspension 20-35 cm long. Chestnuts on the legs are hidden by hair. The border between dark and light coat color is not pronounced. Vicuna is common only in the highlands of the Andes. Like guanaco, it is kept by family herds of 5-15 females with young under the leadership of an adult male. Single males form temporary, easily decaying groups of 20-30 animals. Vicuna runs from April to June. Pregnancy lasts 10-11 months. Previously, the Incas annually drove a large number of vicunas into corral, cut their wool and then released it into the wild. Now the Indians also sometimes drive a herd of vicunas into corrals near rocky cliffs, shear and release them, but the number of vicunias has sharply decreased, and such cases are now rare. In the research farm in Cuzco (Peru) at an altitude of 4000 m above sea level, work is being carried out on the domestication and breeding of vicuna. Currently, no more than 5,000 vicunas have been preserved in Peru, about 1,000 animals in Bolivia, and this species is under protection. All species of wild and domestic humpbacked camels live well in zoos up to 20-25 years old, breed and produce prolific hybrids. It is harder for others to keep vicuna, and it rarely crosses with other forms.

Family SLOTS
  (Bradypodidae)

Mammals / Uptight / Sloths /
Mammalia / Edentata / Bradypodidae /

Family SLOATS (Bradypodidae) Sloths are purely arboreal animals that feed on leaves and spend their whole lives on trees in a suspended position with their backs down. In this regard, 3 fingers on the hind and 2 or 3 fingers on the front paws together with powerful curved claws form hooks, as it were, with which the animals hang or move slowly. In contrast to all other animals, their hair has a pile directed not to the belly, but to the ridge, so that rainwater easily rolls off the body. The only way of self-defense of these harmless animals is to go unnoticed, which is why their extreme slowness is associated. Among the foliage of trees in the rainforest, these animals are really completely invisible, which is facilitated by the greenish tint of their long coarse coat. This green color of gray-brown hair depends on the blue-green microscopic algae (Trichophilus and Cyanoderma), which settle in the longitudinal and transverse grooves of the sloth hair. Another cohabitant spends almost all his life on the body of these animals - a special type of moth butterfly, laying its eggs in the sloth's wool.

The internal organs of the sloth due to the constant position of the animal with its back down are also unusual for mammals. The liver is turned to the back, covered by the stomach and does not touch the abdominal wall; the spleen and pancreas lie not on the left, but on the right. The bladder is very large and almost in contact with the diaphragm, the trachea makes two bends, etc. Sloths feed on leaves, young shoots, flowers and fruits of the trees, which break off the lips with hard, horny skin. In exceptional cases, when there is no food, sloths go to neighboring trees on the ground. But on earth, they are completely helpless. Lying with their limbs extended to the sides, they are looking for something to catch on with their claws, and they can hardly move a few meters.

Sloths sleep 15 hours a day, sometimes gathering several animals together in a fork in the branches, and then they surprisingly resemble an armful of hay. Their breathing and blood circulation are very slow, and body temperature can drop to 24-33 °. They defecate very rarely, about once a week, usually after rain, and for this they go down to the base of the tree in a group. Sloths are resistant to hunger and suffer such injuries from which other animals die. Despite the fact that sloths are intensively hunted, since their meat resembles lamb to their taste, the skin is used to cover saddles, and curved claws are used for necklaces, these subtle animals have been preserved in many places in South and Central America where other mammals have long been exterminated .

South America is often called a territory of contrasts. The fourth largest continent is replete with unique natural zones, within which many endemic representatives of the animal world live. Light forests and savannahs are adjacent to tropical rainforests.

The longest mountain range of the planet, called the Andes, is identified in a separate zone. The climate of the Pampa steppe breathing in the heat is different from the island of Tierra del Fuego, “caressed” by storm winds brought from the Atlantic. The western part of the continent pleases the eye with fertile valleys, while the Atacama Desert is recognized as the most sultry region of the globe.

An increase in diversity was facilitated by the presence of a large river basin surrounded by impenetrable jungle. The largest freshwater dolphins, which reach a length of 2.7 m, live in muddy waters of the Amazonka and Orinoco rivers. The underdeveloped vision of mammals is compensated by a developed echolocation system, which makes it possible to detect potential prey and avoid obstacles. We liked the rivers and other large mammals assigned to the order of sirens. Slow manatees joining in herds slowly migrate between river tributaries and the main channel. Animals feed on edible algae. Communication is carried out by touching the muzzle. The need for such close contact is due to poor eyesight.

Piranha was awarded the title of the most famous fish in South America. Not one animal is destined to escape from lightning attacks by swimming groups of individuals. Gluttonous babies, whose length does not exceed 30 cm, do not disdain even carrion. But almost no one heard about the giant arapaim. Valuable commercial fish is essentially a living fossil whose appearance has remained unchanged for 135 million years. Locals claim that individual specimens reached 4 meters in length. The weight of one individual in this case varied within 200 kg. Nowadays, smaller representatives are caught, whose length reaches an impressive 2-2.5 m.

South America became home to 2,000 species of fish. This amount is equivalent to 1/3 of the freshwater fauna of the planet. Another unique representative of the water world is the double-breathing fish, American flake or lepidosiren. The group of predators living in water bodies included caimans, crocodiles and anacondas. There is a high probability of encountering electric eel.

The monkeys inhabiting South America are part of the group of broad-nosed. They are common in tropical forests. Representatives of the marmoset family are characterized by small sizes. The most tiny in this regard are hystale (Hapale jacchus), whose length does not exceed 15-16 cm. Many capuchin monkeys are endowed with a strong tail, successfully used as a fifth limb. The subfamily of howlers owes its name to the ability to make loud screams, spreading for many kilometers. Arachnids are easily recognizable thanks to their long flexible limbs.

Sloths (Choloepus) prefer not to leave their favorite trees. Hanging position does not prevent animals from absorbing shoots and leaves. They descend to the earth only in exceptional cases. Crown trees have become a home for some anteaters. A large anteater (unlike its small brother) leads a land-based lifestyle. Armadillos also enter the order of the not-toothed. The largest representative was awarded the title of giant. Its length reaches 1 m, and the weight ranges from 50 kg. The body of the animal is covered with strong horny scales resembling knight's chain mail. The basis of the diet is termites.

In the savannah you can find a spectacled bear, a puma and an ostrich nanda (the largest flightless bird in South America). The largest rodent lives on the amazing continent. Capybaras gaining up to 50 kg of live weight live in the vicinity of water bodies. They do not avoid marshy areas.

In the Andes you can see a vicuna belonging to the family of camels. Difficulties with breathing in rarefied animals are not observed. Thick fur rescues from the penetrating cold. Vicunas feed on lichen and grass. Wild llamas (in particular, guanaco) are extremely rare these days. Domestic lamas are used to carry heavy loads; their meat and milk are eaten. Alpaca breeding people engaged solely for the sake of getting soft wool. Chinchillas were exterminated due to expensive fur.

Andean condor recognized as the largest bird of prey. The wingspan of these unique birds exceeds 3 m. The bird colonies inhabiting the Andes number 1700 species. Numerous parrots delight the eye with a motley color. A magnificent outfit went to a rare hyacinth macaw, boasting a long tail, yellow spots on the cheeks and dark blue plumage. Between plants tiny hummingbirds scurry about and large butterflies fly. The wingspan of some insects reaches 20 cm.

The hawks belonging to the hawk family prefer to circle over the crowns of tropical forests located in remote regions. The wingspan of powerful feathered predators often exceeds 2 m. The list of forest inhabitants includes heron-beaks, sun-herons and goatsins. The chicks of the latter can boast of the presence of claws on the wings, with the help of which restless young people travel through trees. A similar device was found in archaeopteryx living millions of years ago. In the forests you can meet possums, tree-tailed chain-tailed porcupines, coendu, bats and agouti, resembling both a guinea pig and a short-eared hare. Trees growing in tropical forests are also hunted by noses.

The list of little-studied animals includes a forest (bush) dog. The exceptional representatives of the fauna of South America include the Titicaco whistler that lives within Lake Titicaca. The wingless Chomga chose a similar habitat for itself. Pudu deer feeding on seaweed, whose height does not exceed 40 cm, has entered the Red Book.

The population of maned wolves living in the pampas decreases every year. The number of red ibis inhabiting the coastal lowlands is also declining.

The Amazon Selva is not lacking in reptiles and brightly colored poisonous frogs. The ability to accumulate poison also possess many lizards and snakes. From land reptiles stands out boa constrictor. At night, a wild cat ocelot goes hunting. Superb swimmers such as jaguars can easily find victims. Small rodents, deer, capybaras, monkeys and tapirs (relatives of rhinos) can serve as their meal. A small group of ungulates on the continent is represented by small-sized South American spicy-horned deer and a small pig bakers of black color.

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The nature of this continent was formed, in conditions of isolation from other lands. This is due to its unusualness and wealth. The flora and fauna of the continent began its development in the Cretaceous period. The nature of the region, having an ancient history and formation in isolation, has preserved many unique species, but there is also evidence that other representatives of the fauna close to the specimens living in South America exist on other continents. This is a confirmation that, nevertheless, the isolation of the mainland was incomplete and there was a connection with other continents.

Interestingly, among the species of monkeys in South America, there are no human-like monkeys.

Monkeyliving on the mainland are wide-nosed, and their habitat is limited to tropical forests.

It is noteworthy that South America has three, only its inherent, families of edentulous. Unique species of animals are found among ungulates, rodents and predators. The fauna in different parts of the continent has differences. This is due primarily to unequal natural and climatic conditions.

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Rainforest animals are adapted to life on trees. First of all, these are monkeys of two families: marmoset and capuchin. Gammon Monkeys  smaller and have developed limbs with long claws. Capuchin  the largest and they have a long strong tail, almost like an arm.

Slothsbelonging to the family of not-toothed, lead a sedentary life, preferring to hang on trees and rarely go down.

In the savannahs and forests lives great anteater.

Among the predators, the cat family stands out. His bright representatives are large jaguars, ocelots and jaguarundis.

Ungulates are very small.

Almost throughout the mainland you can find numerous rodents, among them marsupial rats and possums.

Amphibians and reptiles are also widespread. In the rivers you can meet crocodiles.

Brightly colored parrots, numerous birds also live in the forests of this piece of land.

Representative birds of the mainland are hummingbird.

Rainforests are simply teeming with various insects, among them you can find many unique ones.

The fauna of open and dry spaces called the savannah is different from the fauna of forests.

Here is another representative of the edentulous- armadillo. This is the place where they live jaguars, cougars, pampas cats, ocelotssome types foxes. From ungulates can be distinguished pampas deer. Live here ostriches rhea. A large number of snakes and lizards.

Mountain fauna is represented by animals such as llama. Some are also common marsupial and spectacled bear.

Of the mountain representatives of birds, of course, stands out condor.

South America is a continent whose fauna is incredibly rich and diverse. What animals live in South America, and what plants grow there ... want to know?

South America - occupies the 4th largest place among the other continents of the globe. Something unique is unique to each continent, and South America is no exception.

Even the seasoned traveler has much to be surprised at; there are humid tropical forests, savannahs and the Andes. This place of contradictions: Tierra del Fuego between Chile and Argentina is located in the Atlantic cold ocean, dusty steppes of Pampa stretch across Uruguay and Argentina, majestic Andes rise from the west with green valleys and coffee plantations, in the north of Chile is the Atacama desert, which is the driest place on The land, and in Brazil near the Amazon River, are covered with thickets of impenetrable jungle.

Andean fauna

Animals of South America are striking in their diversity, as are its landscapes.

The longest mountains on the planet are the Andes, they are about 9 thousand kilometers long. These mountains are located in different zones: in the temperate, two subequatorial, equatorial, subtropical and tropical, so in the Andes more plants grow and a variety of animals are found.

Deciduous and evergreen trees grow in the lower tier of the equatorial forests, and at an altitude of 2500 meters there are quin trees and coca shrubs. Cacti and creepers grow in subtropical zones. In the Andes there are many valuable plants such as potatoes, tomatoes, tobacco, coca, hin trees.

More than 900 species of amphibians, 1700 species of birds and 600 species of mammals that are not found in large flocks live in the Andes, as they are separated by densely growing trees. Bright large butterflies and large ants live in the forests. In dense forests a large number of birds nest, the most common are parrots, in addition there are many.

The fauna of the Andes was negatively affected by human activities. Previously, many condors lived here, but today they are preserved only in two places: Sierre Nevada de Santa Marta and Nudo de Pasto.

  - This is the largest of the flying birds on the West Coast. It has a shiny black plumage, and a collar of white feathers is folded around the neck. A white border runs along the wings.

Female condors are much larger than males. Puberty in these birds occurs in 5-6 months. They build nests on rocky cliffs, at an altitude of 3-5 thousand meters. Most often 1-2 eggs are in the clutch. Among feathered condors are long-livers, as they can live for about 50 years.

It has simultaneously become a symbol of several states of Latin America: Bolivia, Argentina, Colombia, Peru, Chile and Ecuador. In the culture of the peoples of the Andes, these birds play an important role.

But, despite this, in the twentieth century the number of these large birds decreased significantly, so they were included in the International Red Book. Today, condors are in the group of threatened species.

It is believed that the main reason for the degradation of condors was anthropological factors, that is, the landscapes in which these birds lived changed. They are also poisoned by the carcasses of animals that people shoot. Among other things, until recently, condors were specially shot, since there was a misconception that they pose a threat to pets.

To date, several countries have organized captive condor breeding programs, with their subsequent release into the wild.

Unusual islands of Lake Titicaca

Unique animals live not only in the Andes, but also in the areas of Lake Titicaca. Only here you can meet the Titicac whistler and wingless chomga.

  Titicaca whistler is an endemic frog of Lake Titicaca.

Lake Titicaca is unusual for its floating islands of Uros. According to legend, small tribes of the Uros Indians settled on floating islands several millennia ago in order to separate themselves from other peoples. These Indians themselves learned to build from straw islands.

Each island of Uros is formed from several layers of dry reed, while the lower layers are washed away over time, but the upper layers are constantly updated. The islands are springy and soft, and water leaks through the reed in some places. The Indians build their huts and make boats "balsa de totor" also from reeds.

  A wingless chomga is a bird that occasionally comes to Lake Titicaca.

Today, there are approximately 40 floating islands of Uros on Lake Titicaca. Moreover, on some islands there are observation towers and even solar panels to generate energy. Excursions to these islands are very popular among tourists.

Endemic animals of South America

Pudu deer are found exclusively in South America. The growth of these deer is small - only 30-40 centimeters, the body length reaches 95 centimeters, and the weight does not exceed 10 kg. These deer have little in common with their relatives: they have short straight horns, small oval-shaped ears with hair, and their body color is gray-brown with fuzzy white spots.

Humanity still has a truly unique corner of the earth located on a continent called South America. Although the concern for the future exclusivity of the enclave is caused by the natural phenomenon itself, which has formed a special flora and fauna, and human activity, which makes its own adjustments to the environment.

Animals and plants of South America are constantly in the struggle for survival, adapting to the ambiguous climate. The continent is under the continuous influence of tropical showers, highlands, savannahs, subequatorial forests, a sharp drop in altitude and human progress. It is entirely possible that all this diversity of climatic zones of the southern part of the New World predetermined the uniqueness of the natural world, which must be preserved and enhanced.

Intervention in human nature

However, a fresh example of human intervention in the natural world, which did not ignore even the inhospitable place remote from civilization in the Atacama Desert (northern Chile), where the largest ground-based observatory arose, is indicative. Any traveler, being within the scope of this oasis of human progress, can confuse reality with fiction, since such a fantastic landscape on earth no longer exists.

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South America - Territory of Controversy

The territory of the controversial continent, which occupies the fourth place in terms of area on the globe, is literally crammed with contrasting natural zones. After all, through the countries of Uruguay and Argentina, where livestock farming is carried out, the hot steppe of Pampa stretches. But on the island of Tierra del Fuego, which is under the partial jurisdiction of Chile and Argentina, mostly cold weather prevails with constant gales from the Atlantic. A completely different matter is the west, where there are fertile valleys with a cool climate that arose in the Andes mountain system. The presence of the most sultry place of the Earth (Atacama Desert) on the continent and at the same time the functioning of one of the most full-flowing river basins of the world (Amazon) with impenetrable jungle adds a picture of contrast.

Fauna of South America

A reasonable question arises: "What animals in South America could appear and survive, given a similar natural habitat?" First of all, the animals are the same inimitable and diverse as the nature of the southern part of America, the humid forest tropics and rare forests, savannahs and, of course, the inhabitants of the real mountain kingdom of the Andes.

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It makes no sense to consider the animal world of the southern half of the American continent separately from the longest - about 9,000 km - mountains of the Earth. The Andes have widespread presence in various climatic zones in southern America, covering six zones. The vertical division of the mountain massif identified three zones (terra elada, terra fria and terra calente), which are strictly delimited, and regardless of climate. The unique nature of the Andes has allowed humanity to acquire new cultures and plant species. Potato tubers, tomatoes, tobacco leaf, hindu tree have become valuable and irreplaceable representatives of the flora of the whole Earth.

Animals living in South America, for the most part, came from the Andes themselves or the surrounding mountains. Here you can find a large number (up to 600) species of mammals and even more (900) varieties of amphibians. The nature of the Andes painted many insects with bright colors, especially highlighting the butterfly population, and among the ants tried to create unique samples of large individuals. Andean bird colonies number 1700 species and deserve special attention. In dense thickets of plants a constant numerous bird's homon is heard. Species of parrots and tiny hummingbirds have been honored with a special presence in the Andes.

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Condor animal symbol of South America

But the main animal of South America, relating to the bird kingdom, is a condor, which did not take pride of place in the International Red Book. Mainly thanks to humans, the condor became an endangered species, as it was considered a dangerous predator, and its habitat was reduced to two relatively small areas of the Andes. Nevertheless, he was honored with honorable attention of a person, becoming the national symbol of several states of South America at once - Ecuador, Chile, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, and the Colombian authorities depicted a condor on the national emblem of the country. Recently, programs have begun to appear to protect the true cultural heritage of many Andean peoples.

Condor is one of the largest flying birds in the world.  and has a rare graceful coloring, and individuals of males are often much smaller than females. Among the feathered inhabitants of the planet, the condor rightfully belongs to long-livers who can overcome the age threshold of fifty years.