The Harpy Eagle
The harpy eagle is one of the world's largest and most powerful of eagles. It lives in the
rainforests of Central and South America.
Their body length is between 36 and 40 inches (1 meter).
Their feathers are slate-black above and white to light grey underneath. A black
band runs across the chest up to the neck. The tail has long, dark grey feathers.
Their legs are covered with light grey feathers ending in yellow feet as big as a
human hand, and 5 inch long talons.
They nest high in the emergent layer of the rainforest
Their life span in the wild is thought to be between 25 and 35 years.
Harpy eagles are carnivores and daytime hunters. They hunt monkeys, sloths, large
reptiles like iguanas, large rodents and other birds. They hunt by sitting quietly and
listening for prey for long periods of time in the canopy of the forest, then
pouncing on their prey in short bursts of speed. They can reach speeds of up to 50
mph.
The harpy eagle is an endangered species. The major threat is loss of habitat from
cutting tress and shooting.
Spider Monkey
Spider monkeys are large in size. Adult monkeys grow to be almost two
feet tall excluding the tail. They have a powerful tail that they use as an
extra limb. Spider monkeys like to hang upside-down with all four limbs
and the tail holding on to branches which makes them look like a spider
and thus their name. They also have the ability to swing from branch to
branch at a high speed. Their fur colour can be black, brown, golden, red,
or tan.
Spider monkeys spend most of their time high up in the canopy where
they can find fruits and seeds to eat. They also eat plants. They are
unusual monkeys in that they have only four fingers and no thumb.
Spider monkeys are heavily hunted and are in danger of becoming
extinct.
Jaguar
Jaguars spend much of their time on the forest floor of the Amazon Rainforest.
Jaguars live in swampy grasslands near rivers or lakes.
The biggest feline in the Americas, the Jaguar is a powerful hunter on top of the food chain
They are very good hunters, creeping close to their prey before pouncing. Although they
stay mainly on land, they can swim well. They will wade into water to catch fish. They also
climb trees, and sometimes pounce on their prey from a hiding place up a tree.
The jaguar has very powerful jaws, and kills prey with one bite, not through the neck like
other cats do, but through the bones of the skull. They hunt at different times of the day.
Jaguars feed on over 60 different kinds animals. Their diet includes deer, birds, fish, turtles,
crocodiles, and tapirs. In the trees they prey on birds and monkeys, and will feed on turtles
and fish in the rivers.
Jaguars are classified as 'near threatened', which means they are close to being
endangered. The main threat to jaguars' survival is from humans.
Owl Butterfly
Owl Butterflies are large, tropical butterflies found in the Amazon
Rainforest. They are found in the understory of rainforests. Most
butterflies are active during daytime but Owl Butterflies are active during
the night. Owl Butterflies have a wingspan up to 6 inches.
There are around 20 species of owl butterflies.
This butterfly's tree bark-like patterns, which are also shared by many
owls, help to camouflage it from predators like birds. The eyes on its
wings help keep predators away.
Like a number of other tropical butterfly species, adult Owl Butterflies
feed on the juice of rotting fruit.
Amazon Pink River Dolphin
The Amazon River Dolphins inhabits the Amazon River.
While Amazon River Dolphins are mostly pink, they have various coloured skins, which can
be light gray, pink, or brown. Pink River Dolphins get pinker when they are excited or
surprised, resembling blushing in humans. The Amazon River dolphin is between six and
eight feet long.
Most species of river dolphins are almost blind, due to swimming in muddy waters, but
their brains are extremely large and well developed, however pink dolphins are considered
to have a relatively good sight.
Pink dolphins eat crabs, catfish, small river fish and even small turtles.
As crabs and turtles are mainly at the bottom of the river, pink dolphins spend a lot of time
while swimming looking at the bottom of the river for food.
Pink dolphins appear to be the friendliest of all the river dolphins when approaching to
humans and some stories of people being pushed to the shores by them are common
among some tribes in the Amazon.
The river dolphins are among the most endangered species of all the ocean’s mammals.
These friendly and social creatures have been living for centuries in the Amazon and its
tributaries, but the destruction of the Amazon basin have put them in more dangerous
situation.
Macaws
Macaws are the largest of all parrots. They have beautiful, graceful, tails that are as long or
longer than their bodies. They also have long, pointed wings that enable them to fly swiftly.
Macaws have sharp, hooked bills which are perfect for eating nuts, fruits, and seeds. The
beak is strong and is used to break open nut pods. Their feet have a very strong grip which
allow them to grasp easily. Two of their toes point forward and two point backward. They
can use their foot to grasp food and bring it to their mouth.
Macaws are very social and intelligent animals. They can be found in the canopy and
emergent layers of the Amazon rainforest. They like to nest in holes in trees. Macaws are
on the endangered species list because of their habitat being destroyed.
Blue Morpho Butterfly
The Blue Morpho butterfly is one of the most beautiful butterflies in the world. The Blue
Morpho butterfly’s wings are bright blue with black edging. The blue morpho is one of the
largest butterflies on Earth, having a wing span of five to eight inches.
In the Amazon, Blue Morpho butterflies spend most of their time on the forest floor and in
the lower shrubs and trees of the canopy with their wings folded.
As a caterpillar, it chews leaves of many varieties. When it becomes a butterfly, since it can
no longer chew, it drinks its food instead. Adults use a long, protruding mouthpart as a
drinking straw to sip the juice of rotting fruit, tree sap, fungi, juices from rotting animals
and wet mud. Blue Morphos have taste sensors on their legs, and they “taste-smell” the air
with their antennae, which serve as a combined tongue and nose.
The Blue Morpho butterfly is severely threatened by deforestation of tropical forests and
habitat destruction. Aside from humans, birds like the jacamar and flycatcher are the adult
butterfly’s natural predators.
Poison Arrow Dart Frog.
Poison-arrow frogs are social frogs found in near water sources in the Amazon
Rainforest, usually found anywhere from the canopy to the forest floor. They are
known by their bright colours which warn other animals that they are poisonous. Its
poison is one of the most powerful known and can cause paralysis or death. It is so
potent that an amount smaller than a grain of salt can kill a human. One frog carries
enough poison to kill about 100 people. Native hunters use it on the tips of their
arrows which is how the frog got its name.
These frogs eat small insects like termites, fruit flies, and small crickets. The poison
dart frogs get their water from rain that collects in the leaves of plants. The skin of a
poison dart frog is very thin and these frogs can breathe and also drink water right
through their skin.
Poison-arrow frogs are beautiful to look at. Their colours vary from red to yellow to
blue. The enemies they encounter are large animals (including humans) who may
step on them. Though poison-arrow frogs carry a deadly poison, they are usually
harmless if left alone.
Size relative to a paper clip: