Species
A collection of animal species from around the world.
*Sources for information and photos (unless they were taken by me) can be found at the bottom of each species profile.
Bald Parrot
The bald parrot is a species that lacks any head feathers — apart from some sparse bristles. Endemic to the east-central Amazon, its baldness might be an adaptation for eating fruit without getting its feathers sticky.
Chacoan Peccary
The Chacoan peccary was initially described as an extinct species from fossils discovered in 1930. In the early 1970s, a living population was found in an isolated area of Paraguay — in a region known as the Gran Chaco. This species is the largest and rarest of the three living peccaries.
Paradox Frog
A paradox frog tadpole can grow to be 27 centimetres (11 in) long — the largest tadpole of any frog. It eventually metamorphoses into a shrunken adult frog, only some 7 centimetres (2.7 in) long.
Blue-eyed Ground Dove
The blue-eyed ground dove was believed to be extinct for 75 years — until twelve were rediscovered in the Brazilian Cerrado in 2015. Current population estimates range from over 250 individuals to as few as 16.
Horned Marsupial Frog
The horned marsupial frog has the largest eggs of any living amphibian. The female carries the eggs in a pouch on her back, each in its own chamber, until they emerge as fully-formed froglets.
Ornate Horned Frog
The ornate horned frog is also known as a "Pacman frog" and referred to as a “mouth with legs” — and it is, appropriately, quite a glutton. It'll eat any prey that fits in its enormous mouth, from insects to lizards to mice to birds to other frogs. It'll even attempt to consume prey larger than itself.
Galápagos Pink Land Iguana
The Galápagos pink land iguana is found only on the slopes of a single active volcano on one of the Galápagos Islands. Named for its pink scales, this land iguana was described as a distinct species in 2009 and is considered 'critically endangered' — with fewer than 200 left.
Armoured Rat
The armoured rat is covered in sharp spines that can grow as long as 3 cm (1.2 in) — a great defence against the snakes and ocelots that share its wet rainforest habitat. Additionally, if all else fails, this rat can drop its tail to confuse or distract a predator.
Spectral Bat
With a wingspan of almost 1 metre (3.3 ft), the spectral bat is the largest bat in the Americas and the largest carnivorous bat in the world. It's believed to find avian prey by smell and is attracted to distress calls from small bats caught in mist nets. It's also known as the "False Vampire", because it was previously thought to feed on blood.
Pumpkin Toadlet
The pumpkin toadlet is one of the smallest frogs in the world — only some 18 mm (0.7 in) long. Because of its minuscule size, the organs in its ears that are responsible for balance cease to work mid-jump. As such, it cartwheels rigidly through the air before making a clumsy, floppy landing.
Torrent Duck
The torrent duck is highly adapted for hunting within the fast-flowing rivers of the Andes — it kicks with powerful webbed feet, its long claws cling to slippery rocks, and its sleek body allows it to scale waterfalls. Even chicks, soon after hatching, plunge into the dangerous currents.
Large-billed Tern
The large-billed tern uses its disproportionately long and thick beak to catch fish — either by plunge-diving into the water or skimming the surface with its beak as it flies. It has a commensal relationship with the tucuxi river dolphin, which often flushes fish towards the surface while hunting.
Titicaca Water Frog
The Titicaca water frog lives solely in the depths of Lake Titicaca in the Andes mountains at elevations of 3,810 metres (12,500 feet). Its copious skin folds allow it to breathe — through cutaneous respiration (skin breathing) — at such high altitudes, its lungs are only 1/3 the size they should be.
Amazon Milk Frog
The Amazon milk frog isn't named for its milky white appearance, instead, its name refers to a poisonous milky substance that it secretes when threatened. It also uses the fluid as "sunscreen" — lathering it over its body to prevent itself from drying out in the sun.