Type
of animal |
Giant river otters are mammals. |
Size
of animal |
Giant river otters can grow to over six feet long and weigh more than 70 pounds. |
What
it eats |
Giant river otters eat mostly fish, but they will also eat small reptiles such as snakes and caiman, and also birds. They are carnivores, or meat eaters. |
How
it captures prey |
They use their whiskers to locate prey. Giant river otters hunt together in the water. They can hold their breath for several minutes as they search for food in the water. |
How
it protects itself |
Giant river otters will make a loud snorting noise when they are frightened. Adults do not have any enemies, other than man. Young giant river otters can be attacked by caimans, jaguars, pumas, and anacondas. |
Other
facts |
The giant river otter is the rarest mammal in the Amazon. They are highly endangered. They are the largest otters in the world. They live in family groups, called holts, of five to nine animals. They hunt, sleep, and play together. They like to hunt for fish in packs, just like wolves. They have webbed feet to help them swim. They love to talk to each other by humming, squealing and screeching. They also love to groom each other. They use rocks as tools to help open shellfish, and sometimes will even carry around a particularly good one to use later! |
Type
of animal |
Golden Lion Tamarins are mammals. They are a type of monkey. |
Size
of animal |
They are about 12 inches long, with a twelve inch tail, and weigh about a pound and a half. |
What
it eats |
Golden lion tamarins eat fruits, insects, spiders, lizards, frogs and snakes. They are omnivores because they eat meat and plants. They use their long fingers to catch small animals that hide in tree cracks or under leaves. |
Who
are their enemies? |
Large birds, such as hawks and eagles are their enemies. Large snakes will also attack them. |
How
it protects itself |
Golden lion tamarins have an alarm call they use when they see large birds overhead to warn the other tamarins. Then they all rush for the trunks of the trees, or just fall to the ground. Even zoo tamarins will do that when birds fly overhead. Their nests have a tiny opening that is too small for eagles and hawks to enter. Unless they see a large bird flying overhead, they use soft voices, so the birds can't find them easily. |
Other
facts |
Golden lion tamarins live in family groups. They live mostly in trees, in a nest they make lined with body fur. That means they are arboreal. They usually give birth to twins, and all members of the group will help care for the babies. Unlike other monkeys, golden lion tamarins have claw-like nails that helps them cling to tree trunks. They can live for 31 years in a zoo! |
Type
of animal |
Howler monkeys are mammals, a type of primate. |
Size
of animal |
Howler monkeys are about two feet long, with a thirty inch tail. They weigh about fifteen pounds. |
What
it eats |
Howler monkeys are vegetarians, eating flowers, fruits and leaves. They are herbivores, or plant eaters. |
Who
are their enemies? |
Jaguars and large birds such as eagles and hawks are their enemies. |
How
it protects itself |
Howler monkeys will give a loud call to warn others that an enemy is near. They will also use their long tails to swing through the trees to escape. They have powerful, muscular bodies. |
Other
facts |
Howler monkeys live in groups of about 4 to 18 members. The howling sound they make is the loudest sound of any land animal in the world! The only animal that is louder is the blue whale. Their sound can be heard up to three miles away. Every morning the group howls together! They are arboreal, which means they spend most of their time in trees. The male howler monkey is black and the female is blonde. They have a long prehensile tail, which they use to grab branches to move through the trees. They are friendly animals, however, if they fight over something they will yell and slap, but won't scratch or bite. |
Type
of animal |
Jaguars are mammals, a type of large cat. |
Size
of animal |
Jaguars are about six feet long with a 30 inch tail, and weigh up to 250 pounds. |
What
it eats |
They are carnivores, or meat eaters. Jaguars eat large mammals such as tapirs and deer, but also other animals like caimans. One treat they really love are sea turtle eggs, which they dig up in the sand. They also like to jump in the water and go fishing by waving their tail over the water! |
How
it captures prey |
Jaguars use their very strong teeth to capture their prey. They stalk their prey at night. They can see better at night than during the day! They are solitary animals and hunt alone. They use their strong teeth to bite through the skull of their prey. Their teeth are powerful enough to bite through the shell of a turtle. They can use their claws to climb trees, and are excellent swimmers to catch fish and turtles. |
How
it protects itself |
Jaguars' only enemy is man. They cannot defend themselves from a gun, but can kill a man. Jaguars can roar to scare off other animals. |
Other
facts |
Jaguars are the third largest cat, only lions and tigers are bigger. They have the strongest jaw of any cat. Jaguars have the best 3-D vision of all meat eating animals. Sometimes they are confused with leopards. Jaguars are thicker, and their spots have a ring with a center spot, while a leopard has solid spots. They also have a shorter tail. Only the mothers take care of the babies. Jaguars can also be solid black. Some people call them black panthers, but there really is no such animal. |
Type
of animal |
Kinkajous are mammals, related to raccoons. They are not ferrets or monkeys. |
Size
of animal |
Kinajous are about 17-22 inches long with an 18 inch tail. They weigh about 6 pounds. |
What
it eats |
Kinagous eat mostly fruit and honey. When there isn't fruit to eat, they will eat insects, leaves, frogs, bird's eggs and even birds. They are omnivores, which means they eat meat and plants, even though they like fruit the best. They like honey so much that they are nicknamed honey bears. They really love bananas! |
Who
are their enemies? |
Their enemies are jaguars, ocelots, and other larger mammals. |
How
it protects itself |
Kinkajous are very fast and can travel quickly along the tree tops. They will scream if frightened, and will claw and bite their enemies. They hide in tree holes during the day. They use their prehensile, or grabbing tail, to travel, just like an extra hand. |
Other
facts |
Kinajous can turn their feet completely backwards so they can climb down trees head first. They have a very long tongue, about five inches long, that helps them drink nectar from flowers. Because of this, they are important pollinators. They live in trees and are nocturnal. That means they sleep during the day. They like to stay alone.They use their tail as a fifth hand, helping them move about the treetops, and also for snuggling when they sleep. They have different sounds that they make, one sounds like a woman screaming! The sound they make when they are happy sounds like kissing. They don't have very good vision and use touch and smell to get around. |