See full Manatee description in North America

Description

One of the smaller sized armadillos

Get their name from the three bands found on their armor that help them roll into a ball

Can reach lengths up to 12 in and weigh around 3 lbs

Usually live 15-20 years in the wild

Their bodies are covered in a hard carapace made up of bony plates called scutes

Usually yellow or brownish in color

Made up of keratin just like human fingernails and hair

This armor also covers the top of the head, tail, and all their limbs

It is not attached to the skin on the side of the body which gives the armadillo enough room for all their body parts to be protected when they roll up

They have a very powerful nose which helps them find food, avoid predators and identify other armadillos

Due to their nocturnal nature, they don’t have very good eyesight

Their ears are small but very powerful

Their tongue is pink in color and very long and sticky like other insect eaters

The belly is comprised of soft, hairy skin

They have very powerful legs and claws that help them dig and open dead trees to eat the insects inside

Their front feet have four separate toes each with a claw

However, the three middle toes on the back feet have fused together and look like a hoof

Their tails are short and thick

Habitat

Found in areas of dry vegetation like grasslands, marshes and open forests

Range includes central and eastern Bolivia, the Mato Grasso of Brazil, the Chaco region of Paraguay, and northern and central Argentina

Behavior

Southern three banded armadillos are nocturnal and forage during the night

They are active year round because their shells are awesome at trapping heat so they can keep warm during the winter

They are insectivores

Typically eat ants, termites or beetle larvae

May also eat ripe fruit every so often

Unlike other armadillo species, southern three banded armadillos do not typically dig their own burrows and often live in burrows that were dug and abandoned by Giant Anteaters or will live above ground

When threatened by predators, the armadillo will curl up but not totally shut the shells all the way

Then when the predator sticks its nose or paw into the gap to get at the underbelly, the armadillo will snap its shell shut and hurt the predator

Predators include coyotes, bobcats, mountain lions, some raptors, domestic dogs and humans

Typically solitary but may gather in groups if its is cold

Also come together to breed

There is no defined breeding season but babies are typically born from November-January

Gestation usually lasts four months

One baby is born at a times

Babies are born bind and about the size of a golf ball but quickly develop the ability to walk and close their shells

They nurse for about two and a half months and then at about 72 days, they become fully independent

Fun Facts

The only mammal that can totally curl up into a ball to protect itself

Known as volvation

Related to sloths and anteaters

Armadillo is a Spanish word that translates to “Little armored one”

Also really fast runners

I once saw one at the Lincoln Park Zoo that was running around in circles at high speed

The pattern on their shells are unique just like human fingerprints

Description

Medium sized opossum

Gets its name from the fact it can store a lot of fat in its tail which can reach lengths of 5-5.7 in and a diameter of up to .39 in where it attaches to the body

The size of their tail varies according to food availability

Body can reach lengths of 4.3-5.4 in

Covered in gray to light brown fur

Sides and belly are lighter in color

Legs are white in color

Its back legs reach the length of .67 inches

Has black rings around both eyes

Body color can vary depending on their environment

Its ears are relatively big and can reach length of .91 in

Habitat

Found in a variety of habitats including cloud forests and chaparrals

Range is west of the Andes mountain range in Western Chile

Behavior

Elegant fat-tailed mouse opossums are primarily crepuscular

During the day they will go into torpor which is like a shorter hibernation

This allows them to reduce their food and energy requirements

Speaking of food, they primarily eat arthropods and larvae as well as fruits, small vertebrates and carrion

These possums live in nests that they built or ones abandoned by other animals

They can be found in tree hollows and under rocks or roots since the possums are good at being arboreal which means tree dwelling and terrestrial which mean earth dwelling

Like most possums, they are very good climbers and can use their prehensile tails to hang onto branches

Only one individual lives in these nests

Predators they need to avoid are the culpeo fox, great horned owls and burrowing owls

Home ranges can be up to 14,890 square feet in the summer and can shrink to about 8,410 square feet in the winter

Breeding season is September-March

Females can have 1-2 litters during breeding season

Up to 17 embryos can be produce but the actual number depends on the number of working nipples which is typically 10-13

Fun Facts

First described by English naturalist George Robert Waterhouse in 1839

They are marsupials but the females do not have pouches

See full description in North America

See full description in Africa

See full Nutria description in North America

Description

Medium sized primate about the size of a housecat

Get their name from their bald heads which are usually bright red

Can reach weights between 2.75 and 3.45 kgs and lengths between 15-22.5 inches

Males usually average about 17.9 inches in length and females average about 17 inches

Bald uakaris can live between 15-20 years in the wild and up to 30 years in captivity

Their heads are bright red due to a combination of thinner epidermis and more capillaries in their face

The red color is a sign of health, so the redder the better and if their face is pale, it means they are sick

This is commonly due to malaria

They also have very sharp fangs which are good at ripping apart fruit

Their bodies are covered in a long, shaggy coat that comes in several variations of blonde, orange, brown or red

This is also a good way to tell the subspecies apart because they each have different coat colors

Like most monkeys, bald uakaris typically have long legs,arms, toes, and fingers

Unlike other monkeys though, they have a very short tail that only reaches 5 inches in length

Habitat

Bald uakaris are found in tropical forests in the Amazonian lowlands that are called floodplain forests or varzea forests since they flood seasonally

They can also be found in other wooded areas

Their favorite habitats are ones with aguaje palm trees

Their range is between the Yavari and Ucayali rivers in eastern Peru and Western Brazil

There used to be some in southern Colombia but no longer due to deforestation

Behavior

Bald uakaris are diurnal and active during the day

During the rainy season of December-May, bald uakaris are arboreal or tree dwelling so they can stay out of the floodwaters

However, during the dry season of August-November, they spend more time on the ground

Bald uakaris are herbivores and frugivores which means they eat plants and fruits

Their diet varies depending on the season

In the wet season, they eat a lot of leaves and fruits since they are in the trees most of the time

During the dry season, they eat fallen leaves and fruit, seeds and roots they forage off the forest floor

Bald uakaris are typically found in troops of 30 individuals but can be found in bigger groups that can have 100 members in them, especially when they sleep

These troops typically have a home range of 2 square miles and can travel up to 3 miles a day

During the dry season, they will often go down to the forest floor and forage in groups of 10

Bald uakaris typically get around by using all four limbs but they can also walk and jump on two legs.

Breeding season for bald uakaris is usually between October and May and the gestation period is 6 months

Females give birth to one baby every two years

The babies start to wean at about 5 months old when they add fruit to their diets and eventually grow up

Males will eventually leave their birth troop while females will stay with their birth troop

Bald uakaris have interesting communication methods which include vocalizations, facial expressions, pheromones, and body language.

Their bald heads are very useful for communication and they make up to 10 different facial expressions

Fun Facts

Also known as the bald-headed uakari, red uakari, or scarlet fever uakari

They wag their tails when excited

Their jaws are very strong and combined with their fangs, can crack open some kinds of nuts that other monkeys cannot

The babies are born with gray faces that eventually turn red

Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bald_uakari

https://peru.wcs.org/en-us/Wildlife/Bald-Uakari-Monkey.aspx

https://neprimateconservancy.org/bald-uakari/

https://animalia.bio/bald-uakari

Description

Semiaquatic rodent of unusual size found in Central and South America

Capybaras can reach heights of 1.7-2 feet at their shoulders and lengths of 3.48-4.4 feet

Can reach weights between 77 and 146 pounds and the average is about 108 pounds with the females usually being slightly heavier than the males

They can live up to 8-10 years but oftentimes they only live about four years in the wild due to predation

Their predators include: jaguars, pumas, ocelots, eagles, caimans, and green anacondas

Their heavy, barrel shaped body is covered in coarse, short fur

The fur is reddish-brown on the tops and sides and becomes yellowish-brown underneath

It is also designed to dry quickly when the capybara comes out of the water

Capybaras have short heads with a blunt snout with nostrils on the end of it

Their eyes and ears are found near the top of their heads just like hippos which allows them to keep the rest of their bodies submerged and poke those body parts above the water to see what’s going on around them

Just like most rodents, their two front teeth are constantly growing but are ground down by use

Capybaras have two scent glands, one of which is found on top of their snouts and known as a morrillo

Males have a much more pronounced morrillo and they scent mark things more often than the females

Their legs are short and sturdy with the back ones being slightly longer than the front ones

At the end of their legs they have webbed toes with hoof like claws on the end to help with swimming and climbing up river banks and out of the mud

They have four toes on the front and three toes on the back

The tail is short and vestigial

Their other set of scent glands are anal scent glands and on the males they are lined with detachable hairs

These hairs are covered with a crystalline form of scent secretion that lasts longer than other forms of scent and are tasted by other Capybaras that come upon them

Capybaras mark things with scent by rubbing their morrillos on them or walking over plants and marking them with their anal scent glands

Habitat

Found in lowland areas near bodies of water

Their habitat includes rainforest lakes and rivers, marshes, brackish wetlands, swamps as well as seasonally flooded grasslands and savannas

Range includes Panama, Colombia, Peru, Venezuela, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Brazil, Bolivia, Ecuador, and Guyana

Behavior

Capybaras are crepuscular and are usually most active during morning and evening

However, if they feel threatened, then they are active during the night

During the day, they will wallow in water and mud to keep cool or will doze on the banks or in the water

Then around evening, they emerge from the water to graze

Capybaras are herbivores and are very selective about the plants they eat

During the wet season, they primarily eat grass and aquatic plants while also supplementing their diets with fruit and bark

An adult capybara can eat 6 to 8 pounds of grass per day

During the dry season, capybaras eat a greater variety of plants including reeds, grains, melons and squashes

Capybaras are also coprophagous which means they eat their own poop

They do this for the beneficial gut bacteria which helps them break down the cellulose they consume as well as getting as many nutrients and vitamins out of their food as possible

Capybaras also regurgitate their food to chew it up better just like cows and other ruminants

They are often found in groups of 10 but can sometimes be solitary

These groups consist of one dominant male, one or more females, one or more subordinate males, and several juveniles

During the dry season, these groups can expand to 50-100 individuals due to them gathering around water sources

Capybara groups have very stable home ranges and while they get along well with individuals not in their groups, they still chase off the intruders

Capybaras do not have a set breeding period but the peak is usually from April-June or October-November depending on where they live

Males and females can choose who they mate with and since breeding takes place in water, if the female doesn’t like what’s going on, they can dive underwater or leave the water

The dominant male gets to mate more often than the subordinates but the subordinate males overall mated with more females

Gestation lasts 130-150 days after which four pups are born on average

However, the number can range between 1 and 8 pups

After giving birth on land, the females rejoin the group a few hours later and the babies will join as soon as they are mobile which is only a few hours after being born

The pups are able to eat grass within a week but will often suckle from their mom as well as other females in the group until they are weaned at 16 weeks old

Other members of the group will also help take care of the pups along with their mothers

Capybaras communicate through scent marking and several types of sounds such as: whistles, grunts, barks, and squeals

Fun Facts

The two parts of their scientific name Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris come from Greek and translate to water pig/hog

Their common name comes from the Tupi language spoken in Brazil and means one who eats slender leaves

Closest relatives are the guinea pig and rock cavies but it is also distantly related to chinchillas, agoutis, and nutrias

In the 16th century, the Catholic Church apparently classified the capybara as a fish so that the meat could be eaten on Fridays and during Lent

Fossils of the extinct Pickney’s Capybara were found in San Diego County’s Oceanside

They are farmed for their meat and hides which are used to make leather

Capybaras can’t synthesize Vitamin C in their bodies so they get it from the food they eat

If they don’t receive supplemental Vitamin C, they can develop gum disease which is a sign of scurvy

They can spend up to five minutes underwater

Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capybara

https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/capybara

https://a-z-animals.com/animals/capybara/

https://animalia.bio/capybara

Description

Largest of the four anteater species

Can reach lengths between 6-8 ft which includes their noses and tails

Females weigh 60-104 lbs and Males weigh 73-110 lbs

Body is covered in thick bushy hair that comes in various shades of brown with black stripes that run down to their spine

They also have a mane running down their spine

Their front legs are white and they have a large bushy tail

Their eyes and ears are very small

The defining characteris tic of the giant anteater is their very long tubular snout with nostrils found on the end of it

In fact, their head reaches a length of 12 inches or 1 foot

Unfortunately, giant anteaters do not have any teeth and they can’t open their mouths very wide

However, they are able to open their mouths just enough for the 2 foot sticky tongue to move in and out to eat the ants and termites

They are able to accomplish this thanks to the rotation of both halves of their lower jaw

Their tongue can extend 18 inches past the length of their snout and it can move in and out of their mouth at 160 times per minute or 3 times a second

Some of their throat muscles and other apparatuses are very specialized and give them the ability to flick their tongue really quickly while also making sure their prey can’t escape once the ants and termites are slurped up

Their necks are very thick and have a hump behind their neck

Another thing giant anteaters are known for are the large claws on their feet they use to break into termite and ant mounds

To preserve their front claws, they tuck them into their palms and walk on their knuckles like gorillas do

Their back claws and feet are more similar to bear claws and feet which means giant anteaters use their back feet normally

When threatened and cornered, either by humans or their predators which are pumas and jaguars, giant anteaters rear up on their hind legs and slash at the attacker with their claws

This can cause serious injury or even death

Giant anteaters have stomachs very similar to gizzards found in birds

Inside there are hardened skin folds and the contractions of the stomach help grind up the ants and termites along with ingested sand and soil

They don’t produce their own stomach acid and instead use the formic acid from the ants and termites they eat

It would be really unpleasant to be digested using acid you naturally create

Giant anteaters normally walk at a slow shuffling pace but if they need to, they can gallop at a pace of 30 mph

They can also climb and swim

Habitat

Found in tropical moist forests, dry forests, savannas, and open grasslands

Range includes most of Central and South America, from Honduras to the Gran or Dry Chaco region of South America and they are no longer found in Uruguay, Belize, El Salvador, and Guatemala

Behavior

Giant anteaters can be both diurnal or nocturnal. If there is more human activity around them, then they are nocturnal. If there isn’t a lot of human activity around them, then they are diurnal

When resting, they usually hide in thick brush and dig out a shallow cavity where they sleep with their tail over their head

They are insectivores

Their diet consists of both ants and termites but depending on their habitat and the season, giant anteaters will either eat more ants or more termites

To find the mounds, giant anteaters use their awesome noses to follow the smell of the ants or termites

Once they reach a mound, they rip it open using their massive claws and start licking up the bugs with their long tongue

They typically spend only a minute at each mound to reduce the chances of the ants or termites attacking them

This means they will visit up to 200 mounds per foraging session and eat up to 30,000 ants or termites a day

Giant anteaters get most of their water from the food they eat though sometimes they may dig for water which creates water holes for other animals

They are usually solitary and come together for mating

Their home ranges vary in size from 2.7 sq km to 32.5 sq km but again it depends on where they live

Males can be territorial and may end up fighting other males that wander into their ranges

Females are not very territorial and tolerate other females

Breeding season is usually between March and May but can take place at any time

Males will follow females around if they are in season and will spend several days together and even eat out of the same mounds during that time

Gestation lasts about 190 days and females give birth to usually one pup while standing upright

After birth, the baby will climb on its mother’s back where it will spend a year or so

During this time, the baby will suckle on the nipples found on their mother’s chest for three-six months and then will be weaned at that point

Finally, the baby will leave its mother at two years of age

Giant anteaters communicate through scent marking from their anal glands and also through urine and marks on trees made with their claws

Fun Facts

Related to sloths and armadillos

Their sense of smell is 40 times more powerful than humans

They have one of the lowest body temperatures for mammals at 91 degrees Fahrenheit

They can eat as many as 30,000 ants or termites in one day

They are not immune to ant and termite bites so they only feed on a mound for a short time before moving on

Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_anteater

https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/giant-anteater

https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/giant-anteater

https://stlzoo.org/animals/mammals/anteaters-armadillos-and-sloths/giant-anteater