Capybaras, llamas, toucans, and other
lovely animals.
1.
The three-toed sloth
Damocean
/ Getty Images
Because these creatures move so slowly algae grows on them, giving their fur coat a greenish hue that serves as
camouflage in the woods. From feeding to mating to sleeping, they spend
virtually all of their time in trees. Oh, and they sleep for around 15 to 20
hours a day, which is fantastic.
2.
The Brazilian tapir (aka the South American tapir)
Artush /
Getty Images
Tapirs are an old animal that has been
around for millions
of years, yet you may
have never seen one! They have the most in common with horses and rhinos. Aside
from sensing scents, their mini-trunks may be utilized as a snorkel when
submerged and for collecting leaves and fruits to consume. For concealment,
baby tapirs always have striped and speckled coats (d'awwww).
3.
The margay
Artush /
Getty Images
The margay, commonly known as the tiger cat is a nocturnal and solitary
species. Other than the fact that it dwells in thick woods nothing is known
about it. It resembles an ocelot (also endemic to Latin America), but has a
longer tail and a broader face. Also, it would like it if you did not refer to
it as "kitty," since it is a true wild cat, thank you very much.
4.
The burrowing owl
Stockimages_at
/ Getty Images
They are the only species of tiny owl that
perches on the ground. When alarmed, they frequently run or flatten themselves
against the ground rather than flying away. Burrowing owls, unlike most other
owls, are diurnal, meaning they are more active
during the day. Because of their big, cartoonish eyes, you'll recognize one
immediately away.
5.
The capybara
Elodie
Gaillard / Getty Images
The capybara, dubbed "the chillest
mammal ever," gets along nicely with other animals. It's common to observe
it riding birds on its back because well, why not? The capybara is a rodent that is related to cavies and
guinea pigs.
6.
The pigmy marmoset
Gaschwald
/ Getty Images
It's one of the world's tiniest monkeys,
fitting comfortably into a human palm and weighing as much as a baseball. But
don't try to pick one up in your hand – they have razor-sharp claws (which come
in useful when climbing trees)! They lack opposable
thumbs, unlike other ape
species.
7.
The guanaco
Encrier /
Getty Images
The guanaco belongs to the camel family,
although it lacks the humps. Consider them the llamas' and alpacas' wild
relatives. They spit when annoyed, so don't get in a guanaco's face.
8.
The spectacled bear (aka the Andean bear)
Chameleon335
/ Getty Images
The spectacled bear is South America's
sole surviving bear species. Their name is derived from the light colored fur
that encircles their eyes, giving them the illusion of wearing glasses (they
are cultural bears, after all). They don't
hibernate like
other bears since they live in a tropical climate.
9.
The agouti
Yana_n /
Getty Images
The agouti is a rodent with the
appearance of a big guinea pig with a teeny, tiny lil' tail. Its greasy hair is
more slicked back than Danny Zuko's from Grease, and it's one of the few
mammals capable of cracking open the tough outer shell of a Brazil
nut.
10.
The Andean flamingo
Smallcoot
/ Getty Images
The Andean flamingo is distinct from
other flamingos; it is a cool flamingo (although, arguably all flamingos are
pretty cool). It is distinguished from other species by a black triangle on its
back. Unfortunately, it is also the rarest species of flamingo making it endangered. In addition to the Andean flamingo,
the Chilean and puna flamingos may be found in Latin America.
11.
The southern tamandua
Pablo_rodriguez_merkel
/ Getty Images
The tamandua looks like a very adorable
anteater and eats like an anteater, but unlike an anteater, it lives in trees.
Tamanduas are rather awkward on the ground since they must walk on the outside of their feet to
prevent being harmed by their claws. (I'm sure every tamandua will cry when
they see the movie Edward Scissorhands.) Fun fact: their tails have no fur on
the underside, which helps them to hold tree branches more securely as they
travel through the trees.
12.
The golden lion tamarin
Enjoylife2
/ Getty Images
With their thick manes, these small yet
magnificent monkeys, sometimes known as the
golden marmoset, resemble little lions.
Male golden lion tamarins help to nurture their young and frequently carry the
infants on their backs in between feedings (D'AWW) Tamarin young are generally
twins, which is a fun fact. Not
so fun fact: golden lion
tamarins were critically endangered in the 1970s, with as few as 200 remaining
in the wild. They were upgraded from severely endangered to endanger in 2003 as
a result of conservation efforts.
13.
The toco toucan
Kynny /
Getty Images
When you think of a well-known bird, the
toco toucan comes to mind (lol, don't hate me). Even if you've never seen a
toucan in person, you've almost certainly seen one on a package of Fruit Loops.
People are still puzzled as to why toucans have such large and
colorful bills, although
they are undoubtedly beneficial for obtaining food. These birds are
intelligent, lively, and just beautiful to look at.
14.
The southern three-banded armadillo
Ivan
Kuzmin / Getty Images
This is the only armadillo species that
can roll up into a complete ball (which protects them from predators and thorny vegetation). I wouldn't
be shocked if he was the idea for the Pokémon Sandshrew.
15.
The South American sea lion
Makingsauce
/ Getty Images
South American sea lions may be described
in one word: that. They have large necks, heads, and an upturned snout. The
males are about nine feet long and weigh around 800
pounds. They're
especially adorable when they're having a long snooze.
16.
The Patagonian mara
Foto4440
/ Getty Images
At first sight, one of these herbivorous
rodents may be mistaken for a jackrabbit. However, this four-legged companion
is also known as a Patagonian mara, a Patagonian cavy, a Patagonian hare, or a
delay. Patagonia maras travel
in mated pairs, so
they're never alone.
17.
The macaw
redchanka
/ Getty Images
Macaws are enormous, colorful members of
the parrot family (pictured above is the hyacinth macaw, the largest of all
parrots, with a wingspan of more than four feet). They're quite intelligent,
and certain kinds can mimic human speech. These affectionate birds mate for life. They not only reproduce with their partners, but they also share food
and groom each other. And that's all you can ask for in an S.O.!
18.
The tapeti (aka the Brazilian cottontail)
Leomercon
/ Getty Images
The tapeti is a small to medium-sized rabbit found
from southern Mexico to northern Argentina. There's not much else to say about
them except that they're adorable.
19.
The llama
Uwe-bergwitz
/ Getty Images
You're not alone if you've been in love
with llamas since The Emperor's New Groove. This tamed camelid lacks humps but
it has a lot of attitudes (as you can see from the picture above). While it is
generally content to be a pack animal, assisting in the transport of big goods
over great distances, if a llama is overloaded, it will simply refuse to move. They'll lie down on the ground and spit, hiss, or even
kick at their owners until their load is lifted.
20.
The kinkajou
Kevin
Wells / Getty Images
Kinkajous have no resemblance to Winnie
the Pooh, yet it is known as the honey bear because it adores honey. This cutie isn't linked to bears or monkeys;
it's connected to raccoons (guess you didn't see that one coming). Kinkajous
are known as "nightwalkers" in Belize because they are nocturnal.
21.
The red brocket
Flavio
Vallenari / Getty Images
"Is that you, Bambi?" When you
see a red brocket, you'll know it's you. Red brockets may be found across South
America from southern
Mexico to northern Argentina (whereas Bambi is probably from Canada). We don't know much about them
because they're a pretty elusive species, but one thing is certain: they're
incredibly cute!
22.
The Panamanian golden frog
Poetrygirl128
/ Getty Images
Its distinctive golden color is
effectively saying to predators, "Don't come at me, I'm VERY
toxic!!!" They are most
toxic Atelopus species , with enough toxin in a single individual to kill 1,200 mice. Toxins
are obtained by these beautiful (but lethal) frogs from the insects they
consume in the wild. As a result, as tempting as it may be to pet them, do not
do so. Unfortunately, they are severely endangered, so the odds of seeing one
in the wild are quite small.
23.
The peccary
Juan_algar
/ Getty Images
I'm sure a peccary would be irritated if
you called it a pig. That's because they're from a whole other species. The
peccary also wants you to know that it is extremely intelligent. According to
experts, their intelligence is comparable to that of a dog,
dolphin, or elephant.
24.
The blue-footed booby
USO /
Getty Images
Instead of penguins, I feel Happy Feet
should have featured blue-footed boobies. Their beautiful blue feet are also
employed in mating rituals where male birds dance and show off their feet. The more beautiful the
partner, the bluer the feet.
25.
The alpaca
Guenterguni
/ Getty Images
These tamed vicuna cousins are coated in
an extremely silky fleece that is practically devoid of guard hair and comes in
a range of colors. Because alpaca hair is incredibly soft fleece, it is a favorite material for
high-end clothing. Alpacas have kind spirits and are far less likely to spit in
your face than guanacos or llamas.
26.
The coati
Filippo
Carlot / Getty Images
The coati resembles a raccoon and is, in
fact, related to the raccoon. Unlike its nocturnal cousin, the coati likes to have fun
in the sun. It enjoys eating, so you'll most often see it munching on insects,
fruit, rodents, lizards, or tiny snakes.
27.
The long-tailed chinchilla
Janugio /
Getty Images
Long-tailed chinchillas are the softest
little furballs you'll ever come across. In fact, their fur is so thick that 60
hairs can grow out of one follicle. This large garment keeps them warm at high altitudes in the Andes.
Unfortunately, wild chinchillas are currently endangered owing to poaching –
their fur pelts are in high demand. They are also subjected to severe habitat
loss and degradation in habitat quality.
28.
The axolotl (aka Mexican walking fish)
Argument
/ Getty Images
The axolotl is a unique salamander that
keeps its larval features throughout its adult life (so it vaguely resembles a tadpole). It
almost seems like it has a baby face! They, unlike other salamanders, spend
their whole lives submerged. In *extremely* rare cases, an axolotl will achieve
full adulthood and go onto land. Unfortunately, axolotls are highly endangered
and can only be found in Mexico City at Lake Xochimilco.
29.
The spider monkey
Webguzs /
Getty Images
These slender and agile monkeys don't have thumbs, but they do have long limbs, fingers, and tails that allow them to swing from tree to tree easily. They're frequently found dangling from branches, clinging to them only with their tails (which gives them a spider-like appearance). Their light-colored.
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