The Tree runner (Plica umbra) is a pretty species of lizard found in the Amazon. Looking almost chameleon-like, it has a beautiful array of green, tan and brown scales. Male Tree runners have a yellow throat. They are mostly found on branches or tree trunks and they eat ants. A fully grown adult will reach around 22cm in length. Wonderful photo by Ian Paul Markham and information from Brian Crnobrna at Fauna Forever.
The Tangarana Tree (Triplaris americana, Triplaris poepiggiana) is protected by an aggressive species of fire ant (Pseudomyrmex dendroicus). Arturo explains more in this, the first episode of ARCtv. The ants clear an area around the tree which reduces competition for light from nearby plants. They cut leaves and stems of other plants which grow too […]
The Boidae (boas) are a family of nonvenomous snakes found in America, Africa, Europe, Asia, and some Pacific Islands. In Peru, the best known example of this family is the Anaconda, the largest confirmed record of which was measured at 24 feet. Prey is suffocated and not, contrary to popular belief, crushed to death; in […]
The smooth-fronted caiman was first described by the German classicist and naturalist Johann Gottlob Schneider in 1801. The genus name Paleosuchus is derived from the Greek palaios meaning “ancient” and soukhos meaning “crocodile”. This refers to the belief that this crocodile comes from an ancient lineage that diverged from other species of caimans some 30 […]
The squirrel monkeys are New World monkeys. The name of their genus Saimiri (in this case Saimiri boliviensis) is of Tupi origin, and was also used as an English name by early researchers. In this, the 4th episode of Amazon Academy, Natalie Millar gives us an acrobatic presentation of some interesting facts about these very […]
Pound for pound, the weight of all termites in the world is greater than that of all human-beings put together. Termites cannot digest their own food. Instead, within their gut they have colonies of microscopic bacteria and protozoa, and it is these tiny creatures that digest the wood and then excrete carbohydrate, which the termite […]
Howler monkeys (genus Alouatta monotypic in subfamily Alouattinae) are among the largest of the New World monkeys. Fifteen species are currently recognised. Previously classified in the family Cebidae, they are now placed in the family Atelidae. These monkeys are native to South and Central American forests. Threats to howler monkeys include human predation, habitat destruction […]