tb brazil

The toco toucan

The Toco Toucan is a brazilian bird.

The Toco Toucan is also known as Ramphostos Toco. These elegant birds thrive in southern and eastern Brazil. The Toco Toucans are scientifically classified in piciformes order, in the Ramphastos Gerus.

The Toco toucan is the most widely recognized species of toucan, it has a large black-tipped orangey-yellow bill and a black bodied plumage with a white throat. Toucans are one of the nosier jungle birds. They live for up to 20 years, and their predators include Jaguars and other big cats.

The Toco Toucan

The Three Toed Sloth

The three-toed sloth is arboreal (tree-dwelling), with a body adapted to hang by its limbs; the large curved claws help the sloth to keep a strong grip on tree branches. It lives high in the canopy but descends once a week to defecate on the forest floor. Sloths sleep in trees – some 15 to 20 hours every day.

The Three Toed Sloth

Piranha

A piranha is a unique freshwater fish famous for robust jaws and sharp teeth. Piranha scientifically belongs to Chordata Phylum, of the Serrasalmidae family. Piranhas are 5 to 14 inches long. The unique characteristic is the strong biting ability due to the dentition of single row of teeth on each jaw. The teeth interlock making piranhas have the strongest biting ability among bony fish. Some species like the Pygocentrus nattereri are ferocious predators since they hunt in schools. Piranhas are also omnivorous. Theodore Roosevelt, an American President visited Brazil in 1913 and witnessed the viciousness of the Piranha along the Amazon river. Starved piranhas ate up a cow to the skeleton. Reproduction is by laying of eggs in holes.

Piranha

Poison Dart Frog

As the name suggests most of the species have toxicity which makes them aposematic. They secrete toxic lipophilic alkaloids through their skin. The alkaloids are chemical defense toxins that protect them from predators. A Poison dart frog is between 0.59 and 2.4 inches long though in some ecosystems can be longer. Dart frogs are aposematic creatures with the bright coloration that make them unpalatable to predators. Reproduction is by laying eggs which hatch to tadpoles which eventually metamorphoses to adults. The natural habitat in Brazil is tropical and subtropical regions, lowland forests, freshwater marshes and swamps.

Poison Dart Frog

Golden Lion Tamarin

Golden lion tamarin is a species found in southeastern Brazil. The name is derived from the bright reddish-orange pelage and long hair that covers the face and ears. The beautiful lion-like mane makes them distinctively unique from other primates. The face is usually dark and hairless. An adult can be 10.3 inches in height and weigh up to 620 grams. They have tegulae meaning their nails are claw-like hence assist them to cling to tree trunks. In Brazil, most tamarins are confined in the tropical rain forest in southeastern Region. The omnivorous animals have a monogamous mating pattern. The gestation period is four months. Golden Lion Tamarins give birth to twins though triplets and quadruplets can be born.

Golden Lion Tamarin

Jaguar

A jaguar is classified among the largest cat species that thrive in the wild in Brazil. They resemble a leopard but are slightly bigger and sturdier. Jaguars live on land but enjoy swimming. The carnivores have a tawny yellow coat which has spots with the ventral areas being white. Camouflage is enhanced by the rosettes on the fur. Their weight and size vary considerably but increases as one moves south. On average an adult will weigh 96 kilograms, be 6.1 feet long and 30 inches in height. As an apex predator, the jaguar is at the top of the food chain hence not preyed on by any other animal. The gestation period is 93 and 105 days after which up to 4 blind cubs can be born. They gain sight two weeks after birth and live with the mother until they gain own territory. In Brazil, jaguars can be found in Xingu National Park, Amazon basin and northern Cerrado.

Jaguar

Yacara Caiman

Yacara caiman is scientifically classified in Reptilia class in the Crocodilia order. An adult Yacara caiman is between 6.6 and 8.2 feet long and can have a body weight of up to 58 kilograms in males and 23 kilograms in females. Diet consists of small fish, reptiles and smaller mammals. Yacara caiman is prey for anaconda and jaguar. Habitat is mainly in water but will occasionally come to land for sunshine and reproduction. It is estimated that there are over 10 million Yacare caimans in Brazil making the country home to the highest number of a single crocodilian species in the world. In Brazil, they inhabit the southwest and central regions.

Yacara Caiman

1980's

1980