Amazon Rainforest Animals

Amazon Rainforest Animals make up the highest numbers of species in any ecosystem in the world.

This makes it sound like the life of these animals is easy, but it's not - there is lots of competition and struggle for survival.


Insects

Firstly, there are millions of species of insects amongst Amazon rainforest animals, including some beautiful colourful butterflies, giant beetles and cockroaches, and praying mantids.
 
amazon insect

Amphibians

There are also many species of amphibians such as salamanders and frogs, including poison dart frogs, glass frogs, warty-skinned toads and surinam toads. 
 
amazon frog

Reptiles

Reptiles include snakes like anacondas, boa constrictors, bushmasters, fer-de-lances,and pit vipers; lizards like anolis lizards, turnip-tailed geckos and tegu (Tupinambis teguixin); tortoises and turtles such as taricayans, arraus and yellow-footed tortoises; and crocodiles such as black caiman (Melanosuchus niger) and common spectacled caiman (Caiman crocodilus).

amazon snake

Mammals

Some classic mammals amongst Amazon rainforest animals are armadillos (Dasypodidae); sloths such as three-toed (Bradypus sp.) and two-toed sloths (Choloepus sp.); anteaters such as giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla), pygmy anteater (Cyclopes didactylus), and southern and northern tamandua (Tamandua tetradactyla and Tamandua mexicana); odd-toed ungulates such as Brazilian tapir (Tapirus terrestris), and even-toed ungulates such as deer (Cervidae) and peccaries (Tayassuidae).

amazon sloth

Primates

Primates include marmosets and tamarins (Callitrichidae), Coeldi's monkeys (Callimiconidae), and true monkeys (Cebidae) such as night monkeys (Aotus sp), squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sp), dusky titi monkeys (Callicebus moloch), woolly monkeys (Lagothrix sp), spider monkeys (Ateles sp), howler monkeys (Alouatta sp), saki monkeys (Pithecia sp) and capuchin monkeys (Cebus sp).

amazon monkey

Bats and Rodents

There are also many species of bats (Chiroptera), such as long-nosed bat (Rhynchonycteris naso), fringe-lipped bats (Trachops cirrhosus), round-eared bats (Tonatia bidens), greater bulldog bats (Noctilio leporinus) and the infamous vampire bats (Desmodus rotundus).



Rodents (Rodentiae) include porcupines (Erethizontidae), Amazon bamboo rats (Dactylomys dactylinus), water-and-crab-eating rats (Ichtyomys sp), spiny mice (Neacomys sp), squirrels (Sciurus sp), water rats (Nectomys sp), rice rats (Oryzomys sp), climbing rats (Rhipidomys sp), capybaras (Hydrochaeris hydrochaeris) and pygmy rice rats (Oligoryzomys sp).

capybara

Carnivorous Amazon Rainforest Animals 

And finally, of course, there are many carnivores amongst the mammals. Cats (Felidae) include jaguars (Panthera onca), pumas (Puma concolor), jaguarundi (Herpailurus yaguarondi), oncillas (Felis tiogrina), margay (Leopardus wiedii) and ocelots (Leopardus pardalis). Dogs (Canidae) include short-eared dog (Atelocynus microtis) and bush dog (Speothos venaticus)Weasels (Mustelidae) include tayra (Eira barbara), grison (Galictis vittata), giant otter (Pteronura brasiliensis) and neotropical or river otter (Lontra longicaudis). Raccoons (Procyonidae) include olingo (Bassaricyon sp), kinkajou (Potos flavus) and South American coati (Nasua nasua). There is only one species of bears (Ursidae) - the Andean bear or spectacled bear, Tremarctos ornatus


amazon jaguar


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