Search for Peru
South American rattlesnake
Both feared and respected, often appearing in traditional stories and as a symbol of danger and power
Terciopelo
One of the most well-known and feared snakes in Central and South America
Boat-billed heron
Got its name from its distinctive, boat-shaped bill, which is wider than it is tall
Curl-crested aracari
Beautifully colorful bird with unique curly feathers on its head
Horn shark
Their distinctive “horns,” specialized teeth, and spiral-shaped eggs set them apart from other sharks
White-faced whistling duck
Loud birds with a distinct three-note whistling sound
Lineated woodpecker
With its strong, sharp beak, it’s a master at pecking holes into trees to find tasty bugs hiding inside
Peruvian pelican
Despite its large size and somewhat clumsy appearance on land, it is an exceptionally graceful flier
Green jay
Often seen as a symbol of both curiosity and cleverness
Groove-billed ani
Got a long tail, a big head, and a curved bill with little grooves on it – that’s where its name comes from
Black oystercatcher
Don’t let their name fool you; they actually prefer to eat mussels and limpets rather than oysters!
Barn swallow
Most common and widely distributed swallow globally
Crested caracara
Got the looks of a hawk with the scavenging habits of a vulture
Yellowfin tuna
Popular food fish, prized for its mild flavor and firm texture
Llama
Think of camels, but minus the hump!
Southern lapwing
Fearless defenders of their nests and chicks, often taking on much larger animals or humans if they perceive a threat
Great kiskadee
This bird is a real chatterbox, constantly announcing its presence with its loud, three-part call – “kis-ka-dee!”
Pantropical spotted dolphin
A champion swimmer and a social butterfly of the warm seas
Brown noddy
They bob their heads up and down as they fly, which is actually how they earned the nickname “Noddy”
Burrowing owl
They don’t build their own nests – they cleverly take over burrows abandoned by prairie dogs, ground squirrels, or even tortoises!
Common bottlenose dolphin
Known for their acrobatic leaps, twisting and turning gracefully as they jump completely out of the water
Brown pelican
The smallest of the eight pelican species
Common dolphin
Often seen riding the bow waves of boats or performing acrobatic leaps out of the water
South American leaf-toed gecko
Their toe pads have microscopic hair-like structures called setae, allowing them to stick using van der Waals forces
Andean cock-of-the-rock
Its dramatic appearance and behavior make it a symbol and national bird of Peru
American bullfrog
Introduced to many regions where it is now considered an invasive species
Wattled curassow
Frequently detected through their vocalizations rather than being visually observed
Tucuxi
In Northern Brazil, people sell their body parts as charms for good luck, love, and money
Tiger shark
They eat almost anything that comes their way – you name it, they’ll try to snack on it!
Rusty-tinged antpitta
These elusive birds have a secretive nature, making them a challenge to observe in the wild
White-lipped peccary
They can spend up to two-thirds of their day traveling and feeding
Black-and-chestnut eagle
A magnificent bird of prey, blending into the forest with its striking colors and ruling the skies with its impressive wingspan
Jocotoco antpitta
A hidden gem of forests, blending in with its surroundings and captivating with its elusive presence and melodious song
Lemon-browed flycatcher
Vibrant, melodious charm of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest
Andean night monkey
With its big eyes and soft fur, it is a nocturnal wonder of the South American forests
Royal sunangel
Their beautiful feathers make them stand out among other birds and add a touch of magic to the mountain landscape
Long-whiskered owlet
Instead of hooting like some other owls, it makes a sound that resembles a high-pitched “peep” or a soft whistle
White-bellied spider monkey
With its long limbs, thumbless hands, and graceful movements, this monkey gracefully resembles a spider in the tree canopy
Yellow-tailed woolly monkey
Earned a distinguished spot in the unfortunate ‘endangered elite’: world’s top 25 most endangered primates
Shortfin mako shark
Speed and power embodied, they rule the seas with their sleek bodies and jaw-dropping leaping prowess
Basking shark
Majestic giants of the sea, they peacefully glide through the ocean with mouths agape, filtering the waters for sustenance
Oceanic whitetip shark
Opportunistic predators of the open ocean, their aggressive and persistent feeding behaviour strikes fear into the hearts of their prey
Bull shark
Fearless and formidable, these aggressive predators command respect in the waters they roam
Whale shark
Gentle giants of the sea, with mouths wide open to filter the ocean’s bounty
Great white shark
Majestic ocean predators, embodying power, speed, and precision in their pursuit of prey
Loggerhead sea turtle
One of the largest and strongest sea turtles in the world
Saber-toothed tiger
Despite its name, this animal was not a true tiger, nor was it related to any modern cat
Giant ground sloth
Discover the mystery of a prehistoric giant: an enormous herbivore with powerful claws and a tragic fate
Andean mountain cat
One of the rarest wild cats, until recently, most data about them were collected from 2 photographs, 3 skull samples, and 14 skin samples
Sechuran fox
With its sandy brown fur and bushy tail, it is a master of camouflage in its arid habitat, blending in seamlessly with the landscape
Culpeo
Discover the resourcefulness and adaptability of this cunning fox-like predator that’s mastered life in the rugged high-altitude terrain
Oncilla
Beneath its fierce exterior lies a tender heart, as it is also known for its loving nature toward its young
Margay
These wild cats are cute, intelligent, agile, and well-adapted to inhabiting tropical and subtropical forests
Pampas cat
Survival of the fittest? This cat takes it to a whole new level, always ready to pounce and conquer any habitat
Capybara
Communicate using various vocalizations such as whistles, whinnies, and growls
Anhinga
Their neck vertebrae have a hinge mechanism that allows it to dart its long neck and pierce its prey quickly
Long-tailed weasel
Uses a hunting technique known as the Weasel War Dance that involves a series of frenetic turns, manic twists, and jumps to confuse the prey
Great Tinamou
A large bird with the tiniest heart and the highest percentage of skeletal muscles used for locomotion
Blue-footed booby
When choosing a mate, foot color is of primary importance as a reliable indicator of health, immunity, and age
Blue-and-yellow macaw
The pale yet gorgeous face blushes when this bird is excited, revealing a sensitive and soft heart
Barn owl
The most cosmopolitan of owls with home ranges extending across the globe
Lesser rhea
The cute birds from South America
Scarlet macaw
One of the most colorful birds — effortlessly falls in love
Wilsons storm petrel
This species is found in all world oceans except the north Pacific Ocean
Leachs storm petrel
These petrels stylishly ride the ocean waves like they own the winds
Yellow-throated toucan
Formerly known as Yellow fronted toucan; formerly-formerly known as Chestnut-mandibled toucan
Toco toucan
The largest toucan there is with a long and serrated beak
Red-headed barbet
One of the prime examples of sexual dimorphism
Paradise jacamar
These agile hunters can catch butterflies and dragonflies mid-flight
Red-billed tropicbird
Professional marine forecasters to optimize breeding success and prey availability
Red-tailed tropicbird
They dance along with their gorgeous red tails to attract partners in a faithful courtship
Roseate spoonbill
An easily recognizable bird due to its pink body and spatulate bill
House sparrow
The most widely dispersed wild bird
Scarlet flycatcher
The scarlet ambush hunter
Hoatzin
Only living representative of this order is the hoatzin, found only deep in the Amazon!
Grey-winged trumpeter
Before you ask – no, this bird doesn’t sound like a trumpeter; however, they do have distinct call
Limpkin
They don’t need salt, bamboo sticks, or forks to deshell a snail – they have a well-adapted bill to do the job
American kestrel
The smallest of falcons in the entirety of America, but you would be mistaken to take this bird lightly
Black caracara
The Racoons of the bird kingdom who will eat almost anything to survive
Yellow-headed caracara
A common scavenger bird that cleans up the roads of Central and South America
Red-throated caracara
The largest species of the three species present in the Amazon
Peregrine falcon
At the speed of over 321 km/h (200 mph), this bird outraces a Formula1 car
Sunbittern
The sole member of its entire family and the closest living relative to the Kagu
Rufous motmot
Second-largest and the most spectacular bird of the family
Jabiru
One of the tallest flying birds of Americas
Black-winged stilt
Elegant long-legged wader, common almost worldwide
Arctic tern
This bird can give any cross-country runner a run for their money
Common tern
This bird holds the record of the longest distance flown by any bird in recorded history
Rufous-bellied seedsnipe
They appear out of nowhere and disappear in a blink
King vulture
The most colorful vulture, with the orange cruncle
Andean condor
The largest and heaviest raptor in the world
Oilbird
This nocturnal species lives in caves and uses echolocation to navigate, and yes, it is a bird, not a bat!
Great potoo
These nocturnal birds live in solitary and can peek around even with closed eyes
Rufous-tailed hummingbird
Like many of us, this bird loves coffee and feeds on its flowers
Marvelous spatuletail
Let’s all agree that it’s the most popular and charismatic species of hummingbird that will leave you awe
Sword-billed hummingbird
This introverted species has an unusually large beak, making it unique and different from the rest of hummingbirds
Harpy eagle
The world’s most spectacular and most robust eagle species serves a critical ecological role in the ecosystem they live in
Osprey
One of only six land-birds with a cosmopolitan distribution habituating all continents except Antarctica
Southern elephant seal
The largest member of the order Carnivora, adult males, can be six times larger than polar bears!
South American sea lion
Unfortunately, they are commonly killed for their habits of damaging fishing nets and stealing fish from fishing and farming operations
Juan Fernández fur seal
The population was once thought to be extinct until a group of 200 individuals was found on Juan Fernández islands in the 1960s
Pygmy beaked whale
The most recently described and smallest member of toothed whales –it was only classified as a distinct species in 1991
Amazon river dolphin
Playful, curious, and intelligent; the largest river dolphins in the world
Southern right whale
Most common of right whales, cruising the southern oceans
Amazonian manatee
The unique aspect observed in the species is that they can see or visualize underwater to navigate or avoid obstacles
Hoffmann’s two-toed sloth
Can camouflage itself in trees with the help of algae growth on fur
Linnaeus’s two-toed sloth
The digestion process of tough leaves is very slow; it might even take up to 1 month to digest one meal
Brown-throated sloth
Cute but lazy species harmlessly sleep in the trees for 14 to 16 hours a day
Giant anteater
These specialist predators of termites and ants are not immune to ant bites
Silky anteater
Also known as pygmy anteater, they are the smallest and most adorable of their insect-eating kind
Mountain tapir
The only tapir species found exclusively in the mountains
Brazilian tapir
Flee and dive into the water when facing a predator and remain deep under the water until the predator leaves
Giant armadillo
The largest living armadillo, growing up to 1.5m (5 ft) in length, yet it feeds on tiny termites!
Nine-banded armadillo
Found all over the Americas, it is the most widespread species of all armadillos
Crab-eating raccoon
Despite the common name, they do not feed on crabs exclusively
Western mountain coati
Plays a vital role in controlling the underground invertebrate population as they mainly prey on insects
Kinkajou
Has a spooky nickname, “La Llorona” meaning crying woman in Spanish due to their noisy barks, hisses, and high-pitched squeaks
Tayra
Widespread in tropical and subtropical forests Central and South America
Greater grison
When they move cautiously, they press their body close to the ground and move in a zigzag pattern like a snake
Giant otter
Don’t be fooled by their harmless appearances; they can hunt caiman, piranhas, and anacondas in the wild!
Cougar
The most widespread large mammal of the Americas: from Canada’s Yukon to the Andes in South America
Jaguarundi
Secretive and solitary, inhabiting various habitats of Central and South America
Ocelot
They are picky eaters, often plucking off all the furs or feathers of the prey before start eating them
Jaguar
This solitary cat is America’s largest feline and the world’s third, after the tiger and the lion
Spectacled bear
The last surviving bear species of South America, native to the Andes mountains
Bush dog
First discovered as a fossil in Brazil, before ever witnessed – it was believed to be extinct
Short eared dog
This unique and elusive dog is endemic to the Amazon basin
Maned wolf
With an identity of its own, it’s neither a wolf nor a fox — however, wearing long ears is probably a fashion statement
White-tailed deer
We use our agility and speed to outrun their predators, sprinting up to 48.2km/h (30 mph) and leaping as high as 3m (10 ft)
Collared peccary
Suffering from poorly developed vision, they heavily rely on vocalization to communicate
Vicuña
One of the few wild animals to have been used for obtaining wool without domestication
Guanaco
The largest herbivores of the dry areas of South America
Mantled howler
One of the loudest monkeys in the world!
Black-headed night monkey
Has large eyes to make up for the lack of a reflective eye layer found in many nocturnal mammals for night vision
Pygmy marmoset
Extremely agile and flexible creatures, they could leap up to 4.57m (15 ft) vertically and rotate their head for up to 180 degrees
Yellow-spotted river turtle
These turtles have a dark shells with yellow markings, giving them their name
Mata mata
Second species in this genus only identified in 2020
Leatherback sea turtle
The mysterious diver of the ocean is the largest and only sea turtle without a hard shell and scales
Green iguana
From the US down to Brazil, this trans-American lizard is the most common iguana
Green anaconda
When most people say anaconda, they mean the green anaconda, the largest of all snakes!
Boa constrictor
A small genus of Large snakes, strangling their prey endemic to the Americas
Black caiman
There are a lot of big reptiles, but these caimans are a class of their own!
Spectacled caiman
You might get the worst scare of your life if you see the crimson glow in the eyes of these creatures at night
Cuviers dwarf caiman
A heavily armored small crocodile native to South America
American crocodile
These creatures often ingest stones, aiding food digestion and buoyancy regulation in the water
Ringed caecilian
They do not just look like snakes, but they might also be able to deliver a nasty bite
Mimic poison frog
“Fake it till you make it” is not terrible advice because mimic frogs are killing out there!
Mission golden-eyed tree frog
Golden-eyed frog, Panda treefrog, Blue-milk frog -so many cute names for such a poisonous animal!
Cane toad
When a big one meets a smaller one, it’s lunch!