Habitat
Animals of South America
South America holds the Amazon, the world’s largest rainforest, along with the Andes mountains and wide grasslands. Jaguars, sloths, llamas, anacondas and macaws live here.
82 animals in the library live in South America, from the alpaca to the zebu. Mostly mammals (33), birds (24) and reptiles (8).
A3 animals
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Alpaca
Vicugna pacos
Lives 15-20 years; some reach 25
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Anaconda
Eunectes murinus
Lives about 10 years in the wild; up to 30 in captivity
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Anteater
Myrmecophaga tridactyla (giant anteater); suborder Vermilingua
Lives about 14 years in the wild; mid-20s in captivity
B4 animals
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Bear
Ursidae (family, eight species)
Lives 20-30 years in the wild
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Boa Constrictor
Boa constrictor
Lives 20-30 years; over 40 in captivity
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Bull
Bos taurus
Lives 20-25 years naturally; breeding bulls are usually kept only a few seasons
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Butterfly
Rhopalocera (clade in the order Lepidoptera, about 18,500 species)
Lives about a week to 10 months as an adult, depending on species
C6 animals
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Caecilian
Gymnophiona (order, about 200 species)
Lifespan: Poorly known; over 10 years in captivity
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Cat
Felis catus
Lives 13-17 years indoors, often 20; far less outdoors
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Cattle
Bos taurus
Lives 20-25 years naturally; most farmed cattle live far less
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Chicken
Gallus gallus domesticus
Lives 8-10 years; commercial birds far less
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Cow
Bos taurus
Lives 20-25 years naturally; most dairy cows retire at about 5
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Cuckoo
Cuculidae (common cuckoo: Cuculus canorus)
Lives 4-6 years
D6 animals
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Deer
Cervidae (family, about 50 species)
Lives typically 10-20 years, varies by species
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Dog
Canis familiaris
Lives 7-16 years; small breeds live longest
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Dolphin
Delphinidae and other families (bottlenose: Tursiops truncatus)
Lives 20-60 years; female orcas 80-90
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Donkey
Equus asinus
Lives 30-40 years when well kept; 50 documented
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Dragonfly
Anisoptera (suborder, about 3,000 species)
Lifespan: Years as a nymph; weeks to months as an adult
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Duck
Anatidae: Anas platyrhynchos and about 120 other species
Lives 5-10 years in the wild
E3 animals
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Eagle
Accipitridae (several groups, about 60 species)
Lives 20-30 years in the wild
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Eel
Anguilliformes (order, about 800 species)
Lives 10-20 years; some over 50
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Elephant Seal
Mirounga angustirostris and Mirounga leonina
Lives 14-20 years; males usually less
F4 animals
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Firefly
Lampyridae (big dipper firefly: Photinus pyralis)
Lives 1-2 years in total; only 2-4 weeks as an adult
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Flamingo
Phoenicopteridae (family, six species)
Lives 20-30 years in the wild; much longer in captivity
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Fox
Vulpes and related genera (about 37 species)
Lives 2-5 years in the wild; up to 14 in captivity
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Frog
Anura (order, about 7,500 species)
Lives 2-10 years; some toads over 30
G3 animals
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Goat
Capra hircus
Lives 15-18 years
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Goldfish
Carassius auratus
Lives 10-20 years; record 43
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Guppy
Poecilia reticulata
Lives 1-3 years
H5 animals
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Hare
Lepus (European brown hare: Lepus europaeus)
Lives 3-4 years in the wild; up to 12
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Hen
Gallus gallus domesticus
Lives 8-10 years; commercial laying hens far less
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Horse
Equus caballus
Lives 25-30 years; some into their late 30s
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House Lizard
Hemidactylus frenatus
Lives about 5 years; longer indoors
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Hummingbird
Trochilidae (family, about 360 species)
Lives 3-5 years; some over 10
I3 animals
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Ibis
Threskiornithidae (family, 29 ibis species); figures from the African sacred ibis
Lifespan: Not well documented in the wild
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Iguana
Iguanidae (family); figures from the green iguana, Iguana iguana
Lifespan: Not well documented in the wild
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Isopod
Isopoda (order, over 10,000 species)
Lifespan: Varies widely by species
J1 animal
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Jaguar
Panthera onca
Lives 12-15 years in the wild; over 20 in captivity
K2 animals
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Kingfisher
Alcedinidae, Halcyonidae and Cerylidae (common kingfisher: Alcedo atthis)
Lives 6-10 years
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Kite
Milvus migrans and Milvus milvus, plus related genera
Lives 10-25 years
L1 animal
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Ladybug
Coccinellidae (seven-spot: Coccinella septempunctata)
Lives a few weeks to a year, depending on whether it overwinters
M4 animals
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Macaw
Ara and five other genera (scarlet macaw: Ara macao)
Lives 30-50 years in the wild; 50-80 in captivity
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Manatee
Trichechus (three species)
Lives 50-60 years
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Monkey
Platyrrhini and Cercopithecidae (about 264 species)
Lives 15-30 years, depending on species
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Moth
Lepidoptera, excluding butterflies (about 160,000 species)
Lives a week to a few months as an adult
N1 animal
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Nightjar
Caprimulgidae (family); figures from Caprimulgus europaeus
Lives about 4 years; oldest recorded just over 12
O3 animals
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Otter
Lutrinae (Eurasian otter: Lutra lutra; sea otter: Enhydra lutris)
Lives 8-15 years; sea otter females 15-20
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Owl
Strigiformes (order, about 250 species)
Lives 5-12 years in the wild; 20+ in large species
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Ox
Bos taurus
Lives 15-20 years; often worked for 10-15 of them
P5 animals
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Parrot
Psittaciformes (order, about 400 species)
Lives 15-50 years; large macaws and cockatoos 50-80
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Penguin
Spheniscidae (emperor penguin: Aptenodytes forsteri)
Lives 15-20 years; some reach 30
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Pig
Sus domesticus
Lives 15-20 years; farm pigs far less
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Pigeon
Columba livia (rock dove); family Columbidae
Lives 3-5 years in cities; 15+ for racing birds
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Puma
Puma concolor
Lives 8-13 years in the wild; up to 20 in captivity
Q1 animal
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Quail
Phasianidae and Odontophoridae (about 130 species)
Lives 1-2 years in the wild
R3 animals
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Rabbit
Leporidae: Oryctolagus cuniculus and about 30 other species
Lives 1-2 years in the wild; 8-12 as a well-kept pet
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Rattlesnake
Crotalus and Sistrurus (two genera, about 30-50 species)
Lives 15-20 years or more in the wild
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Rooster
Gallus gallus domesticus
Lives 8-10 years
S8 animals
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Salamander
Caudata (order, about 800 species)
Lives 3-20 years; giant salamanders over 50
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Scorpion
Scorpiones (emperor scorpion: Pandinus imperator)
Lives 3-8 years; some species up to 25
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Sea Lion
Otariinae (subfamily, six species)
Lives 20-30 years
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Seal
Pinnipedia (harbor seal: Phoca vitulina)
Lives 20-30 years; some species 40
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Sheep
Ovis aries
Lives 10-12 years
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Spider
Araneae (garden orb-weaver: Araneus diadematus)
Lives under a year for most; tarantulas 20-30 years
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Squirrel
Sciuridae (family, about 280 species)
Lives 5-10 years in the wild; up to about 20 in captivity
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Swan
Cygnus (mute swan: Cygnus olor)
Lives 10-20 years in the wild; over 25 recorded
T4 animals
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Toad
Bufonidae (true toads, about 600 species); order Anura
Lives 10-12 years in the wild; over 30 in captivity
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Toco Toucan
Ramphastos toco
Lives about 20 years in the wild; over 25 in captivity
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Tortoise
Testudinidae (Galapagos giants: Chelonoidis)
Lives 50-100 years; giants over 150
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Turtle
Testudines (order, about 360 species)
Lives 20-100 years, depending on species
U3 animals
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Uakari
Cacajao calvus
Lives up to about 30 years
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Umbrellabird
Cephalopterus (three species)
Lives 12-20 years
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Upland Sandpiper
Bartramia longicauda
Lives around 8 years; oldest recorded 13
V4 animals
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Vampire Bat
Desmodus rotundus
Lives up to about 12 years in the wild; close to 20 in captivity
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Vicuña
Vicugna vicugna (also classified as Lama vicugna)
Lifespan: Not well documented in the wild
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Viper
Viperidae (family, more than 300 species)
Lifespan: Varies widely by species
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Vulture
Accipitridae (Old World) and Cathartidae (New World)
Lives 20-30 years; some over 50
W2 animals
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Water Buffalo
Bubalus bubalis (domestic); Bubalus arnee (wild)
Lives 20-25 years
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Woodpecker
Picidae (family, about 240 species)
Lives 4-11 years
X2 animals
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X-Ray Fish
Pristella maxillaris
Lives 3-5 years
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Xingu River Ray
Potamotrygon leopoldi
Lifespan: Not established; generation time estimated near 11 years
Z1 animal
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Zebu
Bos indicus
Lives 15-20 years
No animals match those filters.
