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Machu Picchu's modern day residents - The Big Picture photography competition: round 150 - Telegraph.
The
condor legend: "Condor Lifts the Sun."
Andean CondorWith an adult wingspan of about 10 – 12 feet, they are the largest flying bird in the world. Their heads are nearly featherless because when feeding on a carcass they stick their head inside the animal to retrieve the meat and having no feathers on their head makes it easy to keep their heads clean.
Due to their relatively large weight they soar on warm air currents. Soaring is the act of controlled falling through the air currents. This type of “flying” is very effortless and energy efficient.
They can fly over 200 miles a day while searching for food. They can live without food for at least a week or two.
The Incas of Peru thought the Condor flew the sun into they sky every morning. They thought it was a messenger to the gods.
Jaguar Legend
The
Jaguar legend: "How the Jaguar Got His Spots." See the videos of jaguar cubs at the bottom of this page.
JaguarJaguars are the largest cats in the Americas. Although jaguars seem to be identical to leopards, there are several ways to distinguish between the two. The coat of the jaguar has larger and darker rosettes in smaller numbers. Leopard rosettes are usually smaller, more faint and more abundant.
South American Indians call the jaguar ‘yaguara’, meaning ‘a beast that kills its prey with one bound’. They are excellent swimmers and love the water. Jaguars and tigers are the only two cats that like to be in water. Jaguar is the only big cat that does not roar.
During the Mayan civilization, the jaguar was thought to communicate between the living and the dead.
Capybaras are jaguar's favorite food but they live as neighbors at the Akron Zoo.
CapybaraCapybaras are the largest rodent in the world. They do not have a tail, their limbs are short and they have partially webbed digits with strong claws. They are very social and gather near water in groups of up to 20 individuals. Capybaras are preyed upon by jaguars, caimen, ocelots, harpy eagles and large snakes such as the anaconda as well as humans that eat them. They go into the water to escape from predators because only their eyes, ears and nostrils show above the water. Capybaras are farmed commercially for meat and leather.
The jaguar legend lives on.
The bat legend: "Bat Lets Out the Dark"
Macaw parrots.
Hyacinth MacawAs the largest parrot in the world, these birds measure about 40 inches and weigh about 2 ¾ pounds. Their predominant color is a deep cobolt blue but they have a golden eye ring and a golden stripe on their lower mandible.
These birds are sold in the pet trade for $7,000 - $10,000. There are only an estimated 2,500 to 5,000 left in the wild.
Snow Leopard
Snow leopard legend: "Snow Leopard Rules the Animals." Leopards in the rain (behind the glass). There is a great attention to details at the Akron Zoo.
Snow LeopardDue to their excellent camouflage, elusive behavior and small numbers snow leopards are rarely seen in the wild. A snow leopard is able to kill prey three times its weight. It has been estimated that there are about 3,500 to 7,000 left in the wild. There are about 600 – 700 in zoos around the world.
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