Ôîðóì » Foreign section » Galliformes and other animals for South America (ïðîäîëæåíèå) » Îòâåòèòü
Galliformes and other animals for South America (ïðîäîëæåíèå)
JOrnitho: Hello! I'm back with ideas for some new species for South America. I found in my computer an archive with some ideas for fauna and flora that I had some time ago and decided to show there to ask your opinion about them. The first is about a descendant of the domestic chicken. [more]Copper jacumitan (Jacumita cuprinus) During the Holocene, the man introduced many species in other continents. The jacumitan is a descendant of domestic chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus) that are introduced in South America. It replaced the birds in the family Cracidae, which are extinct in the Neocene, in some areas. In a matter of fact, the name jacumitan is the junction of the words jacu, the popular name in Brazil for guans of the Genus Penelope, and the tupi word mitã (mitan) that means new, this way the name means “new guan”. The copper jacumitan is the type species of this genus and lives in the savannas and woodlands of Central South America. The copper jacumitan is sexually dysmorphic. The male measure 190 cm, due to the long tail, it has a bright coppery brown upperbody plumage and reddish-brown feathers below. They also have metallic dark green feathers on the tail and wings. Only males have a bright red naked skin on the face, with two wattles that conceal the sides of its head. This characteristic is shared by all males of the genus Jacumita. The males of the genus also have crests formed by white feathers with black tips. During courtship and panic moments, they rise the crests. The females have 75 cm of length and are cryptic brown and adapted to camouflage, its naked skin on the face is pale pink and don’t have flesh wattles. The young males are similar to the females until they reach 9 weeks, at this time the wattle begin to develop. Both sexes have long orange colored legs and grey beak. The males have spurs that they use in fights for dominance. The neck is long and slim. Copper jacumitans can fly, but prefer to run from the predators flying only as last resort. These birds are omnivorous and feed on insects, seeds, and fruits. Its forage for food by scratching the ground, usually near herbivores this way there is other animals observing for the presence of predators. Often the male sits on a high perch, to serve as a lookout for his group. He sounds an alarm call if predators are nearby. At night it will sleep perched on branches. Copper jacumitans are polygamous; the male will have a harem with 5 to 12 females and will guards the area where his females are nesting, and attack other males that enter his territory. To initiate courting, the males will dance in a circle around or near a female, raising their crests and lowering the wing which is closest to the hen. Then, he will vocalize and when she responds to his call, the male will mount her and proceed with the mating. The females make their nest in the ground, laying 6 to 14 red eggs which are incubated for 22 days. Chicks are precocious, leaving the nest shortly they are born. They fledge in about 4 to 5 weeks, and at 13 weeks old are chased out of the group by their mother, at which point the young males start to form a harem and the females join an existing one. Sexual maturity is reached at 6 months and the lifespan of this species is of 13 years, however is common for males to die early due to predation. Other species in the genus Jacumita are: Golden jacumitan (Jacumita aurea) Living in the forests of the Atlantic coast of South America, the males of this species has 200 cm of length, from beak to tail, while the females have 83 cm. The plumage of the male have a bright golden-yellow plumage in the upperparts, being scarlet in the chest and belly. They have dark metallic green wing feathers and tail while the female is cryptic brown. Red jacumitan (Jacumita amazonica) Living in the "terra firme" forests of the Amazon , the males of this species has 185 cm of length, from beak to tail, while females have 70 cm. The plumage of male is bright orange-red in the upperparts, while their chest and belly is yellow. The males also have dark metallic blue wing feathers and tail while the female is cryptic brown. Andean jacumitan (Jacumita andina) Living in the highland forests in the slopes of the Andes, the males of this species has 170 cm of length, from beak to tail, while females have 68 cm. The plumage of the males is white in the upperparts and yellowish-red in the belly and chest. The males also have dark metallic blue wing feathers and tail while the female is cryptic brown. This other one is about a descendant of the californian quail: Common austral grouse (Tetraoinus australis) During the Holocene, the man introduced many exotic species different habitats, the ancestor of the austral grouse was one of these species. Their ancestor was not a true grouse, but the Californian quail, due to evolutionary convergence they acquired characteristics similar to the true grouses of North America. Living in the forests of Southern South America, the male austral grouse are 55 cm long and the female have 44 cm of length. The male have a dark grey body plumage, black-and-white bridled head pattern, black back and a greyish-blue belly. They have a curving crest or plume, made of six feathers that droops forward (long and black in males /short and brown in females) and long forked blackish tail with white undertail coverts. Females and immature birds are mainly greyish-brown with a light-brown belly. Both sexes have a black bill and relatively long grey legs. Their diet consists mainly of seeds and leaves, but they also eat some berries and insects. In some regions their main source of food are the seeds of trees of the Genus Araucaria. These birds are not elegant fliers, however they sleep perched in branches. Given a choice, they will normally escape on foot. During the courtship, the male austral grouse do displays on a lek, each male have a “personal space”. The males strut around their chose space, doing a display. The display consists of the male posturing himself with the head near the ground. Then, they start to move it from right to left showing their crests, simultaneously they raising the tail feathers, showing their withe undertail coverts. After that, they will raise their heads abruptly and whilst make a highly distinctive mating call. When another male invade the personal space of other, a fight happens, in this case the male will try to take of the crest of the rival, this way they will not be capable to display for the females. The female usually lays approximately 12 spotted eggs. The nest is a shallow scrape lined with vegetation on the ground. Incubation lasts from 21–25 days, usually performed by the female and rarely by the male. The chicks are precocial, leaving the nest with their parents within hours of hatching. The male stay with the female until the young leave, with 3 months. The young reach sexual maturity with 1 year, with this age the young males acquire the coloration of an adult male. Their lifespan is of 27 years. In the forests of Tierra del Fuego another species lives, the Black boreal grouse (Tetraoinus nigrus). Their main difference to the other species is that the males have an all-black plumage, with only a faint shade of blue in the chest and brown undertail coverts. The females are similar to that of the common austral grouse. The males have 52 cm and the females 41 cm.[/more] I also have in this archive some names for possible species that I never developed bayond some few facts. Maybe someone could help me make their descriptions.
JOrnitho: wovoka, very good species! I finished some species of Maracaibo gulf, the rest will come later. Can you make the description of the reptiles? Karara (Amplianhinga portentosa) Order:Suliformes Family:Anhingidae Habitat: Northern South America and Caribbean Islands, brackish regions and coastal areas Many species had perished during the transition of the Holocene to the Neocene, but there were many that survived. Among the survivors was the anhinga (Anhinga anhinga), also known as the American darter. This species continued to evolve, giving rise to some descendants. Among them was the Karara, a large water bird that inhabits coastal areas and regions with brackish water of Northeastern South America and Caribbean Islands. In the Carib language, karara means darter and cormorant. The Karara is a large water bird, with a body length ranging from 95 to 105 cm. Their wingspan is 120 cm, but they are very reluctant to fly. This is a result of their reduced sternum and wing chord. Their weight, which ranges from 4 to 7 Kg, also contributes to its weak flying ability. Besides their large size and limited flying ability, the Karara is very similar to its ancestor. The bill is long, having twice the length of the head, sharply pointed, and yellow, and their large webbed feet are yellow as well. The male is a glossy black-blue with the wings, base of wings, and tail a glossy green. The tip of the tail is white. The back of the head and the neck have elongated feathers that are glossy black-purple. The upper back of the body and wings are spotted or streaked with white. The female anhinga is similar to the male except that it has a reddish brown head, neck, and upper chest. The lower chest or breast is a chestnut color, and the back is pale gray. This species feeds on fishes, amphibians, aquatic invertebrates, insects, water snakes and small turtles. They stalk fish underwater, mainly where there is some flora present. Once they locate their prey, they partly open their bill and stab the fish swiftly. For larger fish, they use both their jaws and use the lower jaw on small fish. If the fish is too large to forage, the anhinga stabs it repeatedly and then lets it go. The karara bring their capture to the surface of the water, toss it backwards and engulf it head-first. Like their ancestors, these birds lack uropygial glands, this way their feathers aren’t waterproof. Their feathers get soaked upon immersion in water. Therefore, they cannot stay floating on water for long periods of time. Their dense bones, wetted plumage and neutral buoyancy in water, allows them to fully submerge and search for underwater prey. Kararas stand with wings spread and feathers fanned open in a semicircular shape, facing away from the sun, to dry its feathers and absorb heat. Anhingas lose body heat relatively fast and their posture helps them absorb solar radiation from the sun to counter this. Kararas are monogamous birds and breeds in colonies. Breeding occurs in coastal areas as well as near river deltas. They build stick nests on cliff edges, or on the ground on suitable islands. Up to five chalky, bluish-white eggs are laid. Most pairs lay three eggs, but the mean number hatched is less than two. The eggs soon become nest-stained. Both sexes incubate for about 37 days, and both parents feed the young until around the 15th week. By week 16, they are independent. One brood is raised per year. The karara reaches sexual maturity within 3 years and has a lifespan of 27 years. Karapisuru, or helmeted gallinule (Porphyrio galeatus) Order: Gruiformes Family: Rallidae Habitat: Tropical South America, shallow margins of lakes, rivers, coastal lagoons and marshes' shorelines. The human actions during the Holocene caused the decline of many species. However the species that were resilient enough survived, with their descendants now living in the Neocene. The purple gallinule (Porphyrio martinicus) was one of these survivors, having among its descendants the Karapisuru, the helmeted gallinule. This species inhabits most of Tropical South America, living in shallow margins of lakes, rivers, coastal lagoons and marshes' shorelines. In the Carib language, karapisuru means purple gallinule. The karapisuru is a medium-sized rail, measuring 28–39 cm in length, spanning 53–66 cm across the wings and weighing 143–307 g. The males are slightly heavier than the females. The main characteristic of this species is a prominent, bony, bright red casque, which is present only in the males. An adult karapisuru has purple-turquoise plumage that will become vivid when in good lighting. Adults also have red bills that are connected to their casque. Immature are a brown-bronze color, with purple feathers on the chest, and the bill is pale in color. Young males only develop a casque when they reach sexual maturity. They have long toes that help them walk onto floating vegetation, by distributing their weight across a large surface area. Like their ancestors, these birds also have an anisodactyl toe arrangement that also helps them to cling to plant stems. Adults have bright yellow legs and feet, immatures have brown-yellowish legs and feet, and juveniles have brown legs and feet. When they fly, their legs hang down. They usually fly short distances. They are omnivorous, feeding on a variety of plant and animal matter within their diet. Some of the foods they consume are seeds, leaves and fruits of both aquatic and terrestrial plants, insects, insect larvae, spiders, other invertebrates, frogs, snails, earthworms, and fish. They can also prey upon the eggs and young of other bird species. Karapisurus are mostly monogamous, but there are cases of three birds staying together. In these circumstances, it has the presence of one male and two females, usually one is younger than the other. This species has an elaborate courtship ritual. Both sexes perform the principal display. The display entails the bird standing in a slightly bent forward position, with the neck outstretched. The wings are held at an almost right angle to the body and bent at the wrist, so that the primaries are angled down. Following the principal display, one or both of the birds will strut and cut across the path of the other with half-lowered wings. In the case of the male, it will make a deep bow as he approaches the female. Pairs nest in a large pad of interwoven reed flags, on a mass of floating debris or amongst matted reeds slightly above water level in swamps, clumps of rushes in paddocks or long unkempt grass. Each bird can lay 3–6 speckled eggs, pale yellowish stone to reddish buff, blotched and spotted with reddish brown. The incubation period is 23–27 days, and is performed by both sexes. The precocious chicks are able to leave the nest soon after hatching, but will often remain near the nest for a few days. Young chicks are fed by their parents for between 10–14 days, after which they begin to feed themselves. Sexual maturity is reached with two years and they have a lifespan of 9 years. Sansaparu (Rallus solitarius) Order:Gruiformes Family:Rallidae Habitat:Mangroves and coastal areas of Northern and Northeastern South America. The human actions during the Holocene caused the decline of many species. However the species that were resilient enough survived, with their descendants now living in the Neocene. The clapper rail (Rallus crepitans) was capable of surviving the anthropogenic onslaught and leaving descendants, among them is the sansaparu. This bird inhabits the mangroves and coastal areas of Northern and Northeastern South America. In the Carib language, sansaparu means mangrove rail (Rallus longirostris). The sansaparu is a medium-sized rail, being 25–33 cm long with 48–55 cm of wingspan. Males typically weigh 120–174 g and females are slightly lighter at 102–117 g. Their plumage is grayish blue with a dark brown breast. The underparts are buff with darker bars, and the flank markings are brown and black. Males and females have similar plumage. The bill which curves slightly downwards is bright reddish-orange in males and duller in females. The legs are pale yellow. The juvenile has a blackish crown and a white throat. The underparts are buff with darker bars, and the flank markings are brown and buff, rather than black and white. The undertail is buff, and the eye, bill and leg colors are duller than the adult. The downy chick is all black apart from a mainly white bill. These birds forage near cover, mostly at low tide and during the morning and early evening. They hunt by sight, probing sand and mud, tossing aside leaf litter to expose prey, catching small fish in shallow water, and scavenging dead fish. It has a very diverse diet that includes animal prey such as crustaceans (especially crabs), molluscs, aquatic and terrestrial insects, fish, and amphibians. It also feeds on plant matter such as seeds, berries, and tubers. Sansaparu is monogamous and highly territorial when breeding. They nest during the dry season and outside this period the male and female remain separated, but sharing the same territory. The pair give courting and contact calls throughout the breeding season. The male selects the nest site which he shows to the female while posturing with raised back feathers, wings arched over his back, tail spread and bill pointed vertically downwards. This display is accompanied by a loud call. Before mating, he raises his wings and tail, and bows with his bill touching his breast. The male feeds the female during courtship, then she displays to the male, walking round him, calling softly, rubbing her bill against his and taking short runs to and from him. The nest is made from whatever wetland vegetation is available and built mostly by the male, usually in a single day. It is raised 15 cm or more above the level of the marsh, and is sometimes constructed on clumps of roots, tree stumps or similar support. It may be built up higher if the marsh waters start to rise. The nest is 13–16 cm across and about 7 cm high. It’s well hidden and approached by narrow tracks. The typical clutch is 6–11 eggs. The breeding season can be extended by replacement and second clutches. The eggs are blunt and oval, smooth and slightly glossy with reddish-brown blotches mainly at the broader, sometimes merging into a single patch. Both parents incubate the eggs, although the female takes the larger share of this duty. The eggs are incubated for 22 days to hatch. Food is brought to the nest by the other adult and passed to the sitting parent who feeds the chicks. The precocial, downy young leave the nest within two days of hatching but continue to be fed by their parents, although the chicks also find some of their own food after about five days. They are independent of their parents after 30 days and can fly when aged 8 weeks. If a nest appears to have been discovered, the female may carry the chicks or eggs one by one to another location. The eggs are carried in the bill, but small chicks may be tucked under the wing. Sitting birds may stay on the eggs even when approached closely, attack the intruder, or feign injury as a distraction. The sansaparu can breed after its first year, and it normally raises two broods. The average lifespan of this bird is 8 years. Kaarai (Pelagotachybaptus kaarai) Order:Podicipediformes Family: Podicipedidae Habitat: Coastal regions of Northern South America, Caribbean Islands and the regions around the Gulf of Mexico, foraging in salt water The human actions during the Holocene caused the decline of many species. However the species that were resilient enough survived, with their descendants now living in the Neocene. The least grebe (Tachybaptus dominicus) was capable of surviving the transition of the Holocene and Neocene. The kaarai is its descendant, an inhabitant of the coastal regions of Northern South America, Caribbean Islands and the regions around the Gulf of Mexico, foraging in salt water. In the Wayuu language, kaarai is a word used to name any water bird. The kaarai have 27 to 36 cm of length, with a wingspan ranging from 70 to 85 cm. Both male and female have the same color of plumage. The breeding adult is black above with a light gray crown and throat. It has a white chest and underparts. It shows a brownish wing patch in flight. Non-breeding birds are paler with a whitish throat, and immatures are paler and greyer than adults. The eyes are yellow and legs are light gray. Like all grebes, its legs are set far back on its body and it cannot walk well, though it is an excellent swimmer and diver. Their dark gray beak has a small knob, which stores the gland responsible for removing the salt from the water. This species eats a variety of aquatic life, including small fish, crustaceans and small molluscs. Like all grebes, it pursues much of its prey under water. During active feeding bouts, it spends an average of 17 seconds beneath the surface on each dive, with surface pauses ranging from 7 to 28 seconds. They forage in areas close to the coast, rarely venturing at open sea. The kaarai is monogamous and gregarious when not breeding. It’s common to see flocks of these birds resting together while floating at the surface. They breed throughout the year, with preference for the rainy season. Each pair builds a compact nest of vegetation—typically a variety of aquatic weeds— in crevices in rocky cliffs near the sea and inside hollowed mangrove trees. The female lays three to six white eggs, though the damp nest material soon stains them with brown. Both adults incubate the eggs, which hatch after 21 days. After hatching, the young follow their parents down the cliffs. Their small size, feathery down, and very light weight helps protect them from the fall. The young do not swim well and stay on their parents' backs. Within four weeks they start swimming. When alerted they will climb on the back of a parent, after six weeks they are mature enough to dive under the water like their parents. Both parents share the role of raising the young – both feeding and carrying them on their backs. Sometimes the parents will dive underwater to get food with the chicks on their backs. The young become independent within three months and sexual maturity is reached after two years. Kaarai have a lifespan of 12 years. Yara (Yara cancrivora) Family: Mustelidae Habitat: Brackish and coastal areas of Northern South America, Caribbean Islands and Gulf of Mexico. The anthropogenic onslaught over nature during the Holocene had damaged several ecosystems and brought several species to extinction. The disappearance of humanity gave some respite to the survivors and they continue to evolve, occupying niches completely new. The populations of tayra (Eira barbara) inhabiting the surrounding areas of Lake Maracaibo and the Gulf of Venezuela had gave rise to an aquatic species. This animal is the yara, which shares its name with a siren of the Amazonian folklore and in Tupi it means "the one that lives in the waters". The yaras are medium-sized aquatic mammals that inhabit brackish and coastal areas of the Northern South America, Caribbean Islands and the surrounding regions of the Gulf of Mexico. The males have 150 cm, while the females have 120 cm. The yaras have an elongated body, with a fin layer of fat, which helps the animal to float. Like seals, their paws are modified into flippers, with their hind flippers being bound to the pelvis in such a way that they cannot bring them under their bodies to walk on them.When compared to the body, the animal's foreflippers are relatively short with a slong claw and the hindflippers are slender. Small claws are present at the foreflippers, with a large one present at the forth digit. In the males, these claws have 25 cm of length, while in the females they barely surpass 15 cm. The fur is short and dark brown in the upperparts, with a cream underside. The pups are born with light brown fur and a white underside. They swim by sideways movements of their bodies, using their hind flippers to fullest effect. Because they cannot turn their hind flippers downward, they are very clumsy on land, having to wriggle with their front flippers and abdominal muscles. The yara have a vestigial tail, with only 8 cm. The head is rounded with an extended broad muzzle. The face has relatively large wide-spaced eyes, upward opening nostrils, and long light-colored and smooth whiskers. Unlike true seals, their ears are present, but very reduced. These mammals feed mostly on benthic animals, such as crustaceans and molluscs. They have strong and thick masseter muscles that help them crush exoskeletons and shells. Yaras can remain underwater for at least one hour. Most of their foraging happens at coastal areas during the day, with them being reluctant to hunt at open sea. They can also feed on fish and sea urchins, biting through the underside where the spines are shortest, and licks the soft contents out of the urchin's shell. The yaras will also follow Caribbean algocetus, taking the opportunity to catch benthic animals disturbed by these large herbivores when they are feeding. Male yaras are solitary and nomadic, constantly moving in search of food. When two males meet, they fight fiercely against each other, delivering bites and slaps with their foreflippers. These slaps can result in deep slashes from their long claws. On the other hand, the females form small colonies of close related individuals, usually an older female, her daughters and their cubs. Such groups can have from ten to twenty individuals. Males will visit the groups during the mating season, which starts in late spring and early summer. The female gives birth to only one pup after a gestation of 9 months. The family groups gather in sandbanks and protected beaches where the females give birth. The pups are born with fur, but their eyes and ears are closed. After three weeks they open and they start to interact with the other pups of the group. Within one month, the young follow the mother to learn how to forage at the sea, but they continue suckling. During this period, mothers can be seen floating in calm lagoons during the evening while their pups rest over them. They are totally weaned within 6 months and independent with 8. At this time the males are expelled from the group, while the females remain with their mothers. Females reach sexual maturity with 4 years, while males reach it with 5 years. Yaras have a lifespan of 35 years, but predators take some individuals during an early age. Among their main predators are the sharks.
wovoka: JOrnitho ïèøåò: My area of study at the moment is taxonomy of Oryzomyini rodents, hoping to apply for a Master degree next year. Wish you good luck to apply for a Master degree. Your rodent we will use in one of the chapters. I'll read your descriptions tomorrow. I'm not very good in reptiles, but I'll look what can I do. I've just finished the description of one bird for Maracaibo, but in Russian. https://sivatherium.borda.ru/?1-0-1679788836424-00000181-000-140-0#049
JOrnitho: Finished the description of two more species: Meku, or Swimming capuchin (Cebus natatorius) Order: Primates Family: Cebidae Habitat: Northern South America, mangroves and swamps The anthropogenic onslaught over nature during the Holocene had damaged several ecosystems and brought several species to extinction. The disappearance of humanity gave some respite to the survivors and they continue to evolve. Among the survivors is the white-fronted capuchin (Cebus albifrons). In the Neocene, this species gave rise to the Meku. This word is a Caribbean name of another capuchin monkey, the brown capuchin (Cebus apella). While they have the appearance of any capuchin monkey, the Meku is capable of swimming very well. It’s a result of the presence of webbing on the toes of their hindlimbs. Such a characteristic helps them move and forage in its habitat, the mangrove and swamps of Northern South America. The Meku is a robust and powerfully built capuchin monkey, with rough fur and a long, thick tail. The fur is brownish gray, with the belly being lighter than the rest of the body. They have yellowish brown hands and feet. The front is cream colored. Their face is pink and they have a black wedge-shaped cap which is clearly separated from the lighter forehead. This primate has a head-body length of 33 to 60 cm, a prehensile tail with 39 to 62 cm. Their weight ranges from 1.9 to 4.8 kilograms, with the males generally being larger and heavier than the females. However, their more singular characteristic is the webbing of their hindlimbs. The diet is varied, including fruits, insects, insect larvae, other invertebrates, reptiles such as lizards, birds, bird eggs, small mammals, flowers, nectar, honey, leaves, nuts, palms, stems, seeds and tree frogs. Meku’s swimming abilities aren’t only used to cross water ways, these monkeys will also dive in the water to collect molluscs and crustaceans from the water. After doing it, they will hit these invertebrates against rocks and tree trunks until their shells or exoskeleton are broken. They’ll also jump on the back of barocavias to remove parasites from their fur. The Meku is a diurnal, arboreal primate species, but it often forages on the ground to search for food during the low tide. It’ll also jump off branches and descend into water. It lives in groups of 10 to 25 or more animals. A single group usually contains at least one adult male, but mixed groups with multiple males do also occur. In that case, one of the males is dominant. He accepts only a few monkeys in his direct surroundings, mainly younger animals and a few females. The dominant male and the group members that are close to him have the privilege to eat first in case of food scarcity, while subordinate monkeys have to wait until they are ready. Males are apt to kill the offspring of competing males, especially during power struggles. After a gestation period of 180 days, one young is born, or incidentally a twin. This young is carried on the back of its mother. The mother feeds her child for 9 months, but the young are sexually immature until the seventh year. While the young males are forced out of the group within 3 years, the females are philopatric. Although the rare female can be observed leaving her natal group, dispersal is largely a male phenomenon. When females do leave, they do so gradually, retreating first to the group’s periphery before breaking away entirely. While the Meku have a lifespan of 19 years, they can die early by predation or accidents when jumping from a branch to another. Among its predators are birds of prey in the trees and tapiraiauaras in the water. Tapiraiauara (Nectoprocyon gigas) Order: Carnivora Family: Nectoprocyonidae Habitat: coastal areas and large rivers of Northern South America, from Maracaibo Gulf to the Amazon River. The human actions during the Holocene caused the decline of many species. Among those that suffered were the Crocodilians. These animals could have survived the Cretaceous–Paleogene (K–Pg) extinction event, but the Anthropogenic onslaught had left a great damage on their diversity, with few species surviving. In the Neocene, the niches left by them were filled by animals of different groups. Among these new species is the Tapiraiauara, a large descendant of the crab-eating raccoon (Procyon cancrivorus) that became semi-aquatic. This animal shares its name with a large aquatic and predatory creature of Amazonian folklore. Inhabiting coastal areas and large rivers of Northern South America, from Maracaibo Gulf to the Amazon River, this animal is part of the Family Nectoprocyonidae. Its members are all semi-aquatic mammals and the Tapiraiaura is its largest representative. Males can reach 200 cm of length, while females rarely surpass 180 cm. Their fur is very short, being dark brown in the upperparts and upper side of the tail, while the underpants and underside of the tail are light buff. This species also has faint dark markings around its eyes, a reminiscence of their ancestor. The mammal with the anatomy that is the most similar to that of this animal is the extinct Ambulocetus. Like this archaeocete, the Tapiraiauara have a narrow, streamlined body, and a long, broad snout, with eyes positioned at the very top of its head. Their teeth are robust and are earless, with the entrance of the ear channel visible. This species have a powerful masseter muscle. Their feet are webbed and the tail is long and strong. It swims by tucking in its forelimbs while alternating its hind limbs for propulsion, as well as moving the torso and tail laterally. On land, it walks like a sea lion. Like crocodiles, the Tapiraiauara is an ambush predator. It waits near the water's surface to ambush large animals, using its powerful jaws to clamp onto and drown or thrash prey. Mammals like young barocavias and cabiai-pyinko are among its favorite prey. However, when large terrestrial prey are few, they’ll hunt fish and aquatic birds. Turtles are also consumed, with their shells being crushed by its jaws. Tapiraiauara are solitary and a male can mate with several females. Inside the territory of a male, at least four females can live. They are very territorial, becoming even more during the mating season. During this period, males have brutal fights with one trespasser on the other’s territory. Females have a 12-month reproductive cycle, consisting of a 9-month actual gestation and a 3-month delayed implantation of the fertilized egg before giving birth during spring. They give birth to only one kit in a secluded area among the vegetation near water. The young are born with fur and open eyes, but the ears are partially closed. Within two weeks, they opened completely. After four weeks, they follow their mother in the water. They are weaned after 6 months, but remain in the mother’s territory for another month. Sexual maturity is reached within 3 years and they have a lifespan of 25 years. In the Atlantic mangroves and coastal areas of Central America and Mexico, the lesser Nectoprocyon lives (Nectoprocyon minor). This species has a similar fur color to that of the Tapiraiauara, but is smaller and the underparts are paler. The males have 180 cm of length, while females have 140 cm.
ìåäâåäü: Interesting animal!
wovoka: JOrnitho, very good descriptions!!! Wright, please, that karapisuru means purple gallinule (Porphyrula martinica) in carib language , sansaparu means mangrove rail (Rallus longirostris) in carib language. Could you read my description of Katipirüin https://sivatherium.borda.ru/?1-0-1679788836424-00000181-000-140-0#049 ??? Or I need to translate it English? And about Meku, they can ride barocavias looking for parasites on theirs bodies: And we are waiting for the critical comments of Ìåäâåäü, he always has a lot of good suggestions for improving the descriptions. Ìåäâåäü made an assumption that Serpophaga birds could become more semiaquatical. I propose for General Carrera lake make two species: one like Cinclus birds and it's descendant like mini penguin. What do you think? It may be descendants of Serpophaga nigricans.
JOrnitho: wovoka ïèøåò: Wright, please, that karapisuru means purple gallinule (Porphyrula martinica) in carib language , sansaparu means mangrove rail (Rallus longirostris) in carib language. I'll do it! wovoka ïèøåò: Could you read my description of Katipirüin https://sivatherium.borda.ru/?1-0-1679788836424-00000181-000-140-0#049 ??? Or I need to translate it English? I used the translator of my Internet navigator. It’s a very good description. wovoka ïèøåò: And about Meku, they can ride barocavias looking for parasites on theirs bodies: Good idea! I'll add it in its description. wovoka ïèøåò: Ìåäâåäü made an assumption that Serpophaga birds could become more semiaquatical. I propose for General Carrera lake make two species: one like Cinclus birds and it's descendant like mini penguin. What do you think? It may be descendants of Serpophaga nigricans. Rather than it being like a mini penguin, maybe it could be like a tiny auk. They could use their wings like the alcids do.
wovoka: JOrnitho ïèøåò: tiny auk Ok and if we do such a mini penguin in Fagnano Lake in Big Island of the Land of Fire? The semiaquatic descendants of Serpophaga nigricans could migrate there. I think it's a very cool idea!
JOrnitho: wovoka ïèøåò: Ok and if we do such a mini penguin in Fagnano Lake in Big Island of the Land of Fire? The semiaquatic descendants of Serpophaga nigricans could migrate there. I think it's a very cool idea! I like it! They could migrate to the coastal lagoons of South America during the winter.
wovoka: Some day we will also make bestiary of Fagnano Lake And tomorrow I want to began making bestiary for the chapter about microwolfs. I think that for you as rodentologist it will be the most interesting. But let think: it will be in Peninsula South Panama; Peninsula North Panama; or may be in Nicaragua (it may be: the shores of Lake Nicaragua; North central highlands (subtropical highlands); Caribbean lowlands (large rainforest region)? What do yo prefer? Chosing the territory, we choose the climate, flora and fauna, lifestyle and nutrition of animals, etc.
JOrnitho: wovoka ïèøåò: But let think: it will be in Peninsula South Panama; Peninsula North Panama; or may be in Nicaragua (it may be: the shores of Lake Nicaragua; North central highlands (subtropical highlands); Caribbean lowlands (large rainforest region)? What do yo prefer? Chosing the territory, we choose the climate, flora and fauna, lifestyle and nutrition of animals, etc. I would like to make it in North Panama. What do you think of a large tapir living there? It could be a relative of tapirotherium, but more simialr to the extinct astrapotheriids.
ìåäâåäü: And we are waiting for the critical comments of Ìåäâåäü, he always has a lot of good suggestions for improving the descriptions. I have read that crocodilians may have lost their ancestral ectothermy as an adaptation for ambush hunting, which includes the possibility of being without food for a long time. I do not know how Ambulocetus avoided these problems, but I think we sholuld think more... Maybe in will also eat a lot of fish, as modern crocodilians often do.
JOrnitho: ìåäâåäü ïèøåò: I have read that crocodilians may have lost their ancestral ectothermy as an adaptation for ambush hunting, which includes the possibility of being without food for a long time. I do not know how Ambulocetus avoided these problems, but I think we sholuld think more... Maybe in will also eat a lot of fish, as modern crocodilians often do. Maybe the Tapiraiauara could be an opportunist ambush hunter, not being totally dependent of it by hunting fishes and other aquatic animals. If we make its jaw more stronger to crush, it could even hunt turtles.
wovoka: But why not combine the opportunity to eat fish, aquatic animals and "chew" turtles "together with the shell" (the last phrase is the joke, as you understand).
JOrnitho: wovoka ïèøåò: But why not combine the opportunity to eat fish, aquatic animals and "chew" turtles "together with the shell" (the last phrase is the joke, as you understand). I'll edit the Tapiraiauara's profile with this new characteristics. What do you think of the astrapotheriid-like tapir?
ìåäâåäü: I'll edit the Tapiraiauara's profile with this new characteristics. Now it is much better!
JOrnitho: More two descriptions for Maracaibo gulf: Ai-Karala (Podilymbus noctivagus) Order:Podicipediformes Family: Podicipedidae Habitat: Tropical South America, from freshwater reservoirs to brackish areas. The human actions during the Holocene caused the decline of many species. However the species that were resilient enough survived, with their descendants now living in the Neocene. The pied-billed grebe (Podilymbus podiceps) was one of these survivors. It gave rise to the Ai-Karala, an inhabitant of freshwater reservoirs and brackish areas of Tropical South America. In the Wayuu language, ai means night and karala is used to name water birds. The Ai-Karala are small, stocky, and short-necked. They are 32–40 cm in length, with a wingspan of 55–72 cm and weigh 260–580 g. They are dark brown, with a brown crown and back. Their color serves as camouflage in the vegetation of the areas thag they live in. Their undertail is white and they have a short, blunt chicken-like bill that is bright yellow in color, which during the nesting season is encircled by a broad black band. There is no sexual dimorphism. Juveniles have black and white stripes and look more like adults outside nesting season. Like their ancestors, they don't have webbed feet. Its toes have lobes that come out of the side of each toe. These lobes allow for easy paddling. When flying, the feet appear behind the body due to the feet's placement in the far back of the body. Because of the feet placement, they are not able to walk on land. Being a nocturnal species, the Ai-Karala have large eyes with tapetum lucidum covering it. These birds rarely fly, preferring to make a slow dive frequently, especially when in danger. They dive for about 30 seconds and may move to a more secluded area of the water, allowing only the head to be visible to watch the danger dissipate This species feeds mainly on aquatic invertebrates, and also on small fish and amphibians. They dive to obtain food. Their bills allow them to crush crustaceans, like crawfish. They may also eat plants. They have been shown to eat their own feathers, like other grebes, to aid in digestion and prevent injury from small bones. They'll also feed their feathers to their young. They forage during the night and rest among the reeds and riverine vegetation during the day. The Ai-Karala is monogamous and lives in pairs even when not breeding. These birds can breed two times per year, with the female laying three to ten bluish white smooth elliptical eggs. The nest is a floating platform built hidden among the aquatic vegetation. They are incubated for around 23 days by both parents, with the female taking over incubation duties towards the end of that time period. They will cover the nest with nesting material if they have to leave it for an extended period of time. Young grebes may leave the nest within one day of hatching. They are downy at birth. Yellow skin is seen between the lore and top of the head. They do not swim well and stay out of the water. They sleep on their parents' backs. Within four weeks they start swimming. When alerted they will climb on the back of one of the parents and eventually mature to dive under the water like their parents. Both parents share the role of raising the young – both feeding and carrying them on their backs. Sometimes the parents will dive underwater to get food with the chicks on their backs. The young become independent within 3 months, but sexual maturity is only reached within 13 months. Ai-Karala have a lifespan of 14 years. Cabiai-pyinko, hog-nosed giant cavy (Caviscrofa palustris) Order: Rodentia Family: Caviidae Habitat: Northern South America, marshlands and forests. The anthropogenic onslaught over nature during the Holocene had damaged several ecosystems and brought several species to extinction. The disappearance of humanity gave some respite to the survivors and they continued to evolve. The Brazilian guinea pig (Cavia aparea) was able to survive and in the Neocene it gave rise to the cabiai-pyinko. This name is formed by two words of Caribbean language: cabiai - cavy and pyinko - white-lipped peccary. It inhabits Northern South America, marshlands and forests. The cabiai-pyinko grow to 106 to 134 cm in length, stand 50 to 62 cm tall at the shoulders, and typically weigh 35 to 66 kg. The dorsal fur is dark olive-brown mixed with brown and black, and the underparts are yellowish-gray. They have a characteristic prolonged nose into a distinct "snout", naked on the top and sides and evidently used for rooting in the ground. Their eyes and ears are near the top of their heads, such characteristic helps and partially webbed feet help these animals spend part of their lives in the water. When in danger, they'll swim to escape. This species is a herbivore and feeds on grasses, roots, tubers and other herbs. It is diurnal, mainly emerging in the early morning to forage and again in the evening. It uses their pig-like snout to remove the ground in search of roots and tubers. Living close to water, the cabiai-pyinko also eat water plants. The cabiai-pyinko is gregarious. While they sometimes live solitarily, they are more commonly found in groups of around 10–20 individuals, with two to four adult males, four to seven adult females, and the remainder juveniles. When in estrus, the female's scent changes subtly and nearby males begin pursuit. In addition, a female alerts males she is in estrus by by barking like a dog. During mating, the female has the advantage and mating choice. Dominant males are highly protective of the females, but they usually cannot prevent some of the subordinates from copulating. The larger the group, the harder it is for the male to watch all the females. Dominant males secure significantly more matings than each subordinate, but subordinate males, as a class, are responsible for more matings than each dominant male. Their gestation is 100 days, and produces a litter of four young on average, but may produce between one and eight in a single litter. Birth is on a den made of dried grasses and the female rejoins the group within a few hours of delivering the newborn, which join the group as soon as they are mobile. Within a week, the young can eat grass, but continue to suckle until weaned around 16 weeks. The young form a group within the main group. Sexual maturity is reached with 9 months and this species have a lifespan of 15 years.
ëÿãóøêà: Good and realistic animals!
ìåäâåäü: Interesting animals!
wovoka: Very good animals! So I'm waiting for Awaruwape, Warulapai, Kotooro, Kàwiriri, Teitei, Cyculi (???), Kusa. And i should describe Arakaka, Sakompo, Asakaimo. May be Tarekaja - the smaller subspecies of Atlantic bat turtle JOrnitho ïèøåò: What do you think of the astrapotheriid-like tapir? May be it will live in the region of North Columbia were a lot of swamps-lakes (cienagas) along the banks of River Magdalena: from Ciénaga Grande De Santa Marta to Cienaga De Ayapel, especially such great as Cienaga Candelaria Rincon Avisperos, Cienaga Mogua, Cienega Grande and others. [url=https://www.google.com/maps/@9.1785362,-74.8349482,8z]https://www.google.com/maps/@9.1785362,-74.8349482,8z[/url]
JOrnitho: wovoka ïèøåò: Arakaka What do you think of it being a large (150-200 cm) river turtle? I had this idea after reading about the Stupendemys in the Pebas Mega-Wetlands. wovoka ïèøåò: May be it will live in the region of North Columbia were a lot of swamps-lakes (cienagas) along the banks of River Magdalena: from Ciénaga Grande De Santa Marta to Cienaga De Ayapel, especially such great as Cienaga Candelaria Rincon Avisperos, Cienaga Mogua, Cienega Grande and others. Yes. I was also thinking that it could have some species inhabiting Central America and perhaps Mexico
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