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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.
wovoka: JOrnitho ïèøåò: Do you think that the Alouatta could survive? I don't know, Alouatta guariba that live in Atlantic forest is vulnerable, Alouatta caraya that is live closely is near threatened. May be the last one has chance to survive only in eucalyptus forest. JOrnitho ïèøåò: Or we should have it being descendant of a capuchin monkey? Sapajus nigritus that live in Atlantic forest also near threatened. So better let it be Alouatta caraya. JOrnitho ïèøåò: The chapter needs a terrestrial predator. We could fill one of these three with a large one. May be it will be giant mongoose that could climb on the trees? And also we need big bird predator. Who it will be?
JOrnitho: wovoka ïèøåò: May be it will be giant mongoose that could climb on the trees? Interesting. It could be capable of hunting monkeys in the tree canopy. wovoka ïèøåò: And also we need big bird predator. Who it will be? It could be the descendant of some species of falcon.
wovoka: JOrnitho ïèøåò: It could be the descendant of some species of falcon. It can be Falco peregrinus but very big even may be like Hieraaetus moorei or a bit smaller. or it can be other bird predator Elanus leucurus (it's hunting on opossums) we can make him like Hieraaetus moorei. Also we can have nocturnal bird predator Falco rufigularis. Or it can be collective big hunters Parabuteo unicinctus. But it will be more cool to make them hunting with flocks on Akutituicha herds. Or we can describe him for some other chapter hunting with flocks on deermaras.
JOrnitho: wovoka ïèøåò: or it can be other bird predator Elanus leucurus (it's hunting on opossums) we can make him like Hieraaetus moorei. I think that Elanus leucurus could be a better ancestor. wovoka ïèøåò: Also we can have nocturnal bird predator Falco rufigularis. A owl would be better to hunt in the night. Strigiformes are still around and can fill the niche of large nocturnal predators. wovoka ïèøåò: Or it can be collective big hunters Parabuteo unicinctus. But it will be more cool to make them hunting with flocks on Akutituicha herds. Or we can describe him for some other chapter hunting with flocks on deermaras. It would be better in another chapter.
wovoka: JOrnitho ïèøåò: I think that Elanus leucurus could be a better ancestor. JOrnitho ïèøåò: A owl would be better to hunt in the night. Strigiformes are still around and can fill the niche of large nocturnal predators. We can take Bubo virginianus subsp. nacurutu and make him very big for the description of the night time in eucalyptus forest. And this will be the last species of the chapter. We can't add anyone else in the bestiary. JOrnitho ïèøåò: It would be better in another chapter. In which one better? I think it is a good idea & it is important not to forget it!!!
JOrnitho: wovoka ïèøåò: We can take Bubo virginianus subsp. nacurutu and make him very big for the description of the night time in eucalyptus forest. And this will be the last species of the chapter. We can't add anyone else in the bestiary. I agree. This species could have the size of an eagle owl and even hunt other owls. wovoka ïèøåò: In which one better? I think it is a good idea & it is important not to forget it!!! I think that it should be in a chapter about an island. The deermaras moved from island to island in the Caribbean region, perhaps we could describe an island were mammals are tiny and the largest predators are these cooperative birds of prey. Guadalupe, Martinica and Barbados are possible places.
wovoka: JOrnitho ïèøåò: I agree. This species could have the size of an eagle owl and even hunt other owls. Ok! I also agree. JOrnitho ïèøåò: I think that it should be in a chapter about an island. The deermaras moved from island to island in the Caribbean region, perhaps we could describe an island were mammals are tiny and the largest predators are these cooperative birds of prey. Guadalupe, Martinica and Barbados are possible places. No, I mean a real big deermaras from the mainland and very big collective hunting predator birds making flocks of 4-6 birds. May be somewhere in pampas.
JOrnitho: wovoka ïèøåò: No, I mean a real big deermaras from the mainland and very big collective hunting predator birds making flocks of 4-6 birds. May be somewhere in pampas. I'm not sure if it would be possible, the continent is already very crowded with predators. What could happen is that these birds would very occasionally cooperate to hunt such prey, but normally they would only hunt medium sized ones in small group. Also, what do you think of my idea of one of the island of the Carib having small versions of the continental animals that got here by island jumping and the largest predator is a giant stork descending of Mycteria americana? It could be the Neocene version of Hateg island.
wovoka: JOrnitho ïèøåò: I'm not sure if it would be possible, the continent is already very crowded with predators. What could happen is that these birds would very occasionally cooperate to hunt such prey, but normally they would only hunt medium sized ones in small group. I will think about it! JOrnitho ïèøåò: Also, what do you think of my idea of one of the island of the Carib having small versions of the continental animals that got here by island jumping and the largest predator is a giant stork descending of Mycteria americana? It could be the Neocene version of Hateg island. This is good idea, I I have long wanted to write about the forest of tree ferns in Martinique. I think if we will write about Martinique we will need this website https://en.martinique-tour.com/discover/fauna-and-flora/ It will be interesting to combinate endemics of island and small versions of the continental animals. First of all I want to be in this chapter a Pepsis grossa & Caribena versicolor
wovoka: So let's make a bestiary MARTINIQUE ISLAND 1. Mycteria americana 2. Island deermara 3. Pepsis grossa 4. Caribena versicolor ( we need little bird for him to hunt) 5. Tree fern - Cyathea arborea Other species you suggest!
JOrnitho: wovoka ïèøåò: Other species you suggest! We could have a turtle descending of Chelonoidis carbonaria, an insectivorous descendant of the mongoose and a marsupial taking the role of monkeys.
wovoka: JOrnitho ïèøåò: We could have a turtle descending of Chelonoidis carbonaria, an insectivorous descendant of the mongoose and a marsupial taking the role of monkeys. I agree! And what little bird we will take for the hunting of Caribena versicolor.
JOrnitho: wovoka ïèøåò: And what little bird we will take for the hunting of Caribena versicolor. Descendants of the introduced Ploceus cucullatus and Euplectes franciscanus. The spiders could invade their nests.
wovoka: JOrnitho ïèøåò: Descendants of the introduced Ploceus cucullatus and Euplectes franciscanus. The spiders could invade their nests. Very beautiful birds, I agree!
JOrnitho: I made the description of the sloth opossum. If you know a better specific name for them, I'll change. Timbú-preguiça-do-sul, or Southern sloth opossum (Timbu tardus) Order: Didelphimorphia Family: Parafolivoridae (Sloth-like opossums) Habitat: Southern and Southeastern South America, tropical moist lowland Atlantic forests, including eucalyptus and acacia woods. The transition between the Holocene and the Neocene caused the extinction of several species. Among them were the tree sloths (Bradypodidae and Choloepodidae), thus bringing an end to the suborder Folivora. With their niche vacant, new species evolved to fill it. The widespread bare-tailed woolly opossum (Caluromys philander) was one of them. This species gave rise to an entire new family, the Parafolivorideae. This clade is formed by marsupials specialized to feed solely on leaves and plant material. The timbú-preguiça-do-sul is one of these animals, a marsupial that inhabits the Southern and Southeastern South America, tropical moist lowland Atlantic forests, including eucalyptus and acacia woods. Its name is formed by words from Brazilian Portuguese that translated to English means Southern sloth opossum (timbú is a regional name for opossum). All members of the family Parafolivoridae have very reduced canines and the molars are modified in a lophodont-like shape, helping them crush leaves. The timbú-preguiça-do-sul grows to a length of about 75 to 90 cm with males being considerably larger than females. Their weight ranges from 8 to 15 Kg. Their body shape is similar to that of a tree-kangaroo, but the timbú’s arms are longer and end in hands with long dark claws. These hands are used to grasp branches to have access to leaves. The feet are relatively large, with smaller claws than those of the hands. They also have prehensile tails, with the tip being naked. The ears are rounded and the eyes are large and black. The head is small, with a flat muzzle. Its coloring is dark chocolate brown in the dorsal areas while the underparts are paler. Timbús are folivores, and feed exclusively on tree leaves. Overall their diet is broad but they do prefer younger leaves and some plants are consumed more than others. Such diets have low energy, making these animals have a slow metabolism. Due to that, they limit their energy use and sleep or rest 20 hours a day. They are predominantly active at night and spend most of their waking hours feeding. They typically eat and sleep in the same tree, possibly for as long as a day. On very hot days, a timbú may climb down to the coolest part of the tree which is cooler than the surrounding air. This species is solitary, spending its entire life alone in the canopy of the trees. The timbús rarely come down to the ground, only doing that to change trees. In the ground, these animals are slow and vulnerable to predators. The best chance that they have to protect themselves is to stand upright and try to slap their predators with their long claws. Timbús are seasonal breeders, and births take place from the middle of spring through the summer to early autumn. During this period males will be more active, constantly seeking fertile females. Intraspecific conflicts between males become common during reproduction, with them fighting in the trees by using their claws. These fights allow the female to assess which is dominant. The timbú's gestation period lasts 33–35 days, and a female gives birth to a single cub . As with all marsupials, the young are born while at the embryonic stage. However, they have relatively well-developed lips, forelimbs, and shoulders, as well as functioning respiratory, digestive, and urinary systems. The cub crawls into its mother's pouch to continue the rest of its development. The cub attaches itself to one of them and suckles for the rest of its pouch life. At seven weeks of age, the young's head grows longer and becomes proportionally large, pigmentation begins to develop, and its sex can be determined. At 13 weeks, the cub weighs around 50 g and its head has doubled in size. The eyes begin to open and fine fur grows on the forehead, nape, shoulders, and arms. At 26 weeks, the fully furred animal resembles an adult and begins to poke its head out of the pouch. The young fully emerges from the pouch for the first time at six or seven months of age. It explores its new surroundings cautiously, clinging to its mother for support. By nine months, it weighs over 1 kg and develops its adult fur color. Having permanently left the pouch, it rides on its mother's back for transportation, learning to climb by grasping branches. Gradually, it spends more time away from its mother, who becomes pregnant again after 12 months. Her bond with her previous offspring is permanently severed and she no longer allows it to suckle, but it will continue to live near her for the next 6–12 months. Sexual maturity is reached with three years by the females and four years by the males. They have a lifespan of 13 to 15 years. A closely related species is the timbú-preguiça-do-norte (Timbu folivorus), an inhabitant of the tropical lowland Atlantic forest of Northeastern South America. Their name means Northern sloth opossum in portuguese. Their size and weight is similar to that of their Southern relatives, with the exception being the reddish-brown dorsal fur with dark brown areas in the head and base of the tail. The underparts are light gray.
wovoka: Cool description! Sloth will be Unau in Oyampi language (one of the Tupi-Guarani dialect) Opossum will be gã'bá in Tupi language So may be unau-gaba? Southern unau-gaba & Northern unau-gaba.
JOrnitho: wovoka ïèøåò: Southern unau-gaba & Northern unau-gaba. I think that I'll maintain the name in portuguese, since it's easier to be translated. Do you have a sugestion for the scientific name?
ìåäâåäü: Interesting animal!
ëÿãóøêà: JOrnitho Good opossum! I add it to lists.
wovoka: JOrnitho ïèøåò: Do you have a sugestion for the scientific name? I'm not good in Latin((( JOrnitho, I'm going on vacation for 2 weeks. I won’t have a laptop and I don’t know if there will be a normal Internet on the phone. Maybe you can take on the development the bestiary and the plan of the chapter about microwolves for this time. I think, for you, as a specialist in rodents, it will be especially interesting, and when I return, I will try to complete the descriptions of Maba, Ocumo, Knight-beetle and Water lily. And we will work on the chapters about Catatumbo & Maracaibo.
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