For many people the attraction of South America is simply the animals and nothing more. Because of the vast array of species there is more than enough to see. There is nothing short of a thriving population of animals that will bring about a good many photographic opportunities to the people who visit.
The Agouti is one of the largest rodents known to man. Living on the floor of the rain forest the agouti eats only plants and is fast to say the least. They have no tail and will freeze in place when they sense a predator in the area. This is their primary defense mechanism as most of the predators rely on movement to track their prey. This rodent has thick and coarse brown hair with vertical bands of color running across the back.
To come to South America is to know the myths and legends and the anaconda is the stuff that these legends are made of. Being the largest snake in the world, the anaconda is known to be one of the fiercest as well. Known to be well adept at hiding in shallow water despite their size, the anaconda relies on surprise and sheer power for hunting since it lacks venom. The largest recorded anaconda is nearly forty feet in length but larger specimens are believed to be living in the waters of the rain forest area. While it is rare, the anaconda has been known to attack and eat humans. There have been reports of this snake eating humans once they get a taste for blood and many of the local tribes worship this species as a god.
The Boa Constrictor is directly related to the anaconda but not quite as large. In the same family, the Boa will attack prey and then constrict the body before swallowing the prey whole. In most cases the boa will attack a large animal because it may not eat for a month or more. Most often they will attack mammals as their main source of food but they have been known to attack other reptiles if food sources are scarce. Many boa constrictors are kept as pets in South America to help control the rodent population despite the fact that boa’s are endangered species and illegal to own. Attacks on humans are very rare with this species and they are known to be rather gentle animals when around humans, thus the reason they are popular exotic pets in the US.
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