300 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1951 



Dogs are represented by several wolflike foxes, one very large, and 

 the curious little busli dogs with short legs and tail. The raccoon 

 family is represented by a raccoon, the coati, and the kinkajou, and 

 the pigs by the collared and white-lipped peccaries. The deer are 

 all of the American (Virginia deer) type, mostly small with simple 

 antlers. One, the pudu of Ecuador, is no larger than a big hare 

 and has spikelike antlers. The spectacled bear ranges in the Andes 

 from Colombia to northwestern Argentina. It is more closely related 

 to the Malayan bear than to any of those now living in North 

 America. Mustelids (weasels, otters, skunks, and others) are num- 

 erous. In addition to many insectivorous and fruit-eating types 

 tlie bats include the blood-feeding vampires and the fish-catching 

 bats, largest of American bats, with an expanse of 26 inches or more. 

 The fish-eating bats have the toes and claws on the hind feet greatly 

 compressed laterally so as to minimize the resistance of the water 

 when scooping up small fishes. 



Especially characteristic of South America are the extraordinarily 

 numerous and diversified rodents, including many types not found 

 elsewhere. Worthy of special mention are the prehensile-tailed 

 porcupines, cavies (guinea pigs), chinchillas, coypus, pacas, agoutis, 

 the subterranean tucutucus, squirrels, the capybara, largest of living 

 rodents, about 4 feet long weighing more than 100 pounds, and 

 others. Of aquatic mammals the most interesting are the manatees 

 lof the large rivers (also in Africa) and the river dolphins of the 

 upper Amazon and the estuary of the La Plata (other species occur 

 in China and India). 



Unusually numerous and varied are the birds, of about 2,500 species, 

 including, besides representatives of families of wide distribution, 

 about 30 families confined to America, mostly to the Tropics. Among 

 these are the hummingbirds, toucans, jacamars, woodhewers, cotingas, 

 manikins, plant-cutters, tanagers, screamers, New World vultures, 

 including the king vulture and the great Andean condor, curassows 

 and guans, hoatzins, trumpeters, cariamas, oilbirds, motmots, rheas, 

 and tinamous. The tinamous are related to the rheas but are very 

 much smaller and have fully developed wings. Besides these there 

 are many interesting species in other groups, such as the macaws and 

 many brightl}'- colored parrots, the powerful harpy eagle, the black- 

 necked swan, the Muscovy duck, and the flightless steamer duck. 



Among the reptiles there are five caimans and three crocodiles. 

 Most of these are small, but one caiman reaches 20 feet in length and 

 one crocodile 25 feet. Turtles are represented by snake-necked turtles 

 (elsewhere only in Australia) of which the most noteworthy is the 

 curious matamata; the family Pelomedusidae (elsewhere only in 

 Africa) including the economically important river turtle {Pod- 



