FAUNA OF AMERICA — CLARK 301 



ocnemis), two land tortoises, a snapping turtle in the northwest, 

 and a few others. Tliere are no soft-shelled turtles. Lizards are 

 numerous and varied, most of them belonging to the family Iguanidae, 

 wholly American except for one iguana in Fiji and two in Madagascar. 

 One of the iguanas, living on the Galapagos Islands, spends most of 

 the time on land but feeds in the sea on seaweeds. Snakes are numer- 

 ous and diversified, about as many as in the Indian region though less 

 varied. Largest are the anacondas, some of which reach nearly or 

 quite 40 feet in length, and the smaller boas. The poisonous snakes 

 are the pit vipers, including the rattlesnakes and the dreaded bush- 

 master, up to 10 feet long, and the brilliant coral snakes related to the 

 Old World cobras. Burrowing snakes are also found. 



The frogs outnumber those of any other region ; their affinities are 

 mainly African. Like the birds they include many bizarre types 

 such as the horned frogs (Oeratophrys), the Surinam toad (Pipa) 

 which raises its young in the skin of its back, and many brightly 

 colored tree frogs, some of which are poisonous, with curious repro- 

 ductive habits. Salamanders occur only in the northwest. Snake- 

 like burrowing coecilians are found, chiefly in Ecuador. Toads are 

 common. One, the giant toad {Bufo marinus) , reaches 5 pounds in 

 weight. I have seen this toad, which looks somewhat like a large 

 stone, snap up young chickens as smaller toads do insects. 



As far as fishes are concerned, no two regions could be more un- 

 like than South and North America. In number of species the South 

 American fish fauna is the richest in the world although less than 

 a quarter of the fresh-water groups are represented. The affinities 

 are predominantly with Africa. As in I^dia there is a specialized al- 

 pine fish fauna. The extreme south agrees Avith New Zealand and 

 Tasmania. Among the endemic South American types are the (jrym- 

 notidae, including the dreaded electric eel up to 6 feet long, the most 

 powerful of electric fishes. The only other electric fish in fresh water 

 is a catfish in Africa. The lungfish of the swamps (Lepidosiren) is 

 related to others in Africa, and more remotely to two in Australia. 

 There are two osteoglossids, one of which, the arapaima, is said to 

 reach 15 feet in length with a weight of 400 pounds. This is the 

 largest fresh-water fish in America and, with the possible exception 

 of the European catfish and a Chinese fish {Psephurus) , the largest 

 in the world. It is unusual among fishes in being a vegetarian. 



The characinids, otherwise African, are numerous and diversified. 

 Among these are the ferocious piranlias or cannibal fishes {Serra- 

 salmo) , perhaps the most dangerous of all fishes. Catfishes are abun- 

 dant and varied, and many are heavily armored. The largest reach 

 9 feet in length. Some very small species, scarcely an inch long, live 

 as parasites in the gill chambers of larger ones. One urinophilous 



