Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
FREQUENT FLYERS
For many bird enthusiasts in Peru, the diminutive hummingbirds are among the most delightful to observe. More
than 100 species have been recorded in the country, and their exquisite beauty is matched by their extravagant
names. There's the 'green-tailed goldenthroat,' the 'spangled coquette,' the 'fawn-breasted brilliant' and
'amethyst-throated sunangel.' Species such as the red-headed Andean hillstar, living in the
puna
(high Andean
grasslands), have evolved an amazing strategy to survive a cold night. They go into a state of torpor, which is like
a nightly hibernation, by lowering their body temperature by up to 30°C, thus drastically slowing their metabol-
ism.
One of the most unusual species of hummingbird is the marvelous spatuletail, found in the Utcubamba Valley
in northern Peru. Full-grown adult males are adorned with two extravagant feathery spatules on the tail, which are
used during mating displays to attract females.
Reptiles, Amphibians, Insects
& Marine Life
The greatest variety of reptiles, amphibians, in-
sects and marine life can be found in the
Amazon Basin. Here, you'll find hundreds of
species, including toads, tree frogs and
thumbnail-sized poison dart frogs (indigenous peoples once used the frogs' deadly poison
on the points of their blow-pipe darts). Rivers teem with schools of piranhas,
paiche
and
doncella
(various types of freshwater fish), while the air buzzes with the activity of thou-
sands of insects: armies of ants, squadrons of beetles, as well as katydids, stick insects,
caterpillars, spiders, praying mantis, transparent moths, and butterflies of all shapes and
sizes. A blue morpho butterfly in flight is a remarkable sight: with wingspans of up to
10cm, their iridescent-blue coloring can seem downright hallucinogenic.
Naturally, there are all kinds of reptiles, too, including tortoises, river turtles, lizards,
caimans and, of course, that jungle-movie favorite: the anaconda. An aquatic boa snake
that can measure more than 10m in length, it will often ambush its prey by the water's
edge, constrict its body around it and then drown it in the river. Caimans, tapirs, deer,
turtles and peccaries are all tasty meals for this killer snake; human victims are almost un-
heard of (unless you're Jennifer Lopez and Ice Cube in a low-rent Hollywood produc-
tion). Far more worrisome to the average human is the bushmaster, a deadly, reddish
brown viper that likes to hang out inside rotting logs and among the buttress roots of trees.
Thankfully, it's a retiring creature, and is rarely found on popular trails.
Travellers' Wildlife Guides: Peru,
by David Pear-
son and Les Beletsky, helpfully lists the country's
most important and frequently seen birds, mam-
mals, amphibians, reptiles and ecosystem habitats.
