Peru is really an amazing place, and those who are lucky enough to buy cheap airline tickets to Peru for future travel can book interesting activities aside from the already typical excursion to Machu Picchu, trekking through the Inca Trail and Lima city tours. So while you are in Peru, why not explore and meet some amazing animals that reside in this beautiful country? Below are just 6 of the thousand species that you can meet there. Some of these animals can be pretty scary for other people, but Peru is a travel destination for the adventurous and strong hearted.
1. Scolopendra gigante, a centipede that eats bats! As if girls are not scared enough of little creepy crawlies, here comes the Peruvian giant yellow-leg centipede. It is among the margest species of centipedes in the world that can regularly reach the lengths of 26 sm or 10 inches. Not only are these centipedes big, apparently, they are very crafty too. The Peruvian giant yellow-leg centipedes have been observed hunting for big game – and for big game, we mean bats. Yes, bats. You know, the fast flying mammal that hang upside-down on the high ceilings of dark caves when they are not flying in groups outside to hunt for food. So if you think bats look scary, think of a creature that is not even slightly afraid of these animals but want to get “up close and personal” with them instead – that’s the Peruvian yellow-legged centipede for you. These centipedes do not prey on weak or near-dying bats that fall to the cave floors; they prefer the healthy and very alive ones. These centipedes learned to use their back legs to suspend themselves upside-down from the ceiling of the caves in order to use their front legs to catch bats in mid-flight!
2. Phyllomedusa bicolor, a frog that can give you “super powers”. Want to have super strength and heightened senses while being resistant to thirst and hunger? Then look for the large green nocturnal frog that resides in the trees of the Peruvian Amazon. The adult frogs secrete a material called “sapo” that is used by the Matses Indians of the Northern Peru in their shamanic rites to improve their luck in hunting. When the sapo is rubbed into burned, exposed areas of the skin (you go ahead and imagine how the Indians get their skin burned and exposed), the frog secretion the instant appearance of violent cardiovascular and peripheral gastrointestinal effects that are soon followed by remarkable central effects such as the heightening of the senses, increase in physical strength, resistance to hunger and thirst, and exalted capacity to face stressful situations – factors that can certainly help one during hunting.
3. From the genus Cyclosa come spiders that make decoys. In the Peruvian Amazon, there is a type of small spiders that build elaborate fake spiders to “decorate” their web. Using leaves, dead insects and debris, the so-called decoy spiders create a much larger spider replica. Scientists suspect that the fake spiders serve as a part of a defense mechanism that is meant to distract or confuse predators. The fake spiders can reach up to an inch long, and to make the fake one look “real and alive”, the much smaller striped spider shakes the web.
4. Urodid moth, a moth that makes a beautiful basket cocoon. Usually, moths build a closed cocoon that hides and protects the pupa from environmental factors and predators. But amazingly, the urodid moth builds an open network cocoon that looks like a beautiful small basket that partially encloses the pupa.
5. Larva of the Megalopyge opercularis, a caterpillar that looks like a wig. While exploring the Peruvian Amazon, you may encounter a strange looking insect that resembles a toupee – the puss caterpillar. The name puss caterpillar comes from that pretty “hairdo” that often resembles a pussycat’s fur. This caterpillar looks cute from afar and you might get tempted to touch that soft-looking hair that you wish your pet cat possesses. But beware; the spiny hairs of this fella are poisonous.
6. Inia geoffrensis, a pink dolphin. Sixty percent of Peru’s territory is the Amazon rainforest. This rainforest boasts a very diverse ecosystem that holds 15% of worldwide animal and plant species. One of the most famous animals that can be found in the Peruvian Amazon is the “boto” or pink dolphins. It is the largest type of river dolphin which can weigh up to 400 pounds and can grow larger than a human. Despite being bright pink, the boto cannot appreciate its own color as it is practically blind. Experts do not know exactly why the dolphins possess such unusual color (for the dolphin species at least), but they believe that the pink color is due to the dolphin’s diet of shell fish and crabs as well as the presence of many blood capillaries near the animal’s skin surface.