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South America

South America

Scientific Name Lama pacos

Weight LB 121-143 pounds

Average Life Span 15-20 years

Fact Alpacas are famous for "pronking"—a unique movement where they spring straight up into the air with all four legs at once when they are happy or playful!

Weight KG 45–85 kg

Continent South America

Scientific Name Tyto alba

Weight LB 0.9–1.3 lbs

Average Life Span 2–4 years (Wild) / Up to 20 years (Captivity)

Fact Barn Owls have the best hearing of any animal ever tested. Their ears are placed asymmetrically on their head, allowing them to pinpoint the exact location of a mouse rustling in total darkness.

Weight KG 0.4–0.6 kg

Habitat Grasslands

Scientific Name Balaenoptera musculus

Weight LB 200,000–400,000 lbs

Average Life Span 80-90 years

Fact A Blue Whale's tongue alone weighs as much as an entire elephant, and its heart is the size of a bumper car.

Weight KG 90,000–180,000 kg

Scientific Name Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris

Weight LB 77-145.2

Average Life Span 6-12 years

Fact Capybaras are the world's largest rodents, known for being extremely social and "chill," often seen relaxing with many other animal species like birds, monkeys, and even crocodiles, because their calm demeanor and semi-aquatic lifestyle make them peaceful companions in their native South American wetlands. They are excellent swimmers, can hold their breath for up to five minutes, and have their eyes and nostrils on top of their heads for stealthy observation.

Weight KG 35-66 kg

Continent South America

Habitat Grasslands

Conservation Status Least Concern

Scientific Name Megaptera novaeangliae

Weight LB 55,000–66,000 lb

Average Life Span 45–50 years (though some may live up to 80–90)

Fact Humpbacks are famous for their extraordinarily long pectoral fins, which can reach up to 16 feet (5 meters) in length—about one-third of their total body length. The scientific name Megaptera actually means "big-winged."

Weight KG 25,000–30,000 kg

Scientific Name Panthera onca

Weight LB 100–250 lb (Large males can reach 300+ lb)

Average Life Span 12–15 years (Wild); up to 23 years (Captivity)

Fact The jaguar has the strongest bite force of all the big cats relative to its size. Their jaws are so powerful that their preferred hunting method is to bite directly through the skulls of their prey or pierce the thick shells of turtles and caimans.

Weight KG 45–113 kg (Large males up to 158 kg)

Continent South America

Monarch Butterfly

Monarch Butterfly

Scientific Name Danaus plexippus

Weight LB 0.001 lb

Average Life Span 2–6 weeks (up to 8–9 months for migratory generation)

Fact A fun fact about monarch butterflies is their incredible, multi-generational migration, where the butterflies flying south in the fall are a special "super generation" that lives up to eight months (much longer than other monarchs) to fly thousands of miles to Mexico or California, a journey none of them have ever made before, relying on the sun and Earth's magnetic field to navigate.

Weight KG 0.0005 kg

Country United States

Continent North America

Habitat Grasslands

Type Invertebrates

Conservation Status Endangered

Scientific Name Aurelia aurita

Weight LB 0.2–0.4 lb

Average Life Span Up to 1 year

Fact Moon jellies are fascinating because they have no brain, heart, or blood, are 95% water, and have a multi-purpose opening that acts as a mouth and anus, but a fun fact is they can de-age and get younger during their life cycle, with their polyp stage surviving for decades waiting for the right conditions to become adult jellyfish.

Weight KG 0.1–0.2 kg

Country Indonesia

Habitat Ocean, sea

Conservation Status Not evaluated

Scientific Name Orcinus orca

Weight LB 6,000–12,000 lb (Up to 22,000 lb for large males)

Average Life Span 30–50 years (Wild males); 50–80 years (Wild females)

Fact Orcas are among the most socially complex animals on the planet. They live in matrilineal pods led by the oldest female, and each pod has its own unique culture. This includes a specific "dialect" of vocalizations and specialized hunting techniques passed down through generations. Some pods specialize in eating fish, while others—known as "transient" orcas—hunt large mammals like seals, dolphins, and even the calves of Great Blue Whales.

Weight KG 2,700–5,400 kg (Up to 10,000 kg for large males)

Peregrine Falcon

Peregrine Falcon

Scientific Name Falco peregrinus

Weight LB 1.5–3.3 lb

Average Life Span 12–15 years (Wild); up to 25 years (Captivity)

Fact The Peregrine Falcon is the fastest animal on the planet. During its signature hunting dive, called a "stoop," it soars to a great height and then plummets at speeds of over 200 mph (320 km/h).

Weight KG 0.7–1.5 kg

Scientific Name Columba livia

Weight LB 9 to 13 ounces

Average Life Span 3-5 years

Fact Pigeons are the world's oldest domesticated bird. They have been used for thousands of years as messengers, even receiving medals of honor for saving lives during WWI and WWII!

Weight KG 250 to 370 grams

Country United States

Continent North America

Scientific Name Ara macao

Weight LB 2–2.6 lb

Average Life Span 40-50 years

Fact A fun fact about Scarlet Macaws is their incredibly strong beaks, powerful enough to crack hard nuts and seeds, and they use them like a third limb for climbing and maneuvering through trees, with some even showing "handedness," preferring one foot over the other, similar to humans.

Weight KG 0.9–1.2 kg

Continent North America

Habitat river edges, Tropical rainforests

Conservation Status Least Concern

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