The fauna of South America consists of a huge variety of unique
animals some of which evolved in relative isolation. The isolation of South America allowed for many separate animal lineages to evolve, creating a lot of originality when it comes to South American animal species.[1] The isolation of
South America had an abrupt end some few million years ago when the
Isthmus of Panama was formed, allowing small scale migration of animals that would result in the
Great American Interchange which caused many marsupials such as Thylacosmilus to go extinct.[2] South America is the continent with the largest number of recorded bird species.[3]
Additionally,
speciation has occurred at a higher rate in South America than in other parts of the world.[1] This is likely due to the large amount of land mass close to the equator. The amount of
speciation at the equator compared to the rest of the world is much greater.[4]
Four examples of animals in South America appear below:
Llama - Mammal - Live in dry, open habitats[5] - Easily domesticated (used as pack animals)[5] - Live in herds[5]
Toco toucan - Omnivore[6] - Lifespan up to 20 years - Lay 2-4 eggs, both parents incubate[6] - Large bill with serrated edge for capturing and peeling fruit[6]
Piranha - Carnivorous fish[7] - Mostly scavengers[7] - Less than 2 feet in size - Most diverse in
Amazon River[7]
Patterson, Bryan; Pascual, Rosendo (1968). "The Fossil Mammal Fauna of South America". The Quarterly Review of Biology. 43 (4): 409–451.
doi:
10.1086/405916.
JSTOR2819014.
S2CID85357795.