In Photos: Amazing Amazon Animal 'Selfies'

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Shake a tail feather

Spix’s Guan

(Image credit: The Field Museum)

The Spix’s Guan (Penelope jacquacu) was ready to put its best face forward for this selfie. This chicken-sized bird has a long tail and can often be found up in the trees. The Spix’s Guan is widespread and fairly common in good-quality forests. If there is a lot of hunting pressure, they will disappear. However, they are pretty resilient because they aren’t big enough to be a major hunting target. Another interesting fact about these birds is that they do a wing display that creates a bum-bum-bum-bum sound. This may be to tell other males that this is an occupied territory.

Leaving their mark

White-lipped peccaries

(Image credit: The Field Museum)

In the rainforest, you can tell me a herd of white-lipped peccaries (Tayassu pecari) has been nearby recently. Living in groups of multiple hundreds, these animals travel great distances to find fruit and leave a strong odor in their wake. Unfortunately, peccaries are highly prized by hunters and have been hunted to extinction in many areas of the Amazon.

Not by the cover

Tayra

(Image credit: The Field Museum)

Although it has an adorable face, the tayra (Eira barbara) is a sharp-toothed weasel that regularly consumes small animals as part of its diet. Yet unlike its North American relatives, the tayra’s diet also comprises fruit, which is readily available in the rainforest. Although the animal is mostly brown, it does have a white blaze on its chest that varies slightly between individuals. When frightened, it lets out a bark, which sounds similar to a human scream.

Read more about the expedition to capture these incredible wildlife "selfies".

Live Science Staff
Live Science Staff
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