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Jaguar -

While it inhabits a variety of forested and open terrains, this near-threatened big cat's preferred habitat is tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forest, wetlands, and wooded regions. The jaguar's range extends from New Mexico in the United States across Mexico and much of Central America, the Amazon rain forest, and south to Paraguay and northern Argentina.

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Emerald boa constrictor -

This non-venomous boa species is found in the rain forests of South America. Distinguished by its emerald green color and the irregular zigzag stripe or so-called 'lightning bolts' down the back, the emerald boa constrictor often wraps itself tightly around a tree branch before taking a nap.

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Piano key butterfly -

The subtropics of Central and South America is where to look for this decorative butterfly species. Besides lending it an attractive look, the coloration warns potential predators that the piano key is distasteful and should be avoided.

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Violet sabrewing hummingbird -

Hummingbirds are among the rain forest's busiest animals—and some of the most enchanting! Native to the Americas, they are Mother Nature's specialist flower nectar feeders and can hover in mid-air at astonishingly rapid wing-flapping rates. Pictured is the violet sabrewing hummingbird, native to southern Mexico and Central America as far south as Costa Rica and western Panama.

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Common squirrel monkey -

The rain forests of Costa Rica and Panama are home to the common squirrel monkey. The handsome primate is also found across the Amazon basin of South America.

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Hot lips plant -

The wonderfully named hot lips plant is a tropical tree found in the rain forests of Central and South America. The bright "lips" are in fact red bracts—modified or specialized leaves at the base of the flower—that have evolved to attract an array of pollinators, including hummingbirds and butterflies.

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Golden lion tamarin -

With its thick russet-colored coat and extra long hairs around the face and ears which give it a distinctive mane, the golden lion tamarin is one of the most impressive of New World monkeys. But it is endangered, with only 3,200 individuals left in the wild in places like the Atlantic coastal forests of Brazil.

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Leafcutter ant -

Did you know that leafcutter ants can carry 20 times their body weight? These industrious insects are endemic to South and Central America, Mexico, and parts of the southern United States. They form some of the largest and most complex animal societies on Earth, with up to eight million cramming underground nests.

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Ulysses butterfly -

The iridescent electric blue Ulysses butterfly is a member of the swallowtail butterfly family. It can be found fluttering through subtropical forests in Australia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands.

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Lawes's parotia -

Lawes's parotia is a member of the stunningly beautiful bird-of-paradise family, whose select members also include the astonishing and highly elusive blue bird-of-paradise. Lawes's parotia is endemic to the mountain forests of southeast and eastern Papua New Guinea.

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Reticulated poison frog -

A vibrant member of the poison dart frog family, the reticulated poison frog is native to South America, where it can be found in Brazil, southeastern Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, and Peru. Unlike other related species, the toxin of this frog is comparatively weak. Nonetheless, look but don't touch!

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Green anaconda -

The heaviest and one of the longest known extant snake species in the world, the green anaconda lurks in the subtropical swamps and marshes of South America east of the Andes, in countries that include Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and Brazil.

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Collared anteater -

Known also as the southern tamandua, the collard anteater inhabits both wet and dry forests found in Trinidad and throughout South America. It feasts on ants, termites, and bees.

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Harpy eagle -

Classified as Vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the harpy eagle is rare throughout its range, which extends from Mexico to Brazil, and northern pockets of Argentina. The raptor inhabits tropical lowland rain forests, where it hunts for tree-dwelling mammals.

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Sumatran orangutan -

The critically endangered Sumatran orangutan is found only in the north of the Indonesian island of Sumatra. According to World Wildlife Fund estimates, there are about 7,500 of these magnificent forest-dwelling beats left in the wild.

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Resplendent quetzal -

When in flight, these strikingly colored birds appear as flashes of brilliance under the shaded canopy of humid cloud forests in Central and South America. Pictured is the near-threatened resplendent quetzal, whose range extends from southern Mexico to western Panama.

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Pygmy marmoset -

This diminutive New World primate is native to rain forests of the western Amazon basin in South America. As its name suggests, the pygmy marmoset is the smallest monkey in the world.

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Passion flower -

With its showy flowers and distinctive corona, the passion flower exudes a  hypnotic allure that numerous insects, bats, and hummingbirds find irresistible. There are about 550 different species of passion flower, the vast majority found in Mexico and the tropics of Central and South America. They also grow in India and are represented in Southeast Asia and Oceania.

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Toco toucan -

Arguably the best known of the numerous toucan species, the toco toucan is an iconic bird conspicuous for its huge, yellow-orange bill. It is found throughout a large part of central and eastern South America, but, unlike other members of the toucan family, the toco is often found in semi-open habitats rather than just being confined to forested regions.

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Eyelash viper -

The rain forest harbors all sorts of fascinating creatures, some of which number among the deadliest found on Earth. The eyelash viper, so named for the scales that protrude above it eyes that look much like eyelashes, is a small but highly venomous serpent and should be admired from a distance.

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Spangled cotinga -

Peer up into the Amazon rain forest canopy and you might spot this lovely bright turquoise-blue bird with its wine-red throat flitting through the foliage in search of fruit.

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Red-eyed tree frog -

An iconic rain forest amphibian, the red-eyed tree frog is not venomous despite most frogs painted in such a way being so. They are found in tropical lowlands from southern Mexico throughout Central America, and in northern South America.

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Okapi -

Endemic to the northeast Democratic Republic of the Congo in central Africa, the okapi inhabits canopy forests at altitudes of 500–1,500 m (1,600–4,900 ft). It is an endangered species, with loss of habitat and hunting the main causes for its dwindling numbers.

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Hoatzin -

The swamps, forests, and mangroves of the Amazon and the Orinoco basins in South America is where you can admire the hoatzin, known also as the stink bird on account of its foul odor, which is caused by the fermentation of food in its digestive system.

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Glasswing butterfly -

Also known as Greta oto, the delicate-looking glasswing butterfly thrives in the tropical conditions of the rain forests in Central and South American countries. However, it has also been recorded as far north as Mexico and even southern Texas in the United States.

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Amazon river dolphin -

This endangered mammal, also called the boto, helps keep the river ecosystem in check through its ferocious appetite, having one of the widest ranging diets among toothed whales and feeding on up to 53 different species of fish. They are present in six countries in South America: Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.

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Scarlet macaw -

The flashy scarlet macaw is the national bird of Honduras, but its range extends from south-eastern Mexico to Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Bolivia, Venezuela, and Brazil, where it inhabits the rain forests of Amazonia.

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Bicolored tree frog -

The moist humid habitats of the Amazon basin of Brazil, Colombia, Bolivia, and Peru is the stomping ground of this angular-shaped amphibian, also known as the giant leaf frog.

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Pygmy stump-tailed chameleon -

This photograph gives you no idea of just how small this tiny lizard is. It measures no more than 5.8 cm (2 in) in length. It is only found in the rain forests of Madagascar, and is classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.

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Hercules beetle -

Not only is the Hercules beetle the longest extant species of beetle in the world, it's also one of the largest flying insects on the planet. It is native to the rain forests of Central America, South America, and the Lesser Antilles, where its preferred habitat is lowland rain forests. Despite its formidable appearance, the beetle does not negatively affect human activities, either as an agricultural pest or disease vector.

Sources: (IUCN Red List) (World Wildlife Fund) 

See also: Wildlife on the edge of extinction in the Amazon

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