#orinoco basin

[have-you-seen-this-animal]

Have you done the hoatzin yet? My all time favorite bird 💕

Not yet! Good choice! For those who don't know, these unique birds mostly eat leaves (rare in birds!) and their young have primitive claws. They have been the subject of a lot of scientific attention!

[mutant-distraction]

The Amazon river dolphin (Inia geoffrensis), also known as the boto, bufeo or pink river dolphin, is a species of toothed whaleclassified in the family Iniidae. Three subspecies are currently recognized: I. g. geoffrensis (Amazon river dolphin), I. g. boliviensis(Bolivian river dolphin) and I. g. humboldtiana (Orinoco river dolphin). The three subspecies are distributed in the Amazon basin, the upper Madeira River in Bolivia, and the Orinoco basin, respectively.

[manessha545]

Caño Cristales River, Colombia: Caño Cristales is a Colombian river located in the Serranía de la Macarena, an isolated mountain range in the Meta Department. It is a tributary of the Guayabero River, itself a part of the Orinoco basin. Caño Cristales was found in 1969 by a group of cattle farmers. Wikipedia

[respect-the-locals]

Daily Ray Fact:

The Ocellate River Ray, also known as the peacock-eye stingray or black river stingray, is a species of freshwater stingray. It is the most widespread, ranging throughout much of the Río de la Plata, Amazon, Mearim and Orinoco basins in tropical and subtropical South America.

[dougdimmadodo]

Wimple Piranha (Catoprion mento)

Family: Serrasalmid Family (Serrasalmidae)

IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern

A tiny (15cm/5.9 inches in length) relative of the more famous Red-Bellied Piranha, the Wimple Piranha is found in the Amazon, Orinoco, Paraguay and Essequibo river basins, and is notable for its unusual diet; adults of this species feed almost exclusively on fish scales, feeding by ramming into larger fish at high speeds with their mouths wide open, biting and generating suction to dislodge their target’s scales and pull them into their mouths. The practice of eating scales, known as lepidophagy, is rare in animals as scales are difficult to digest and require considerable amounts of energy to obtain, and it is likely that it developed in response to the intense competition between fish species in the biodiverse rivers to which Wimple Piranhas are native - although their nutrients-poor diet limits their size, feeding exclusively on scales (occasionally supplemented by small insects or small amounts of the meat of their otherwise unharmed targets where possible) allows Wimple Piranhas to find food while largely avoiding competing with larger and less specialised carnivores. Besides their unusual feeding habits little is known about the biology of wild Wimple Piranhas, although through the observation of captive individuals it has been found that unlike many piranha species they are solitary (possibly avoiding living in groups to avoid competing with other members of their species,) and that like other members of their family females of this species lay eggs.

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Image Source: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/342485-Catoprion-mento

[uncharismatic-fauna]

A Mata-Fine Mata Mata turtle

A resident of the Amazon and Orinoco river basins, the mata mata (Chelus fimbriatus) is a species of freshwater turtle found in streams, pools, and wetlands throughout northern South America, from Venezuela to Brazil, as well as the island of Trinidad. This species is almost entirely aquatic, and excursions on land are extremely rare. However, they are not well adapted for swimming in open water, and are thus most commonly seen in shallow bodies of water with soft, muddy bottoms.

C. fimbriatus has a unique appearance among turtle species. The carapace-- the part of the shell that covers the back--it has three ridges running down its length and is often covered in algae, and so resembles tree bark. The head is similarly shaped to resemble leaf litter; it’s triangular, and the fringes around the cheeks and mouth break up the outline. The mata mata’s nose is long and snorkel-like, allowing it to remain just under the surface. Despite its unobtrusive looks, this species is actually quite large; mata mata can grow up to 45 cm (1.5 ft) long and weigh up to 17.2 kg (38 lbs).

Because of its unique body shape and camouflage, the mata mata is well suited to a sedentary life, and has few natural predators. It has extremely poor eyesight, though it does share an adaptation with other nocturnal reptiles that allows the eyes to reflect low levels of light. To compensate, the mata mata relies on its hearing, amplified by a large tympanium on either side of the head, and on the barbels lining its jaw. In addition to being an excellent costume, these barbels allow C. fimbriatus to sense vibrations in the water. The mata mata spends most of its time submurged or buried under the mud, waiting for potential prey like fish, worms, crustaceans, and insects to swim by. When they’re close enough, the mata mata opens its jaws and sucks its target in whole. Individuals have also been recorded herding schools of fish into confined areas before feeding.

The only time the mata mata emerges from the water is to reproduce. Individuals are solitary until September or October, when they begin to seek out mates. When a male encounters a female, he approaches while opening and closing his mouth, extending his limbs, and moving the flaps on the side of his head. If the female is impressed, she allows him to mount. Afterwards, she hauls herself out onto the nearby bank and builds a rudimentary nest from the forest litter. There, she lays 12-28 eggs, which will take about 200 days to hatch. There is no information on how long hatchlings take to fully mature, but individuals can live anywhere from 15-30 years.

Conservation status: The mata mata has not been evaluated by the IUCN, but is threatened by habitat destruction and overharvesting for the pet trade.

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Photos

Rune Midtgaard

Christopher Wellner

Joachim S. Muller

[sandybuny]

a brand new type of buny has mysteriously popped into existence atop a high and remote tepui in the orinoco basin. it is 3 inches long and its already critically endangered :(

[rhcenyra]

OUTER BANKS ⇢ 3x01 | POGUELANDIA 

        You see, the story goes that 450 years ago, a Spanish soldier came out of the Orinoco Basin with a few gold beads. And when they asked the Spanish soldier where the beads came from, the Spanish soldier replied he got them from a peaceful Indigenous tribe who lived in a city of gold. El Dorado. And for the next 450 years, people tried to find that gold, you know. They tried. Conquistadors, knights, captains of ships, tribes, entire nations. All fighting each other in a race for the end of the rainbow. Thousands of lives laid on the pyre of gold fever.

[forestenjoyer]

(WIP) Rivers of Ehrð

So this has been in the works for several months, and will be likely for several more, but i have been working on a global map showing the river networks of my fictional version of Earth. They are broadly the same as the real world but due to differences in rainfall and climate there are differences. (open for zoomed in images)

There are no endorheic basins, meaning all water eventually reaches the ocean, and global mean sea level is about 20 metres lower.

Anyway, I have just finished mapping and tracing out the basins for every river which is over 1000km long in the real world, as well as some others in areas that are too arid in real life to be true rivers.

Regional Maps

For convenience of reading and because I haven't got names for everything yet, I will use the real life region names. If a river has it's own name in my world I will also use that.

I will list the rivers in a clockwise direction along coastlines, usually starting from the edge of the map. rivers on islands will go after the rest. Green names mean that i have my own name for the river in the fictional world.

Northern North America

Fraser

Kuskokwim

Yukon

Mackenzie

Rest of North America

Misinipi (Churchill)

Nelson

St Lawrence

Mississippi

Brazos

Colorado (Texas)

Grande

Santiago

Colorado (The one with the Grand Canyon)

Columbia

South America

Magdalena

Orinoco

Essequibo

Amaru (Amazon)

São Francisco

Plait/Plate (la Plata)

Europe

Kızıl

Dona (Don)

Dnieper

Dniester

Danube

Tagus

Loire

Rhine

Elbe

Blac/Black (river draining what would be the Baltic Sea)

Northern Dvina

Pexohra (Pechora)

I'm not listing the ones on the island next to Britain, which is named Fairixant

North Africa

Niger

Volta

Gambia

Senegal

Tamanrasset

Hamra (Saguia el-Hamra)

Draa

Chott el Djerid

Sahabi

Nile

Southern and Central Africa

Jubba

Zambezi

Limpopo

Orange

Congo

Ogooué

India and Middle East

Patma (Ganges-Brahmaputra)

Godavari

Krishna

Narmada

Indus

Helmand

Minab

Shatt al-Arab (Arab)

Matti

East and Southeast Asia

Songhua

Huwan (Huang He/Yellow)

Yangtze

Pehrl (Pearl)

Red/Hong

Mekong

Lapaina (Irriwaddy/Salween)

Western Siberia

Corta (Ob)

Onesi (Yenisei)

Eastern Siberia

Khatanga

Lena

Suluma (Kolyma)

Anian (Anadyr)

Amur

Oceania and Borneo

Mamberamo

Sepik

Fly

Murray

Kati Thanda

Flinders

Kapuas

Barito

[sorrcha]

some fish of the orinoco basin

[proton-wobbler]

Round 2, Poll 17

Emerald Starling vs Zigzag Heron

sources under cut

Emerald Starling

eBird Sightings - 27

IUCN Status - Least Concern

Location: Africa - South Guinea, North Sierra Leone and Central Ivory Coast

Zigzag Heron

eBird Sightings - 1,416

IUCN Status - Least Concern

Location: South America - Basins of the Orinoco, Negro, and Amazon rivers

"just look at them; they say "ooo""

Images: Starling (Michael Whitlock); Heron (Tim Liguori)

Stats pulled from Birds of the World

[sguysmw]

Tumblr's Favourite Animal - CONTENDERS (#8)

Continuing with the introductions...

That's a snazzy looking turtle! It's called mata mata (Chelus fimbriata) and it comes from the Amazon river basin and the eastern Guianas. Mata matas were thought to have also lived in the Orinoco basin, but as it turns out, those populations belong to another species. Its shell is reminiscent of a floating piece of bark, and its head resembles a fallen leaf. It lies on the riverbed, breathing through its long snout and using its skin flaps to blend in with its surroundings. When an unsuspecting fish arrives, it ambushes its prey by sucking it in through its wide mouth.

Nominated by @lyzanewe

[pamwmsn]

Hoatzin and chick.

The Hoatzin is a species of tropical bird found in swamps, riparian forests, and mangroves of the Amazon and the Orinoco basins in South America.

[tropic-havens]

The Dartrier or Golden Ears (Senna elata) is a beautiful tree native to the Orinoco basin (Colombia and Venezuela) which has been introduced for ornamental and medicinal purposes in many countries. It has many vernacular names. Its species name, alata, which means "winged" relates to the shape of its fruits which have four wings.

The Epis d'or is a shrub 4 to 8 m high with long candelabra-like stems bearing long yellow-orange spikes. The 2 to 3 m long stems are cylindrical and twisted. On these stems are born leaves 50-80 cm long, consisting of eight to ten pairs of leaflets. These leaflets are oval with a small tip. The flower spikes consist of many small cup-shaped flowers, open at the bottom and closed with a waxy coating at the top. These erect ears measure between 15 and 40 cm in height. The leaves and flowers have a foul smell. The fruit is a straight or slightly curved, very dark brown pod, about 15 cm long, with a kind of wing on each side. The pods contain between 50 to 60 flattened triangular seeds.

[miiilowo]

Pterophyllum scalare, most commonly referred to as angelfish or freshwater angelfish, is the most common species of Pterophyllum kept in captivity. It is native to the Amazon Basin in Peru, Colombia, and Brazil. Particularly to the Ucayali river in Peru, the Oyapock River in French Guiana, the Essequibo River in Guyana, the Solimões, the Amapá, and the Amazon rivers in Brazil. It is found in swamps or flooded grounds where vegetation is dense and the water is either clear or silty. Its native waters range from a neutral pH of 7.0 down to near 6.0, with a general water hardness (gH) range of 3 to 10 °dH, and water temperature ranging from 26 to 30 °C (75 to 86 °F). This is the species of angelfish most frequently found in the aquarium trade. A similar (cross-breeding possible) P. scalare exists in the Rio Orinoco. They are of the same size and shape, the only difference being the stripes; the Orinoco P. scalare has thinner, but dual, stripes.

The diet of Pterophyllum scalare consists of a wide spectrum of prey; they feed on tiny fish fry and younger, juvenile fishes, young and mature shrimps, crabs, prawns, various worms, mosquito larvae, and water bugs. Additionally, they will opportunistically catch any smaller-sized floating insects that have fallen onto the surface of the water.

i love fishies. look at that thing. thats an animal thats alive and exists

[jojo0039]

*Pogue for Life* Poguelandia and Guadeloupe Part 2

Dressed in a formal dinner dress, Jo walks up to the deck of the boat.

She sees Rafe standing by the helm dressed in a black dress suit.

He sees her and his eyes go wide in awe.

"Wow, you look beautiful." he tells her as he pulls her closer to him.

She blushes at his comment.

"Thanks. You don't look so bad yourself." she tells him.

He leans down and gives her a kiss.

A black car pulls up to the dock and honks the horn.

They break apart and look toward the car.

A man gets out and walks over to them.

"Mr. and Mrs. Rafe Cameron?" the man asks them.

Rafe steps forward, but keeps Jo behind him.

"That's us." he confirms.

Jo's heart jumps at being called Mrs. Cameron, but she pushes it down and doesn't question it.

"Come. Mr. Singh is waiting for you." the man states.

Rafe grabs Jo's hand and they walk to the car.

The man opens the car door and Jo slides in first, and Rafe joins her.

They ride in silence, and Jo's eyes widen when they come to a big gated house.

They get escorted out of the car and into the house.

"Wait for Mr. Singh in here. He will be joining you momentarily. Help yourself to a drink." the maid tells them.

Rafe instantly walks over to the drink cart and pours himself a drink.

Jo looks around the room taking in all the artifacts and paintings in the room.

There is a certain painting that catches her eye.

But Rafe gets her attention.

"Babe, come get a drink. He has rum."

She walks over to Rafe as he hands her a glass of rum.

"Uh, excuse me."

Jo and Rafe turn around to see Kie staring at them.

**************************

Jo puts the drink down and gasps.

"Oh my God Kie!"

"Jo?"

Jo runs to Kie and pulls her into a hug.

"What are you doing here? What happened?" Jo asks her friend.

"I could be asking you the same thing. I knew Ward was being this!"

Kie sends a glare at Rafe.

"What are you talking about? Are you trying to weasel in on my deal right now? Is that what's going on?" Rafe storms angrily over to Kie.

Jo pushes Kie behind her and faces Rafe.

"Step back and calm down right now." she firmly commands.

"I wondered if your little reunion would cause sparks you know."

They turn their attention to a man looking out the window.

He turns to face them.

Rafe stands protectively in front of Jo.

"Who are you?" Rafe asks.

"Me? My name is Carlos Singh. Its a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Cameron. And of course, the lovely future Mrs. Cameron."

Jo feels herself freeze as she feels Kie's eyes on her.

"Ms. Carrera, I do apologize for the rough tactics in bringing you here. But please come. Sit."

Kie grabs Jo's hand and pulls her away from Rafe.

She glares at him and walks over to the sitting area.

Rafe clenches his jaw and follows.

"Rough tactics. What about me?" Rafe asks.

"Yes, Mr. Cameron, false pretenses. But the ends justify the means, I'm afraid."

Kie and Jo sit together on the couch and Rafe clenches his jaw and sits on the chair closest to Jo.

"Why are we here? Where are the rest of my friends?" Jo asks.

She feels Rafe's stare when she asks about her friends, but she doesn't care.

"Well, Ms. Mills, Ms. Carrera, and Mr. Cameron, we share certain interests, you know. Objectives." Singh tells them.

"Is this not about the cross?" Rafe asks rudely.

"It is. Tangentially, it is about the cross, but it's also about something much, much bigger than the cross."

Singh walks over to the painting that had caught Jo's attention earlier.

"By orders of magnitude, the completion of a grand quest. You see, the story goes that 450 years ago a Spanish soldier came out of the Orinoco Basin with a few gold beads. And when they asked the Spanish soldier, where the beads came from? The Spanish soldier replies he got them from a peaceful Indigenous tribe who lived in a city of gold." Singh pauses.

"El Dorado." Jo states.

"Correct, Ms. Mills. And for the next 450 years, people have tried to find that gold, you know. All fighting each other in a race for the end of the rainbow. And it falls to me to complete that task. To bring full circle a quest that has gone on for almost 500 years."

Jo glances at Rafe who doesn't look interested in what Singh has to say at all.

Kie is holding onto Jo's hand tightly as if she would disappear if she loosens her grip.

"And you three are going to play a part in that." he tells them.

"I can tell Ms. Mills has a niche for history, but what about you Ms. Carrera? Are you like your friend here and love history?" Singh asks.

"I'm more of a future person." Kie responds.

"Yea I didn't listen to a word you said, okay? How much you gonna keep philosophizing?" Rafe rudely comments.

Jo kicks him in the leg and sends him a glare.

Singh didn't miss the exchange.

He chuckles softly.

"You are direct, aren't you Mr. Cameron? At least your fiancé here has manners." Singh states.

"What do you need from us?" Jo asks in a firm tone.

"I've come to believe that you and your friends are in possession of something that can help me get what I want." Singh says directed to the girls.

"Which is?" Kie asks.

"An old manuscript. A diary actually."

Kie's hand tightens in Jo's.

They both know instantly what Singh is wanting from them.

Jo catches Rafe's slightly irritated, and confused stare.

"I have no idea what you're talking about. Do you Joanna?" Rafe asks.

She shakes her head.

"The only diary I know of is my own." Jo answers.

"Yea, that's just ridiculous. I don't know anything about a diary." Kie also denies it.

"Then how else could you have learned that the cross was on the Royal Merchant? " Singh asks.

Jo and Kie share a look.

"Look, I wanna help you, but I can't." Kie tells him.

"Yea, we never came across a diary at all." Jo tells him.

"I was hoping you wouldn't say that. Unfortunately I don't believe any one of you. You and your friends here couldn't have found the cross without it." Singh accuses.

"He is not my friend." Kie glares instantly.

"I guess we can't all be friends."

Rafe quickly stands up.

"This is ridiculous, okay? We're out. I dont know anything about a diary. Come on Joanna, we're leaving."

Rafe grabs her arm and pulls her away from Kie.

"I can't leave Kie here!"

Rafe gets stopped by the door by an armed man.

Jo gasps and Rafe stands in front of Jo protectively.

"Do I look like a fool to you, Mr. Cameron?" Singh stands up to face them.

Rafe shrugs his shoulders.

Jo stares from behind Rafe.

"You two now have the cross. At one point, she and her friends, who are your fiancé's friends too, had the cross. So one of you three has to have the diary."

Jo and Kie lock eyes.

"And if you really don't know, then I suggest you convince your woman and her friend to tell me."

Jo tenses and hardens her face.

"Once I have the diary, you'll all be free to leave." he tells them.

***********************

Singh leads them upstairs into a big lavish bedroom.

Jo is standing in the middle of Rafe and Kie.

"Enjoy the grounds during your stay. I must warn you though. I am not a man of infinite patience. You three have one day. Go to the window for a little demonstration." Singh tells them.

"I think you'll come to enjoy it."

He pats Rafe on the back with a smirk.

Singh walks out of the room and closes the door.

"Hey! Hey! Are you just done talking?"

Rafe tries to open the door.

"It's locked Rafe." Jo says glancing at him.

"We need to find a way out of here!" Rafe says as he looks around.

Jo follows Kie over to the window as she hears men talking.

"What are you looking at?" Jo asks coming up to the window and looking out.

She feels Rafe come up behind her and places his hands on her hips.

They see men dragging a guy onto the back deck under the window.

"Who the hell is that?" Rafe asks.

"That's Jimmy Portis. He was just trying to help me." Kie tells them.

They watch as Singh makes an appearance and looks up at the window.

He pulls out a gun.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa."

Rafe tightens his grip on Jo.

They see him go up to the man and shoot him in the head.

The sound of the gunshot makes Jo jump and turn into Rafe's chest.

He pulls her tightly against him.

"It's okay. I'm not gonna let him hurt you." he whispers softly in her ear.

Kie spares a glance at them and is surprised to see Rafe being so soft.

"Alright, no more bullshit from you two. I need to know the truth right now."

Jo steps out of his arms and stands by Kie.

"Do you have the diary? Or know where it is?" he asks them.

Jo knows that Rafe knows when she's lying so she refuses to answer.

"No." Kie answers him, being the better liar of the two.

Kie glares at Rafe and pulls Jo away to the other side of the room away from Rafe.

"I have missed you so much."

Kie throws her arms around Jo.

"I have missed you too. God I have missed you guys every day." Jo cries to Kie.

Rafe hears them and glares in their direction.