South America's diverse wildlife

Are you familiar with the film "Finding Nemo?" Then you probably know that the green sea turtle uses currents to travel long distances. The young sea turtles spend their first 5 years in the convergence zone and surf through the currents in deep waters. The adults prefer to drift calmly in shallow water and close to the coast. Every year, the female turtles return to the beach where they were born. There they lay up to 100 eggs in the dark, which are then covered with sand. With a bit of luck, you can watch the many newly hatched baby turtles scurry into the water in Tortuguero National Park in Costa Rica, trying to escape the seagulls or crabs.

Costa Rica's smallest national park is home to the unique sloths. They spend almost their entire lives hanging from trees - they sleep, eat, mate and give birth to their young there. With its long claws, a sloth can attach itself perfectly to a branch and sleep there for up to 20 hours a day. Let's be honest, sometimes the sloth is truly enviable. Its extra neck vertebrae allow the sloth to turn its head up to 270 degrees and pick leaves from the trees without moving. The sloth's fur provides a cosy place for any insects to nest. The animal moves so slowly that even algae make room for themselves in the fur, giving the sloth a greenish colour.

Ball games are played every day in the Brazilian Amazon. In their search for food, the playful toucans set off in small groups, shouting loudly and throwing berries at each other. They can juggle these so skilfully with their large beaks that even Neymar or Ronaldinho would probably be envious of their balancing skills. They hop happily through the rainforest, as their small feathers are not particularly suitable for flying. You can witness this spectacle on a trip to Bonito or Pantanal. As they cannot chop holes in the wood with their rounded beaks, they live in natural tree hollows; often together with their partner, as a toucan pair stays together for life. When sleeping, the toucan rolls itself into a ball and is therefore perfectly protected from enemies.

When travelling to the southernmost region of Argentina, it is almost impossible not to come across a horde of sea lions lying on the rocky shores and digesting their lunch. Although they are usually seen "relaxing", the animals can swim up to 9600 kilometres at a time. With their roaring and barking, Argentinian sea lions are not the quietest animals in the world. They are particularly intelligent and playful. But if provoked, they can also become aggressive. The males often engage in bloody power struggles. Where the maned seals are at home, you can often see a black dorsal fin protruding from the water. The killer whales are close to the shore at two specific times, either at spa time or feeding time. During the wellness walk, the whales rub themselves against pebbles in the shallow water and enjoy the massaging effect. However, if they get hungry, the sea lions should quickly leave, as they are one of the killer whales' favourite foods. The whales take a long run-up and with a quick movement they beach themselves, hoping for a bite to eat in the surf. With a trained sliding movement, they then make their way back into the sea.

The alpaca is mainly bred as a farm animal in the Andes. Peru is home to 80 % of the world's alpacas. Their soft wool is particularly warm in the mountain climate and you will want to put your hand in their fluffy fur. But you should be careful, because if you get too close to the alpacas, they can spit with great accuracy. Unlike their relatives, the camels, alpacas do not have a hump. Instead, their long neck and small head are their trademarks. The animals' fur can come in a variety of colours - brown, black or sometimes even fox-coloured. You can see most alpacas in the high mountains of Peru, for example on a hike to Machu Picchu. With their soft padded soles, they can master any steep path perfectly. Would you like to experience South America's biodiversity live? Take a look at our South America travel offer.