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La serpiente de cascabel de la isla de Aruba está entre las serpientes de cascabel más raras del mundo y enumeradas entre las especies en peligro.

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Pasa la mayor parte del tiempo enrollada en una rama con la cabeza entre el cuerpo. De hábitos crepusculares, al atardecer inicia su búsqueda de presas a las que mata por constricción.

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The skin of this amphibian exudes a poisonous substance that causes nausea and vomiting in the predators that try to eat it. Natives take advantage of this feature to make poisoned darts. They impale the frogs on a stick and hold them close to the fire to get them to sweat as much as possible to extract the maximum precious venom for their darts. They also rub the darts on the back of living frogs.

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Toucans feed on a wide variety of fruits and play an extremely important role in dispersing the seeds of numerous species of plants and trees in the jungle.

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The ocelot is a land-based predator although it is able to climb with great agility through tall trees, whether to surprise a sleeping bird or monkey or to take refuge when surprised itself. It is a nocturnal predator and although it is land-based it is able to climb with great agility through tall trees, whether to surprise a sleeping bird or even a monkey. In Central America there are very few ocelots left due to the loss of their natural habitat. They live in the same areas as the jaguar, and their smallest cousin is the Margay, but as the ocelot targets smaller prey this avoids any confrontation between the three species. Among South American fauna, the ocelot is the third largest after the jaguar and the puma. It is also regarded as the most timid feline in the world, always hiding in the dense jungle vegetation. In appearance, we can justifiably say that it is one of the most beautiful felines in existence. It mainly hunts at night and is very accurate in its attacks: its usual prey are opossums (small tree-living marsupials about the size of a cat), agouties and birds, which it surprises while they are asleep. A very important strategy that the ocelot has developed is that while the jaguar hunts on the ground, the ocelot lies in wait up in the trees and bushes. Important. Ocelots are solitary animals and, above all, very timid; any kind of noise provokes a sudden stampede to find refuge at the top of a tree, where they always sleep. However, when faced with humans it runs away at great speed. This characteristic of being constantly elusive and on the alert has allowed it to escape any attempts to capture it to commercialize its beautiful skin.

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The deforestation of their habitat by agricultural and livestock overexploitation, illegal trade in skins, controls over predators and mass hunting of their prey have put the Jaguar on the verge of extinction in most of the areas it inhabits. The Jaguar probably descends from an ancient puma species which emigrated from the frozen regions of North America. It traps its prey by lying in wait in the undergrowth. It is not a threat to humans and hardly any threat to livestock (only to weak animals that wander into the jungle). It is the third largest feline on earth. It is not particularly fast, but is an agile climber that always captures its prey by surprise and not from the chase. Its favourite prey includes wild boar and capybaras, although it also feeds on tapirs, caimans and fish. Imagine the strength it must have in its jaws to open the tough skin of a caiman. It was highly venerated in Mayan culture for its power and beauty; the Mayans used to call it “Balam” and regarded it as a subterranean reincarnation of the night-time sun; the ferocious guardian of temples, tombs and thrones, the places which, in natural history, have been widely used by the jaguar to watch over its territory. Interesting facts: in the South American jungles, the population density is one jaguar per 25-30 km². In the forests where man has intervened, hunting its usual prey and taking away its refuges by felling trees, jaguars have been obliged to migrate to the depths of the immense Amazon jungle in search of peace and refuge. They have been almost exterminated in Mexico (there are fewer than 500 left) and decimated in Central America (around 1,000 left). The largest populations now remain in the vast virgin swathes of the Amazon basin, the swamplands and pristine forests of Colombia and Ecuador, with an estimated total of 15,000 animals. The saddest fact. In recent decades, due to the demand for its beautiful skin, as many as 15,000 jaguars were killed each year, a figure which today has fallen dramatically thanks to the increasingly stringent governmental controls and its inclusion on the list of protected species in the CITES convention.

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Did you know...? Rhinoceros horn grows throughout its life and is made of keratin (the same substance as nails, hair or feathers). Our rhinoceroses Nisha and Shiwa love wallowing in the water and spend a good part of each day bathing to protect their skin from parasites which try to lay their eggs in the creases of their thick, leathery skins. Very interesting facts: the rhinoceros is the second largest land animal in Asia after the elephant, and although its horn may seem to be its most fearsome weapon, the greatest danger is from its incisive teeth which can cut like knives. During the mating season, the male can cause quite deep cuts in the female’s thick skin, though not putting her in any danger. Their skin can be up to 4 cm thick in the creased areas and the neck, where they need the greatest protection in case of tiger attack. The rhinoceros horn grows slowly throughout their lives and is made of keratin, the same substance that the nails and skin of all mammals are made of. They love wallowing in water and mud for most of the day to protect their skins from parasites, especially the flies that try to lay eggs in the creases of their thick, leathery skins. The bad news: the IUCN has classified the Indian rhino as a highly endangered species; its population is estimated at some 2,000 animals which only live in very localized parts of northern India and southern Nepal, on the plains of the River Ganges. Poaching is their main threat, as powdered rhino horn is in huge demand in Asian markets where it is believed it has tremendous curative powers for numerous diseases. Current scientific research has not discovered any evidence to prove any such powers. The legend of the Indian rhino: “An old legend from Indian mythology about armour”: once upon a time, the great Krishna decided to dispense with his elephants as animals of combat and replace them with rhinos, given that the mahouts were very easy targets for enemy archers. So they caught the rhinos, equipped them with armour them and trained them, but when they were presented before the great Krishna they were too stupid to learn and obey orders. They were therefore sent back to the jungle in the same armour they are still wearing today. Curious facts about our own animals: the soles of rhinos’ feet (hooves) are as soft as our own. This is because they inhabit marshy areas or riverbanks where the soil is muddy and sandy. Our rhinos Nisha and Shiwa are supervised every morning by their keepers, who on the order of “down” roll over to let us have a look at the soles of their feet. In turn, the rhinos expect their keeper to scratch the areas where their legs meet the body, where the skin is soft and sensitive; they just love it! Their faces are so expressive that you can see the pleasure on them… and if you don’t believe us, look at this photo. Where to see them? At Terra Natura you can see them by going down through the Asia zone. Don’t forget to use the map as a guide, which you can get at the entrance.

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The tiger is the largest of all felines and the second largest land carnivore after the polar bear and grizzly bear? The tiger is close to extinction due to poaching and its commercialization in traditional Chinese and Korean medicine, where the bones are ground to produce medicines which are mistakenly attributed with miraculous powers. Very interesting facts: it is the second largest land carnivore after the polar bear and the grizzly bear. The tiger hunts by surprise; it does not run very well but is a good jumper. It tends to kill by strangulation, by biting the back of the neck or the throat. Its hearing and sight are very highly developed, though not so much its sense of smell. In the huge wild Sundarban mangrove swamps in Bengal (India and Bangladesh) there are tigers that attack and feed on humans. They can eat up to 40 kilos of meat in one session. And as far as their strength is concerned, there is a known case of a tiger which managed to drag the body of an adult guar weighing 900 kilos for 12 metres – later on, 13 people could barely move it one metre. Useful to know: to live they need a great deal of space with the minimum possible impact from human activities, primarily uninhabited areas where there are still large prey such as deer and wild boar. Tigers are not very accurate in their attacks and need to use the utmost stealth to creep up on their prey, and field studies have noted an average of 10 surprise attacks to get one successful capture. The bad news: in the past, the tiger was hunted for its beautiful skin, and was also hunted indiscriminately as a highly regarded sporting trophy. Today, unfortunately, there is still a growing demand for tiger bones for use in traditional Chinese medicine. The bones are used to obtain a powder which is attributed with numerous curative properties, commercialized in the form of tablets, pills or tinctures. Other parts of the tiger’s body are also very highly valued in these markets, for example, tiger penis soup can cost up to 300€, and is attributed with aphrodisiac powers. The growing demand for tiger bones and claws, which are ground down into powder for traditional Chinese and Korean medicine, is leading to an alarming decline in tiger populations due to intensive poaching. The good news: traffic in tiger skins has significantly diminished in the last decade thanks to controls and a commitment to ban trade in most countries. In some protected areas of Asia, tiger populations have even increased, which is very heartening news. Curious facts about our own animals: the tigers are very curious about the movements of the keepers along the walkways, and when they come close to them they go all soft and make purring noises (like cats purring) to get them to scratch their heads. This invitation to stroke them should be avoided, as wild animals as large and strong as these can always take you by surprise with an unexpected reaction. Sometimes a huge tiger can look just like a big cat to us, but it should never be touched under any circumstances. Where to see them? At Terra Natura you’ll find them at the Temple of Tigers in the Asia zone. Don't forget to use the map as a guide, which you can get at the entrance.

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An elephant’s pregnancy lasts 22 months (the longest pregnancy in the natural world) and at birth its young weigh almost 100 kilos. After weaning, they feed on pastureland and plant matter. The ears of the Asian elephant are smaller than those of the African elephant: these animals live in forests and jungles protected from the sun, in contrast to their African cousins, which inhabit scorchingly hot savannahs. This factor has led to the African species developing much larger ears. These huge flaps are an excellent organ for regulating the animal’s body temperature, as all the blood circulates through them in order to cool it down. Very interesting: in the wild, elephants can eat up to 140 kilos of grass per day, and with their trunks they can drink almost 15 litres of water in a single gulp. Although bigger in general than the African elephant, its head is even larger but the ears are quite a bit smaller. It has the longest gestation period of all mammals, including the giant blue whale. Unlike its African cousin, the Asian elephant has been domesticated in India and Thailand for more than 4,000 years, to the point of being venerated as a god in India and forming part of the army, where they were used for assault and intimidation due to their vast size. Smaller ears: the Asian species has smaller ears because they live in the forest protected from the sun, unlike their African cousins who live in the scorching hot savannahs. This has led the African elephant to develop much larger ears as all the blood in their body has to pass through them to be cooled and thus regulate their body temperature. The bad news: the IUCN has classified this species as endangered. The most recent census estimates figures at between 34,000 and 54,000 elephants in the wild, of which between 17,000 and 23,000 live in India. Today, protected from poaching, their main threats are the destruction of their natural habitat, illegal human settlements in protected areas, and the resulting conflict between humans and elephants as a result of elephants wandering into croplands. Curious facts about our own animals. Some females form a liking for a particular keeper, and show it with gestures of submission and happiness when the keeper comes near. Petita likes coming over for a piece of bread or fruit, moving her head from side to side in a sign of pleasure, just like when a little girl jumps for joy. Other females demonstrate their good mood by trumpeting, which is the special deep noise that shows pleasure to other animals or keepers. When the elephants are sad, they show it in the same way as humans; first in their eyes and later in their apathy or lack of interest. Where to see them? At Terra Natura you can find them as you enter the Asia zone, passing the volcano at the entrance. Don't forget to use the map as a guide, which you can get at the entrance.