A. Matamata

This is a type of turtle which is about 50-70cm long. It lives in the

tropical marshland and it is orange-brown or grey-brown in colour which helps it

to blend in to its surroundings. It has a large body, a thick neck and a broad

triangular-shaped head with a long thin snout. It feeds on fish which it

attracts by wiggling a strange-looking piece of skin that hangs down from its

neck. When a fish comes close enough, the matamata sucks up the fish and the

water and swallows it in one big gulp. Its name was given to it by the south

American Indians and means “I kill”.

B. Long-horned beetle

Hard to distinguish from a piece of bark due to their brown and grey

camouflage, these beetles are two cm long. They have six jointed legs and two

long antennae which is how they get their name because they look like horns.

They live in trees and eat wood. The female lays her eggs in a dead branch and

the strong teeth of the larvae burrow into the wood. When they are mature, they

tunnel their way out. They usually live for about two years.

C. Poison-arrow frog

Indians used the poison from certain frogs to tip their arrows. However,

they didn’t use the poison from this particular species despite its name. The

toxins from this frog are not actually deadly, but they can cause an allergic

reaction. It secretes its poison through its skin and it is strong enough to

kill insects, which are what the frog preys on. It is quite small, only about

two cm and unlike most frogs it hasn’t got webbed feet. It is brightly coloured

with a black and yellow body and blue legs and it has shiny skin. This warns

other animals that it is not good to eat so very few animals eat them. It lives

on the floor of the rainforest and likes moist, shady places.

D. Leaf toad

As its name suggests, this toad lives on leaves in the undergrowth of

the rainforest. It has brown, yellow and orange patterned skin with a raised

line down its back which looks exactly like the vein of a leaf. It positions

itself in the center of a large leaf and uses its amazing camouflage to hide

from its predators which are snakes, birds and spiders. It can only usually be

seen if it moves. They are usually three-four cm long but can grow as big as

eight cm.

Which animal: