"Inca tern The Inca tern (""Larosterna inca"") is a tern in the family Laridae. It is the only member of the genus ""Larosterna"". This uniquely plumaged bird breeds on the coasts of Peru and Chile, and is restricted to the Humboldt Current. It is an erratic, rare visitor to the southwest coast of Ecuador. It can be identified by its dark grey body, white moustache on both sides of its head, and red-orange beak and feet. The Inca tern is a large tern, approximately long. Sexes are similar; the adult is mostly slate-grey with white restricted to the facial plumes"
"Inca jay The Inca jay (""Cyanocorax yncas"") is a bird species of the New World jays, which is endemic to the Andes of South America. Some ornithologists treat the green jay of North America and the Inca jay as conspecific and with ""C. yncas luxuosus"" as the green jay and ""C. yncas yncas"" as the Inca jay. . The crown can appear mostly white, with blue limited to the frontal crest and nape. A black bib forms a broad band up to the sides of the head as well as a stripe through the eye line and one above it."
"animal (unique in Chile), is similar to the figure of a puma that was represented in the plant of the cardinal city of Inca Empire, Cusco. Sarmiento de Gamboa indicated that the city was conceived for you builders with the form of a puma. Fernando and Edgardo Elorrieta, describe great quantity of incaic buildings located in the sacred valley, which forms of animals resemble, some of them related to the dark constellations that they saw in the night sky. Also they describe associations of these buildings with the astronomy. The back part of this feline, presents openings of doors, corridors"
"Inca dove The Inca dove or Mexican dove (""Columbina inca"") is a small New World dove. Inca doves reach a length of and weigh . They are slender, with a gray-brown body covered in feathers that resemble a scaled pattern. The tail is long and square and edged with white feathers that may flare out in flight. The underwings are reddish, like other ground doves, and upon takeoff, the wings produce a distinctive, quiet rattling noise. The Inca Dove ranges from Costa Rica in the south to the American Southwest in the north and is often common to abundant in"
"Brown inca The brown inca (""Coeligena wilsoni"") is a species of hummingbird found in forests between 1000 and 2800 m along the Pacific slope of the Andes from western Colombia to southern Ecuador. The scientific name commemorates the American naturalist Thomas Bellerby Wilson. The brown inca is about 12 cm long, weighs approximately 6.7 g, and has a long straight black bill (3.2 cm). It is dark bronzy above with dull brown underparts and an inconspicuous amethyst throat patch. There is a small white postocular spot and a white patch on either side of the neck. Sexes are similar. It"
"mother visited once or twice every hour, to feed the young for a period of 9–55 seconds. Collared inca The collared inca (""Coeligena torquata"") is a species of hummingbird found in humid Andean forests from western Venezuela, through Colombia and Ecuador, to Peru and Bolivia. It is very distinctive and unique in having a white chest-patch and white on the tail. Like other hummingbirds it takes energy from flower nectar (especially from bromeliads), while the plant benefits from the symbiotic relationship by being pollinated. Its protein source is small arthropods such as insects. It is normally solitary and can be"
"outer tail-feathers, and a small – but contrasting – black mask and chin. Except in the gray-winged Inca finch, all have a rufous back or wings. Inca finch The Inca finches (Incaspiza) are a genus of finch-like birds traditionally placed in the Emberizidae family, but it may be more closely related to the Thraupidae. Its current family status is incertae sedis. Both their scientific and common name refer to the Incan civilization. They are endemic to arid scrub in central and northern Peru. Buff-bridled, gray-winged and little Inca finches are restricted to the Marañón Valley. The rufous-backed Inca finch occurs"
"Collared inca The collared inca (""Coeligena torquata"") is a species of hummingbird found in humid Andean forests from western Venezuela, through Colombia and Ecuador, to Peru and Bolivia. It is very distinctive and unique in having a white chest-patch and white on the tail. Like other hummingbirds it takes energy from flower nectar (especially from bromeliads), while the plant benefits from the symbiotic relationship by being pollinated. Its protein source is small arthropods such as insects. It is normally solitary and can be found at varying heights above the ground, often in the open. The Gould's inca (""Coeligena torquata omissa"")"
"of southern Peru and Bolivia is normally considered a subspecies of the collared inca, although it has a rufous (not white) chest-patch. The collared inca is (controversially) placed in the order Apodiformes, which contains swifts as well as hummingbirds. It is in the family Trochilidae, that of the hummingbirds, and placed within the subfamily Trochilinae, the so-called ""typical hummingbirds."" Collared incas found in different parts of their range tend to have certain morphological features characteristic of that region, and are considered separate subspecies. From north to south along the Andes they are: in length, with a rather long (), straight,"
"Onza The Onza is claimed to be a feline species similar to a cougar. It is a cryptid—a creature whose existence has been alleged but not proven. The term has also been used to refer to the jaguarundi (""Puma yaguaroundi""). The Spanish name ""onza"" derives from the Latin ""lynx"", ""lyncis"", and is equivalent to the English word ""ounce"", originally applied to the lynx but now more commonly to the snow leopard (""Uncia uncia""). There are old texts written by Spanish conquistadors about the onza, but they might refer to the jaguarundi, which is known as ""onza"" in many Mexican states."
"tail is broad and is suffused with the same purple tinge as the back. Bronzy inca The bronzy inca (""Coeligena coeligena"") is a species of hummingbird in the family Trochilidae. It is found in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forest. The bronzy inca is a large hummingbird, measuring in length. The main colour of the plumage is iridescent purple. The upperparts vary from a rich violet to a sparkling red, while the underparts are suffused with a greyish tinge. Each individual feather is banded with lighter and darker colours. The"
"Bronzy inca The bronzy inca (""Coeligena coeligena"") is a species of hummingbird in the family Trochilidae. It is found in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forest. The bronzy inca is a large hummingbird, measuring in length. The main colour of the plumage is iridescent purple. The upperparts vary from a rich violet to a sparkling red, while the underparts are suffused with a greyish tinge. Each individual feather is banded with lighter and darker colours. The tail coverts have a golden-greenish lustre. The throat and breast are soft grey. The"
"Incan caenolestid The Incan caenolestid (""Lestoros inca""), also known as the Incan shrew opossum or Peruvian caenolestid, is a caenolestid found in the southern Peruvian Andes. It was first described by English zoologist Oldfield Thomas in 1917. The head-and-body length ranges from , and the weight is between . It is brown on the back, and lighter on the underside. Little is known about the behaviour of the Incan caenolestid; it appears to be terrestrial and nocturnal. It feeds on small invertebrates and insects. This caenolestid inhabits elfin and secondary forests. The IUCN classifies it as least concern. The Incan"
"often flock outside their territories, with flocks going up to 100 birds. The song, a forceful cooing rendered variously as ""cowl-coo"" or ""POO-pup"", may be given from a tree, wire, or other open, high perch such as a television aerial. Inca dove The Inca dove or Mexican dove (""Columbina inca"") is a small New World dove. Inca doves reach a length of and weigh . They are slender, with a gray-brown body covered in feathers that resemble a scaled pattern. The tail is long and square and edged with white feathers that may flare out in flight. The underwings are"
"its vibrant mythology continues to influence life throughout South America today. Like other Native American cultures, the Inca society was heavily influenced by the local animal populations, both as food, textile, and transportational sources as well as religious and cultural cornerstones. Many myths and legends of the Inca include or are solely about an animal or a mix of animals and their interactions with the gods, humans, and or natural surroundings. The Inca bred dogs for hunting and scavenging but rarely for religious purposes. The Huanca people, however, had a much more religious basis for their consumption of dog meat"
"Incans often use dried cria carcasses to make payments to Pachamama. Used in ceremony, the crias are burned and the ashes are given as payments to the earth. In the markets of Cuzco, crias are sold for such purposes. Cria A cria (pronounced ) is a juvenile llama, alpaca, vicuña, or guanaco. The term comes from the Spanish word cría, meaning ""baby"". Its false cognate in English, ""crya"" (pronounced ), was coined by British sailors who explored Chile in the 18th century and were quick to describe the camelids onomatopoeically according to the ""mwa"" sound they made, which was not"
"feeds on the nectar of various plants such as ""Psammisia"", ""Macleania"", ""Cavendishia"", and ""Fuchsia"". Insects are caught by foraging on various plants and occasionally by hawking. It feeds by trap-lining. Brown inca The brown inca (""Coeligena wilsoni"") is a species of hummingbird found in forests between 1000 and 2800 m along the Pacific slope of the Andes from western Colombia to southern Ecuador. The scientific name commemorates the American naturalist Thomas Bellerby Wilson. The brown inca is about 12 cm long, weighs approximately 6.7 g, and has a long straight black bill (3.2 cm). It is dark bronzy above with"
"a cougar, and the animal also gave its name to both Inca regions and people. The Moche people represented the puma often in their ceramics. The sky and thunder god of the Inca, Viracocha, has been associated with the animal. In North America, mythological descriptions of the cougar have appeared in the stories of the Hocąk language (""Ho-Chunk"" or ""Winnebago"") of Wisconsin and Illinois and the Cheyenne, amongst others. To the Apache and Walapai of Arizona, the wail of the cougar was a harbinger of death. The Algonquins and Ojibwe believe that the cougar lived in the underworld and was"
"lore of many other folkloric beings, who guard their identities or names from humans. There are stories of some púca being blood-thirsty and vampire-like creatures. Other stories even say some are man-eating beings, hunting down, killing, and eating their victims. According to legend, the púca is a deft shapeshifter, capable of assuming a variety of terrifying or pleasing forms. It can take a human form, but will often have animal features, such as ears or a tail. As an animal, the púca will most commonly appear as a horse, cat, rabbit, raven, fox, wolf, goat, goblin, or dog. No matter"
"Iguana Iguana (, ) is a genus of herbivorous lizards that are native to tropical areas of Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. The genus was first described in 1768 by Austrian naturalist Josephus Nicolaus Laurenti in his book ""Specimen Medicum, Exhibens Synopsin Reptilium Emendatam cum Experimentis circa Venena"". Two species are included in the genus ""Iguana"": the green iguana, which is widespread throughout its range and a popular pet, and the Lesser Antillean iguana, which is native to the Lesser Antilles and endangered due to habitat destruction and hybridization with introduced green iguanas. The word ""iguana"" is"
"Púca The púca (Irish for ""spirit/ghost""), pooka, phouka, phooka, phooca, puca or púka is primarily a creature of Celtic folklore. Considered to be bringers both of good and bad fortune, they could either help or hinder rural and marine communities. The Púca can have dark or white fur or hair. The creatures were said to be shape changers which could take the appearance of horses, goats, cats, dogs, and hares. They may also take a human form, which includes various animal features, such as ears or a tail. The ""púca"" has counterparts throughout the Celtic cultures of Northwest Europe. For"
"capable of being impregnated by ghosts which would yield a baby with dog feet. Despite there only being one bear species in South America (the spectacled bear, ""Tremarctus ornatus""), the story of The Bear’s Wife and Children is a prominent story among the Inca. The Andean people believed that bears represented the sexual habits of men and women and the girls were warned of “bear-rape”. This story details a bear who disguises himself as a man who subdues a girl and takes her to his cave where he feeds her and takes care of her. Soon after, she bares two"
"inca occupation of central Chile"". The topographic raising that the engineer Hans Niemeyer realised at it, emphasised the needings of a researcher in archaeology. This fortress possesses a set of nine enclosures placed in the summit of the hill and of two defensive walls of surrounding. The first approximation to a new interpretation, was published in 1991. This one points that the perimeter of the walls of the pucara, it suggests the form of an animal, possibly a feline. And the defensive walls would not be such but three areas of the Inca cosmovision . This form similar to an"
"to indicate that the Inca were a relatively unimportant tribe until the time of Sinchi Roca, also called Cinchi Roca, who is the first figure in Inca mythology whose existence can be supported historically. The Inca people began as a tribe in the Cusco area around the 12th century AD. Under the leadership of Manco Cápac, they formed the small city-state of Cusco Quechua ""Qosqo"". In 1438 AD, under the command of Sapa Inca (paramount leader) Pachacuti, whose name meant ""world-shaker"", they began a far-reaching expansion. The land Pachacuti conquered was about the size of the Thirteen Colonies of the"
"Church. The Incas hunted game including the wild camelids vicuña and guanaco, whitetail deer, huemul deer and viscacha, a kind of chinchilla which was hunted with lassos. Hunting rights were controlled by the state and any meat would go into the state warehouses for storage. In massive royal hunts, hunting teams would force huge herds into enclosures, and there are reports of several thousand animals being caught in a single great hunt, including puma, bear, fox and deer. One mainstay of the Inca army and the general population was dried fish. Limpets, skates, rays, small sharks of the genus ""Mustelus"","
"mullets and bonito were among the fish caught off the Peruvian coast. Other sea creatures like seabirds, penguins, sea lions and dolphins were eaten, as were various crustaceans and chitons, mussels, ""chanque"" (an abalone-like animal). Like other American peoples, the Inca ate animals that were often considered vermin by many Europeans, such as frogs, caterpillars, beetles, and ants. Mayfly larvae were eaten raw or toasted and ground to make loaves that could then be stored. Cooking was often done by putting hot stones in cooking vessels and there was extensive use of the ""huatia"", a type of earth oven and"
"Andes as well as in those of mummies of the Inca civilization. Although the Inca bone was originally encountered as a variation in South American and Latin American cranial remains, the variation occurs in people from all geographic regions of the world and is by no means indicative of South/Latin American origin. The existence of this Inca bone has helped to identify the mummified remains which spent 110 years in two German museums as belonging to a young South American woman who was probably a victim of ritual murder practiced around the 17th century. In many other mammals, this bone"
"Imbunche In the Chilote folklore and Chilote mythology of the Chiloé Island in southern Chile, the imbunche or invunche (Mapudungun ""ifünche"": ""deformed person"", also ""short person"") is a legendary monster that protects the entrance to a warlock's cave. The invunche is a deformed human with its head twisted backwards, along with having twisted arms, fingers, nose, mouth and ears. The creature walks on one foot or on three feet (actually one leg and two hands) because one of its legs is attached to the back of its neck. The invunche cannot talk, and communicates only by guttural, rough and unpleasant"
"Manco Cápac Manco Cápac (Quechua: ""Manqu Qhapaq"", ""the royal founder""), also known as Manco Inca and Ayar Manco was, according to some historians, the first governor and founder of the Inca civilization in Cusco, possibly in the early 13th century. He is also a main figure of Inca mythology, being the protagonist of the two best known legends about the origin of the Inca, both of them connecting him to the foundation of Cusco. His main wife was Mama Uqllu, also mother of his son and successor Sinchi Ruq'a. Even though his figure is mentioned in several chronicles, his actual"
"and tubers provided the staples of the Inca, they were still considered lower in rank than maize. Several species of seaweed were part of the Inca diet and could be eaten fresh or dried. Some freshwater algae and blue algae of the genus ""Nostoc"" were eaten raw or processed for storage. In post-colonial times it has been used to make a dessert by boiling it in sugar. Pepino, a refreshing and thirst-quenching fruit, was eaten by common folk, but scorned by ""pampered folk"" and were considered difficult to digest. Peoples of the Altiplano had two large domesticated animals: llamas and"
"Chupacabra The chupacabra or chupacabras (, literally ""goat-sucker""; from ""chupar"", ""to suck"", and ""cabra"", ""goat"") is a legendary creature in the folklore of parts of the Americas, with its first purported sightings reported in Puerto Rico. The name comes from the animal's reported habit of attacking and drinking the blood of livestock, including goats. Physical descriptions of the creature vary. It is purportedly a heavy creature, the size of a small bear, with a row of spines reaching from the neck to the base of the tail. Eyewitness sightings have been claimed in Puerto Rico, and have since been reported"
"Incas according to chronicler Cieza de León and recounted by the Saraguro. Being descendants of the elite soldiers of the Inca army, they retained that symbolism as well as the male population retained their long-braided hair, which was another marker of nobility among the Incas. Black as a sign of mourning is not part of the Inca symbolism nor among the Saraguros but has been adopted, especially by the young generations. Likewise, they attribute the symbolic concepts of their clothing to a representation of the ""Curiquingue"" (carunculated caracara), which has black and white feathers and was a symbolic bird of"
"upwards. The teeth themselves are small and serrated - designed to grasp and shear food. Iguana Iguana (, ) is a genus of herbivorous lizards that are native to tropical areas of Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. The genus was first described in 1768 by Austrian naturalist Josephus Nicolaus Laurenti in his book ""Specimen Medicum, Exhibens Synopsin Reptilium Emendatam cum Experimentis circa Venena"". Two species are included in the genus ""Iguana"": the green iguana, which is widespread throughout its range and a popular pet, and the Lesser Antillean iguana, which is native to the Lesser Antilles and"