Due to the existence of the Andes Mountains, the Amazon River and the Pacific Ocean, Peru has the one of the greatest bio-diversities in the world. This Andean country is one of the 17 countries on earth that is home to 80% of the total world biodiversity. Peru is host to 53 protected areas with over 1,800 species of birds of which 120 are endemic to Peru, hundreds of mammals, including pumas and bears while the coast has a great deal of marine life including sea lions, penguins and other seabirds.
Among the best known of members of the Peruvian wildlife family are the bespectacled bear, the llama, alpaca and vicuna, the condor, viscachas, the puma, tapirs and otters. Found in high, rocky areas deemed largely unsuitable for agriculture is the bespectacled bear. It is predominantly black or brown in color with shading around the chest and neck in white, cream or orange with each eye encircled by a ring, which gives it its name. It is a relatively small animal with the males weighing about 175 pounds and the females about 135 pounds. Its feet have five sharp, short and powerful claws which are used for climbing and tearing trees apart. It eats wild fruits and particularly enjoys eating figs, as well as leaves, insects, small animals, herbs and grasses. It lives in tree tops and builds a nest every night for sleeping.
The llama, alpaca, vicuna and guanaco are members of the camelid family and are characterized by having no horns, being cud-chewing and having an even number of toes and padded feet. Llamas are bigger than alpacas, typically with a height of 40 to 45 inches at the withers and 5