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The Drifter Journals

Drifter Wildlife: 3 of the Most Bizarre Exotic Pets From South America!

12/3/2012

52 Comments

 
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Photo by Jeremy Thompson, under Creative Commons license
Learning about a new place involves experiencing its animal life. In most parts of the world, the close relationship between humans and animals is maintained by keeping a delicate balance. But the many exotic animals that are kept as pets can sometimes be a far cry from the standard dog and cat fare in America. Here are some exotic pets from South America that I've come across during my travels.  

As a boy growing up in Kawaikapu, on the eastern end of Moloka'i, Hawai'i, I had the freedom to roam across acres and acres of overgrown land. We grew our own fruits and vegetables, and harvested fresh seafood from the sea. This abundance of land also meant that we were always surrounded by animals. We kept the standard farm animals: horses, pigs, dogs, cats, chickens, the occasional goat and rabbits.

We had a couple of cows, and a small flock of muscovy ducks as well. We lost the cows when a disease swept through the islands and they needed to be put down. One cow, named Oliver, survived the culling, only to meet with an unfortunate accident that ended with us having fresh steaks on the table for months.

 As for the muscovy ducks, they were whisked away one day when the river overflowed and the land flooded. The flock of ducks were taken out to sea, never to be seen again.

As you can imagine animals were a big part of my childhood, so coming from this background, it's no surprise that I've always seemed to be in the company of some kind of animal or pet, from slider turtles to sugar gliders. Also, throughout my travels, I have always taken notice of the various creatures that people have kept as pets. I've seen some pretty strange animals in captivity. 

Because of this, I wanted to share with you some of the most bizarre animals that have been kept as pets. And since the world is so huge, we'll just isolate bizarre pets from one continent: South America. 

The Captivating Capybara

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Deep in the steamy jungles of Central and South America, we can find an animal both bizarre and captivating at the same time. The smooth-coated capybara resembles a really big guinea pig, and in fact scientists say that they are indeed closely related. 

Like a cross between a rabbit, mini horse and a teddy bear, capybaras have over sized heads on large guinea pig shaped bodies. They have small ears and wide nostrils. 

But as much as they resemble the familiar household pet the guinea pig, these animals differ in at least one aspect. They really love the water. One of the most fascinating things about these animals is that, while swimming, they will seal up their ears and nostrils, making there heads watertight, and allowing them to stay submersed longer. Capybaras will even sleep underwater with only their nostrils breaking the surface. 

Another bizarre 'aqua' feature of theirs is that they have webbed feet. This helps them kick about in the river while they get busy making babies. Yes, these animals love water so much, that even their mating is done while in the water. Bizarre.

If kept as pets, capybaras can be amusing yet dangerous, especially if they haven't been neutered. The males especially are known to develop a really mean streak in their old age, becoming extra aggressive and territorial to everyone, including their owners. For as long as they've been kept and bred in captivity, these creatures have never been fully domesticated.

However, just like a dog or pig, these furry rodents can be trained and taught how to do tricks. They are intelligent and love to keep themselves clean. As a diet, they eat seeds, fruits and grass. They will also eat rabbit food and diet supplements of hay and vegetables. 

Learn more: If you want to learn more about the history of this amusing creature please check out the book Capybaras: A Natural History of the World's Largest Rodent. 

Travel tips: Seeing a capybara in the wild can be very challenging. Although wild capybaras move in groups of two to six, they can still be hard to spot. The best way for you to see them wild is to travel to the open grasslands of Los Llanos or wetlands of Pantanal in South America. Here these creatures can be observed unobscured by vegetation, while still living in their traditional wild habitat.

 

The Ornate Horned "Pac-Man" Frog

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This thing looks so ridiculous, when I first saw it in a pet shop I wasn't sure if it was real. They were being sold in tiny cups. Each cup had a wet sponge, with a frog sitting on it. They didn't move, blink or roll over in their cups. They just sat there, staring.

But rest assured, the colorful creatures are the real deal. They're so bizarre they've picked up their own name, the Pac-Man frog, but technically, the name for this pet is the "ornate-horned frog."

These frogs are so hardy that they can live for as long as 10 sometimes 15 years. The amusing thing about these animals is that they are seemingly so sedated that you could never push one to make it budge. These little guys will only move on their own.

In the wild, these colorful critters will eat insects, crustaceans, tadpoles, minnows, snails, worms, other frogs, small snakes, lizards and sometimes even small rodents if they can get their mouths around one. They're pretty low maintenance, so low in fact that some of my Taiwanese students have brought them into class in little plastic bubbles, passing them around for all the other students to poke fun at. The frog will just sit there on its sponge staring blankly, either completely unphased or totally traumatized. Truly bizarre.

Learn more: Choosing and owning your own ornate horned-frog can be a challenge. For tips on how to go about doing this, read the book Quick and Easy Horned-Frog Care. 

Travel tips: If you'd rather see this creatures in the wild, there are a couple of things to consider. As natives to Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Brazil, the best way for you to find them on their home turf is to travel to the rainforests of any of these countries. However, remember that these frogs burrow deep into the muddy vegetation of the tropical forests floor, so it may be very difficult to see them if you are not actively searching.

The Nightwalker Kinkajou

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If any one of these bizarre animals has a freaky nickname, its this little guy! For me, the name 'nightwalker' conjures up scary stories from my childhood about mythical Hawaiian entities called 'night marchers'. To look upon one of these night marchers in the middle of the night meant certain death. And similar to it's relative namesake, when I first saw a nightwalker kinkajou it was actually kind of a shock. 

A cross between a monkey, weasel and anorexic bear, the nightwalker kinkajou, also known as a honey bear, resembles a mutant creature from the Island of Doctor Moreau, albeit just a little bit cuter.With its buggy insect eyes and catlike snout, the kinkajou is already strange enough to look at. But tack onto that its primate paws with long fingers and a prehensile tail and this animal is nothing short of bizarre. 


 
Kinkajous are primarily carnivores who will sometimes eat fruit. Traditionally, they can be found in areas as far north as Mexico to further south in Brazil. They live in closed canopy tropical rainforests in both the lowlands and mountainous areas.

As pets, these furry creatures can be a real handful. Think of a dog/cat hybrid with monkey hands! This means that they will get into anything and everything that catches their attention. They love to climb and grab things, and their long claws will quickly scratch up and scuff any surface soft enough to be damaged. 

There's also the issue of potty training, or lack thereof, that makes the kinkajou a difficult pet to raise. Basically, they cannot be taught to go in one area. Instead, most owners will leave trays under the areas that their kinkajou will 'most likely' go in, hoping that their guess is on spot. 

As you can see, there are several challenges to raising a nightwalker kinkajou as a pet, not to mention the fact that the they normally live for more than 20 years, so if you invest in one you should be prepared to have them around long after your children are grown and gone.

Learn more: If you wanna know more about this strangely bizarre critter, just check out this book about kinkajous. 

Travel tips: Like the "Pac-Man" frogs, the best way for you to see kinkajous in the wild is to travel to the tropical rainforests of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. But this may pose to be a real challenge because although they may occasionally be found in groups, nightwalker kinkajous are usually very solitary. On top of that, they are nocturnal. Due to these two existing factors, it may be very hard to spot a kinkajou in the wild.

The Controversy of Keeping Exotic Pets Continues

The topic of keeping wild 'exotic' animals as pets has always been a sore issue for many and a point for hot debate. Despite the fact that animals can give us a sense of peace and joy, it's true that harvesting wildlife solely for human pleasure and amusement also brings along with it dangers and potential hazards.  This is something that must be considered and weighed carefully.

As far as keeping "exotic pets" myself when I was child, the options were pretty limited for us in Hawai'i. 
My dad did bring home a wild piglet once. We named him Kalua and raised him as if he was one our pups. He grew up to be a giant wild boar, complete with coarse black hair and curved tusks. He ran with our pack of guard dogs, learning how to bark and raise his hackles at strangers. 

But aside from Kalua the wild boar, and my brother's fuzzy chinchilla, there just weren't many chances for us to have animals as strange and bizarre as the South American capybara, pac-man frog or kinkajou. But perhaps its better off that way, as they're probably more content living in the wild.

For more interesting reads on this topic, check out these books:


And now we'd like to ask you: How do you feel about people owning exotic pets? What's the most bizarre pet you've ever owned? 

If you enjoyed this post, please don't forget to SUBSCRIBE!

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52 Comments
Gideon
12/2/2012 01:56:27 pm

You forgot about all those baby deer dad brought home for us to raise....and then eat....haha...Bambi & Feline just to name two

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JR@TheDritersBlog link
12/2/2012 02:06:02 pm

Oh yeah! I totally forgot about that! I actually had to go back up and do some edits because guess what else I forgot? Chickens! Haha. That was like our number one animal. I still remember stalking the hens as they lay their eggs in the bushes so we could collect some to eat, and than watching them for weeks to see leftover eggs hatch into chicks!

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@jackie
12/2/2012 07:15:36 pm

cute...but i want penguin to be my pet :)

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JR@TheDriftersBlog link
12/2/2012 09:45:27 pm

Hey great choice! I guess I never really considered that to be an option. What makes you pick a penguin?

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@jackie
12/3/2012 10:16:10 am

coz they're so cute...i want to live in Antarctica in the new system :P

JR@TheDriftersBlog link
12/3/2012 12:41:03 pm

Whoa, that's way too cold! But yeah, that would definitely be a great place to visit and see.

Denise Bird
12/3/2012 06:09:32 am

Hey jr, great read, never heard of the last two pets, that frog and the nigh walker. You probably remember Mulder, my African grey parrot, I have had him for 12Years now. To be really honest tho, I am very conflicted, I feel some guilt "owning" a animal that really should be flying free in the Congo. It's not like he could ever survive on his own now, he was born in captivity, but this life is certainly not an ideal life for a parrot. We love him and take good care of him, but it's not how he was created to live. Thats just my personal opinion on the subject. Hope you are oing well, I don't comment much, but I always enjoy reading your stuff! Denise

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JR@TheDriftersBlog link
12/3/2012 06:15:03 am

Of course I remember Mulder! Ahh, the memories of being in your home. The stories we could write about those times would need a blog of their own!

But you bring up a fascinating point Denise. I have had the same feelings with my sugar gliders, which happen to be the most exotic pets I've personally owned. I agree with your sentiments wholeheartedly!

Thanks for taking the time to comment.

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Denise Bird
12/3/2012 07:53:47 am

Yea we sure had great times back then! Jehovah surely put that desire in us, to be around animals...in the new system we can in perfect circumstances for us AND the animals!

JR@TheDriftersBlog link
12/3/2012 12:44:13 pm

No doubt. It's interesting to think about that, and now we're so far removed from nature. I know growing up with animals and seeing the life and death cycle impressed on my mind the value of living things. I wonder how much being disconnected or away from that original purpose affects how we deal with other people. But it's definitely something to look forward getting back to soon.

Jessica Yeh
12/3/2012 07:48:09 am

really interesting,as we are not grown around farms n this kind of place like u,it is so refreshing sometime to hear it n feel like being in that refreshing place with all kind of living things.but no problem v have d hope from Jehovah n one day v can achive it thanks for refreshing us with these animals n a fresh enviornment

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JR@TheDriftersBlog link
12/3/2012 01:54:45 pm

Yes, it's definitely interesting growing up a more traditional lifestyle. I'll probably blog more about that stuff later. Funny cause I didn't even intend for that to be part of the blog, it just started off as the intro and became a big part of my subject. But I guess it shows you are always connected to where you come from. I love that part of my life so much as I realize and appreciate now how unique it was to be raised like that.

Thanks for your comments!

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Kate
12/3/2012 12:05:47 pm

I would love to have a black panther and, your archenemy, the panda. The panther is a sleek, cool animal that stands in its own & is fast. The panda, you just want to squeeze them & hug them & they do nothing. So cute!

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JR@TheDriftersBlog link
12/3/2012 01:55:40 pm

Panthers are cool. Pandas I can do without, thank you very much for the reminders!

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blufluid
12/3/2012 04:38:54 pm

This article was great. I like the "pac man" frog. Maybe next time you can do an article on exotic "animals" from South America that you can't keep as pets.

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JR@TheDriftersBlog link
12/3/2012 09:44:46 pm

Yeah, those seriously are pretty cool! They come in all different colors and sizes, and they basically just sit on a sponge and soak up water their whole lives.

Good idea for a follow up blog. Do you want to guest blog it? Let me know!

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Chelle
12/3/2012 05:30:17 pm

Got pandas ?! I know you love them so much ! So cute and cuddly

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JR@TheDriftersBlog link
12/3/2012 09:46:49 pm

I'm getting so many blog post ideas from these comments! And the sad thing is, they pretty much WORSHIP pandas here it makes me sick. Haha.

No, Chelle. No. I DON'T got pandas. And I probably never will!

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@jackie
12/3/2012 11:08:12 pm

why you don't like panda? I think they are cute and lovely.

JR@TheDriftersBlog link
12/4/2012 05:26:23 am

So says the rest of the world. It's too hard to try and justify it in a comment, I may save the explanations later for a future post. Let's just say I don't into the whole 'pandas are cute' market.

Angie link
12/4/2012 12:54:57 am

It's wonderful to see the different creations in other parts of the world!

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JR@TheDriftersBlog link
12/4/2012 03:35:19 am

I know! You and your family have a beautiful Bed & Breakfast Villa in Bocas del Toro, Panama, right? You guys must see a lot of amazing wildlife there! You should have the boys write up a blog guest post from their 3 different perspectives and share it with us here! We'd love to hear about their adventures. Take care!

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Gail Hocking
12/4/2012 11:19:28 pm

Hey JR I like to read about new interesting facts about the world and you have introduced me to three new animals I didnt know that existed but Ive always been a bit of a greenie and not into wild animals as pets but we did have some cows and have a very very funny story about kara and the cows. We will have to relate it at some stage.

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JR@TheDriftersBlog link
12/5/2012 03:19:52 am

Hi Gail! Thanks, I'm glad you're enjoying it so far. I appreciate you sharing your viewpoint on this matter. It's nice to hear from other people what their perspectives are. I'd love to hear the story about Kara and the cows sometime. Let me know!

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chelle
12/5/2012 05:19:04 am

im gonna send u a box of pandas everything. memeber those panda filled chocolates? yeah ill send u those den u can eatm all up

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JR@TheDriftersBlog link
12/6/2012 12:41:41 am

Haha! Thanks but no need. Just send me choke packet brown gravy for make loco moco!

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Daniel
12/5/2012 08:06:57 am

As I recall. didn't some guy in China try to climb in a panda cage once because he thought it was cute?

He found out quickly that it's not so cute in person.

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JR@TheDriftersBlog link
12/6/2012 12:45:19 am

That, my friend, is EXACTLY what I'm talking about. Pandas. You can't trust them. No way.

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Stephanie
12/6/2012 12:32:56 am

PANDAS RLZ!!!!.....hahah just kidding!
this one was pretty cool...I've only heard about the capibaras before and not about the other two. I guess the last one is pretty creepy if you ask me...I mean an anorexic teddy bear is everything but cute.
great article, waiting for the next one. kinda made me wanna write one bout nicaragua.

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JR@TheDriftersBlog link
12/6/2012 12:52:23 am

Glad you're enjoying it! And please write one, that would be awesome. That's the whole point of this Drifters Blog project, I started it as a platform for all of us friends from around the world where we can share our experiences of what it's like living in different countries and experiencing different cultures. Write one up and mail it to me. And not just Nicaragua, but Mexico, Oregon and anywhere else you've been. Check out the "Mission Statement" page to get an idea of what this whole Drifter Blog is all about, and when you're ready just email me!

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stephanie
12/6/2012 01:11:35 am

Oh really?!! ok now Im exited!!! ok I will NIcaragua has so much to tell I could make 4 or 5 blogs out of my 2 month trip! Tampico and Altamira do too and of course portland's trails and mountains...I've been to costa rica but it was so fast I feel like I need to come back hahah :P

JR@TheDriftersBlog link
12/6/2012 07:35:00 am

Awesome! I'm glad you're gonna be on board.

JR@TheDriftersBlog link
12/6/2012 12:53:56 am

PS I've already had a few submissions from personal friends, as well as suggestions for future posts. So let me know if you want to submit, too!

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stephanie
12/6/2012 01:14:35 am

I have a little diary of my trip to nicargua...lots of material there, I'll deffinetly start working on it. expect an email soon :)

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JR@TheDriftersBlog link
12/6/2012 07:32:53 am

Just got your submission. It looks great!

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Peter link
12/7/2012 12:23:36 am

I like turtles

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JR@TheDriftersBlog link
12/7/2012 03:32:36 am

I got your email. As you can see it's back up and running! Thanks for all the help.

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capybara recipes link
12/8/2012 10:14:15 am

There are lots of exotic animals in South America. In fact they were amazing! I love those pictures you've taken!

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JR@TheDriftersBlog link
12/9/2012 12:10:04 am

First off, I gotta say I love the name tag. And from the looks of your website, there's a real niche for capybara meat. I had no idea you could actually eat capybara! You got any recipes you want to share?

Also, I wish I had taken all of those pictures! I had to find them on Flickr under creative commons licenses, which allows use if you mention where they are originally from, hence the captions! Thanks for the comment "Capybara Recipes."

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Alfred
12/8/2012 11:26:13 pm

The turtles shell looks fascinating its like a chess board no wonder it looks bizzare

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JR@TheDriftersBlog link
12/9/2012 12:11:18 am

Yes, Alfred, that is so true! Actually, that's what caught my eye about the picture, the beautiful patterns on their shells.

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Alfred
12/9/2012 07:08:58 pm

The pac man frog looks like a salad from afar the greenish veg some shredded carrot the color green, matter of fact it's horned cannot eat hahaha !

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JR@TheDriftersBlog link
12/10/2012 02:03:01 am

Haha, I LOVE it, Alfred! Your words paint a vivid picture. Thanks!

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N
12/9/2012 07:52:44 pm

Grammar: it’s animal life or its animal life? May sound like a detail but the reader notices. Besides, thanks for the interesting facts.

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JR@TheDriftersBlog link
12/10/2012 02:00:50 am

Point taken! You're definitely right, sounds small but people notice stuff like that. Unfortunately, using punctuations properly has always been my weakness, you could probably find a ton more mistakes at a glance! I'm more of a composer of ideas rather than a transliterator of words, which is a shame on this sort of platform. Anyway, thanks for pointing that out!

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alfred
12/12/2012 07:34:25 pm

Capybara yes, it is a rodent if that size populate the city u can imagine what not will happen

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JR@TheDriftersBlog link
12/13/2012 12:10:58 am

Haha, you're really digging this article, huh Alfred?! Good to see you're enjoying it. I can't wait to hear what you have to say about the kinkajou...

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alfred
12/13/2012 06:39:10 pm

Kinkajou yes it's a exotic pet to keep heard is a member of a raccoon n Lima I don't mind keepin it as pet since its a calm animal wow like monkeys they always stay on top of trees

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JR@TheDriftersBlog link
12/17/2012 12:41:08 am

Thanks, Alfred! I'm starting to see I can count on you to share insightful comments on these exotic animals.

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Lew link
5/22/2013 03:04:33 am

Love seeing different animals. I did have a pet frog once, but nothing like the pac man.

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JR Riel link
5/26/2013 04:30:14 pm

Very interesting Lew Lew, I guess I never really thought of having a pet frog until I saw them. They are pretty cool looking.

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Meagan | LifeOutsideOfTexas.com link
9/24/2013 02:31:29 pm

So fascinating! I've never seen those animals.
Thanks for the good read. Now I need to go find a baby piglet so I can have a cute wild barking boar too!

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