Animal Champions

1 Hoffman’s two-toed Sloth- These rainforest heroes can hold their breath under water for 40 mins and they don’t sweat or have any body odour – perfect for a day in the Olympic park. (Map point 50)

2 Tapir- The Brazilian Tapir has a nose like a snorkel and can stay under water for several minutes- a synchronise swimmer perhaps? (Map point 24)

3 Capybara – These large rodents are semi-aquatic and have special adaptations that help them to excel at swimming and diving – could give Plymouth’s Tom Daley a run for his money! (Map point 24)

4 Squirrel monkeys- These tree-dwelling primates are a proper team player and live in groups of up to 200 in the wild. (Map point 51)

5 Emperor Tamarin - Thanks to their small stature they are quick and shifty leapers, a crucial trait for both catching prey and avoiding predators. (Map point 19)

6 Silvery Marmosets – Some of these height-loving primates sometimes never leave the trees their entire lives. (Map point 12)

7 Tanagers - These birds are excellent flyers with super quick reflexes which help them to catch and eat flying insects- perfect Ping-Pong players maybe? (Map point 50)

8 Toucans- Toucans have big bills. As a matter of fact, they have larger bills, in proportion to the size of their body, than any other birds. (Map point 27)

9 Green vine snake - Eyes of green vine snake work together, unusual for a snake, focusing on the same image. This type of vision is called binocular and it is typical for humans. Using binocular vision, snake can identify prey easily- perfect for Olympic shooting/darts. (Map point 50)

10 Goliath bird eating spider- largest body mass of any spider – champion wrestlers if given the chance. (Map point 50)

11 Scarlet Macaws- flying of up to 35 mphs 50kms a hour- and could give even Usain Bolt a run for his money. (Map point 7)

12 Poison Dart frog - Scientists believe that these frogs gain their poison from a specific arthropod and other insects that they eat in the wild. These insects most likely acquire the poison from their plant diet. - like an athlete they have to eat the right thing to stay in shape. (Map point 50)

13 Yellow breasted Capuchins - Yellow-breasted capuchins are one of the few species of animals that use objects as tools –prime javelin champions maybe? (Map point 51)

14 White Throated capuchins- They have a long prehensile tail that is the same length of its body which would make them master gymnasts. (Map point 51)

15 Geoffrey’s marmoset - The Pygmy Marmoset can rotate their heads 180 degrees and can leap 15 feet into the air! Great skills for any artistic gymnast. (Map point 12)

16 Azara Agouti- can jump up to 6 feet from a standing position- high jump would be a breeze to them! (Map point 14)

17 Ultramarine grosbeak – These colourful birds have a loud far-reaching song- and would put any Olympic fan to shame. (Map point 50)

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