Red paper wasp,
Polistes canadensis
(10/2018 in Santa Teresa, Peru)

I've often encountered them in the Cusco region. With a wingspan of about 5 cm, they belong to the larger wasp species. The species name refers to Canada, but it doesn't occur there. The first describer, zoologist Carl von Linné, was misinformed. The red paper wasp lives in neotropical regions from Argentina to USA. Unfortunately, I couldn't photograph any of them alive. But a dead insect can also be quite interesting! I think it would fit well in a Star Wars movie, right?

The American oystercatcher (Haematopus palliatus) at the beach of Paracas, Peru.🏖 ☝It has a longer bill than the European oystercatcher (H. ostralegus). The American wears a brown coat, the European a black one.

Common toads, Bufo bufo
(07/2015 in Oberursel, Germany)

Sexual maturity occurs after 3-5 years. Wonder if their adventurous life has led them back to this pond?

The epitome of life is a melody you always carry in your heart. You just have to feel and sing to it! No matter where you are!

Just realised it's head looks like a panda! 🐼🐞
I imagine a big two-legged panda walking through a bamboo forest.

Little bumblebee looking for shelter on the balcony. ☔🐝🌧

Indohyus. One of my drawings from 2007.
At that time I drew a lot of animal portraits. The indohyus was an ancestor of modern whales. It was a racoon-sized, mouse-deer-like, even-toed ungulate and probably lived partially aquatic. Recently, another link between whales and land mammals has been discovered. While indohyus lived in India about 48 million years ago, the newly discovered species peregocetus was found in approximately 43 million years old sediments in Peru. It already had a length of 13 feet and was very well adapted to life in the water. But still had hooves.

Cape ground squirrel! 🐿
In nature, they often share their burrows with meerkats and / or yellow mongooses.

The Pachacutec Monument in Cusco includes a small museum and you can enjoy the view from above.
Pachacutec transformed the Kingdom of Cusco into the Inca Empire. He is probably the most popular Inca and you will find portraits throughout the country.

Pedarius nudus peregrinatorum, "The Barefoot" or "The Nudepede", lives south of the Solms Park in the Kurt-Halbritter-Anlage. You always see the same animal as it's on its way to the Nidda river. It seems to like children, it carries a pacifier on his head. It also looks very saturated.