| El Dorado |
a legendary South American destination of early Spanish explorers seeking gold and riches. [1/2 definitions] |
| electric eel |
any of various eellike fishes native to freshwater rivers of northern South America, capable of giving off strong electrical discharges. |
| El Niño |
an unusually warm Pacific Ocean current that develops near the International Date Line in the center of the ocean and flows east toward Peru and then south along the coast of South America. El Niño events, which occur every two to seven years approximately, are associated with various negative impacts including damage to the livelihoods of those dependent on fishing and disturbance to regional and global weather patterns, which in turn can increase the incidence of disease and the frequency of destructive weather events. |
| fer-de-lance |
a large, venomous snake of Central and South America. |
| fire ant |
any of various ants that can inflict a burning sting, found esp. in South America and the southern United States. |
| French Guiana |
a territory of France in northern South America, on the Atlantic coast. Cayenne is the capital city of French Guiana. |
| Galápagos Islands |
a group of Ecuadorian islands in the Pacific Ocean about 1,000 miles off the west coast of South America, known for their large number of endemic species and their pivotal role in Charles Darwin's research. |
| gaucho |
a South American cowboy, esp. one from Argentina. |
| guacharo |
a nocturnal tropical South American bird from whose young is derived an oil used for cooking and lighting. |
| guaco |
any of several tropical South American plants that yield a medicinal substance used to treat snakebite. |
| guan |
any of several large fowls of Central and South America that live in jungles and feed on fruit. |
| guarana |
a substance containing caffeine and tannin that is made from the seeds of a South American shrub of the soapberry family, used as a stimulant. [1/2 definitions] |
| guinea pig |
a small mammal with short legs and no tail. Guinea pigs are rodents closely related to chinchillas and porcupines. Some science laboratories use guinea pigs for research and to test new medicines. Wild guinea pigs live in South America. [1/2 definitions] |
| guppy |
a small fish that lives in fresh water in South America and the West Indies. Guppies have bright colors and are often kept in aquariums. |
| Guyana |
a country in northern South America on the Atlantic coast. Guyana was known as British Guiana until its independence from the United Kingdom in 1966. Georgetown is the capital of Guyana. |
| hoatzin |
a crested bird of tropical South America whose young have two claws on each wing. |
| iguana |
a large lizard found mostly in the warmer parts of Central and South America. Many iguanas have a ridge of spines down the middle of the back. Unlike other lizards, iguanas eat only plants. |
| Indian |
a member of any of the peoples who have lived in North or South America since before people from Europe arrived. [1/2 definitions] |
| ipecac |
either of two tropical South American plants related to madder, coffee, and gardenia, whose roots are used medicinally. [1/2 definitions] |
| ivory nut |
the hard, ivorylike seed of a small South American palm, used for buttons, ornaments, and the like. |
| jaguar |
a large mammal with short yellow fur and black rings. Jaguars are carnivores that hunt or fish for food. They live in the southern United States and Central and South America. Jaguars are closely related to lions, tigers, and other big cats. They are sometimes called panthers. |