The deadly talons of a harpy eagle can exert several hundred pounds of pressure (over 50 kilograms), crushing the bones of its prey and instantly killing its victim. A harpy also feeds on opossums, porcupines, young deer, snakes, and iguanas.

Heavier prey is taken to a stump or low branch and partially eaten, since it is too heavy to be carried whole to the nest. Most of the harpy’s food is found in the rain forest canopy and understory instead of on the forest floor. The larger females tend to take sloths and monkeys; the smaller, more agile and faster males tend to take more quantities of smaller food items. This increases the pair’s odds of eating on a regular basis.

Harpy eagles are monogamous and may mate for life. As parents, they fiercely defend their eggs and young. The mother lays one or two eggs in a clutch, and she only reproduces every two to three years. Both parents incubate eggs, with the female taking most of the responsibility. The first eaglet to hatch gets all the attention and is more likely to survive, while the other egg dies from lack of incubation.

So why does the female lay two eggs? The second egg acts as an insurance policy just in case there is something wrong with the first egg. If the first egg fails to hatch, the second egg has a decent chance of hatching, saving the parents the need to start over with a new egg!