What kind of animal is the Andean vulture printed on Ecuadorian currency and what does it mean?

The Andean vulture, also known as the Condo vulture, lives mainly near the Andes Mountains in South America and is one of the largest birds, the longest-lived bird and the largest bird of prey in the world. It is customary to refer to the Andean condor as the "Andean Condor" or South American Condor. The obverse of Ecuador's currency features the Sucre, a national hero of Ecuador, and the Ecuadorian coat of arms on one side, featuring an Andean condor.

The Andean vulture has a wingspan of up to 3 meters, and the largest Andean vulture is recorded to be up to 5 meters wide with two wings. Therefore, the Andean vulture is very good at soaring, and can take advantage of the updraft in the mountains to silently fly high altitude ravines and rivers, generally perched on rock walls at an altitude of 3,000-5,000 meters.

The indigenous Andean people of South America revered the Andean condor as the "soul of Andean civilization", believing it to symbolize majesty; In ancient Inca cultures, the vulture was a sacred bird; In the ancient Indian culture, the eagle was a thunderbird (a giant bird that could call thunder and lightning in North American Indian mythology).

Because of its huge size and strong body structure, the Andean condor is almost invincible in nature, representing invincible and surpassable power and status, bringing infinite power to people. And its sharp eyes and keen eyesight represent the wisdom of insight and the ambition to be proud of the mountains and rivers. The extra-long wingspan allows it to soar freely above the nine heavens, and in ancient Indian mythology, it represents the messenger of people to the gods, with the momentum of an eagle spreading its wings and swallowing the world.

Andean vultures are very good at long-distance flight and extremely fast, more than 200 kilometers away, they can fly continuously for more than ten hours, eating only some carrion on the way, leaving early in the morning and arriving in the evening. Such perseverance symbolizes the working people who are not afraid of hardships and endure hardships.

Birds generally live only a few teenagers, while the Andean vulture generally lives about 50 years, representing a beautiful vision of eternal life and immortality.

The Andean condor is a bird of prey, and it is also the largest bird of prey in the world. The local Andean people revered the Andean condor as the "soul of Andean civilization" and symbolized majesty, but the Spanish colonizers were on the verge of extinction after they landed. It is the national bird of countries such as Bolivia, Chile, Colombia and Ecuador, and is one of the main symbols on the national flag and coat of arms.