The Blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) is a marine mammal and a baleen whale. It is the largest animal known to have ever existed. The Blue whale was once abundant in nearly all the Earth's oceans until the end of the 19th century. It was hunted...
The Killer whale (Orcinus orca) is a toothed whale belonging to the oceanic dolphin family. It is the largest member of this family. The sophisticated hunting techniques and vocal behaviors of Killer whales have been described as manifestations of...
The cougar (Puma concolor) is a large cat native to the Americas. It is the most widespread of any large wild terrestrial mammal in the Western Hemisphere. Due to its wide range, the cougar has many names, including puma, Mountain lion, catamount,...
The alpaca (Lama pacos) is a species of South American camelid mammal. It is similar to, and often confused with, the llama. However, alpacas are often noticeably smaller than llamas. The two animals are closely related and can successfully...
The Sperm whale or cachalot (Physeter macrocephalus) is the largest of the toothed whales and the largest toothed predator. It is the only living member of the genus Physeter and one of three extant species in the sperm whale family, along with the...
The coypu (Myocastor coypus), otherwise known as nutria or River rat, is a large, semi-aquatic rodent. In spite of being a separate species, the animal is sometimes mistaken for a beaver or otter. These rodents are 'a boon and a bane', in the sense...
The Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) is a species of baleen whale. It is a rorqual; a member of the family Balaenopteridae. The Humpback whale is known for breaching and other distinctive surface behaviors, making it popular with whale...
The vicuña (Lama vicugna) or vicuna is one of the two wild South American camelids, which live in the high alpine areas of the Andes. Vicunas are relatives of the llama, and are now believed to be the wild ancestor of domesticated alpacas, which are...
The Leopard seal (Hydrurga leptonyx) is the second largest species of seal in the Antarctic (after the Southern elephant seal). Its only natural predator is the orca. It is the only species in the genus Hydrurga. Its closest relatives are the Ross...
The False killer whale (Pseudorca crassidens) is a species of oceanic dolphin that is the only extant representative of the genus Pseudorca. It is found in oceans worldwide but mainly frequents tropical regions. The name "false killer whale" comes...
The guanaco (Lama guanicoe) is a camelid native to South America. Described as an elegant animal, with a long, slender neck and fine legs by Charles Darwin, the guanaco is the biggest wild camelid family member in South America and is thought to be...
The Fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) is a cetacean belonging to the parvorder of baleen whales. It is the second-longest species of cetacean on Earth after the Blue whale. American naturalist Roy Chapman Andrews called the fin whale "the greyhound...
The Cuvier's beaked whale (Ziphius cavirostris) is the most widely distributed of all beaked whales in the family Ziphiidae. It is smaller than most baleen whales yet large among beaked whales. Cuvier's beaked whale is pelagic and occurs in waters...
The Common vampire bat (Desmodus rotundus) is a small, leaf-nosed bat native to Latin America. It is one of three extant species of vampire bat. The common vampire bat mainly feeds on the blood of livestock and usually approaches its prey at night...
The Mexican free-tailed bat (Tadarida brasiliensis) is a medium-sized bat native to the Americas and is regarded as one of the most abundant mammals in North America. It has been claimed to have the fastest horizontal speed (as opposed to stoop...
The Sei whale (Balaenoptera borealis) is a baleen whale, the third-largest rorqual after the Blue whale and the Fin whale. It inhabits most oceans and adjoining seas and prefers deep offshore waters. The whale's name comes from the Norwegian word...
The degu (Octodon degus) is a small rodent found only in Chile. The closest relatives of these highly social and curious animals are chinchilla and guinea pig.
The Southern right whale (Eubalaena australis) is a baleen whale, one of three species classified as right whales. These whales are known to be rather active on the water surface and curious towards human vessels. They like to interact with humans...
Elephant seals are large marine mammals and are the largest extant carnivorans that can weigh up to 5,000 kilograms (11,000 lb). Elephant seals are classified under the order Pinnipedia, which, in Latin, means feather- or fin-footed. Both species,...
The Common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) is a wide-ranging marine mammal of the family Delphinidae. The common bottlenose dolphin is a very familiar dolphin species due to the wide exposure it receives in captivity in marine parks and...
The Andean mountain cat (Leopardus jacobita) is a small wild cat native to the high Andes. It is regarded as one of the world’s most endangered wild cats and perhaps South America’s rarest felid, yet, as far as cat species go, it is amongst the...
The kodkod (Leopardus guigna ) (Spanish pronunciation: ), also called güiña, is the smallest felid species native to the Americas. It lives primarily in central and southern Chile, as well as marginally in adjoining areas of Argentina. Its area of...
The Weddell seal (Leptonychotes weddellii ) is a relatively large and abundant true seal with a circumpolar distribution surrounding Antarctica. The Weddell seal was discovered and named in the 1820s during expeditions led by British sealing captain...
Risso's dolphin (Grampus griseus) is one of the most mysterious and little known-species of dolphin with a rather unusual appearance. It is named after Antoine Risso, whose study of the animal formed the basis of the recognized description by...
Long-finned pilot whales (Globicephala melas) are large oceanic dolphins. Pilot whales get their name from the original belief that there was a "pilot" or lead individual in their groups. They have also earned the nickname of "pothead whale" in some...
The “monkey of the mountains”, the Monito del monte (Dromiciops gliroides), is not a monkey. It is a South American marsupial and is often referred to as a “living fossil” because it is the only living member of Microbiotheria, an otherwise extinct...
The pygmy sperm whale (Kogia breviceps ) is one of two extant species in the family Kogiidae in the sperm whale superfamily. They are not often sighted at sea, and most of what is known about them comes from the examination of stranded specimens.
A small whale (smaller than some dolphins), the Dwarf sperm whale (Kogia sima) is a rare and insufficiently explored species. Most of the available information about this animal is taken from occasional strandings. The Dwarf sperm whale is quite...
The culpeo (Lycalopex culpaeus) is a species of South American fox. Regardless of the name, it is not a true fox, but more closely related to wolves and jackals. It is the second-largest native canid on the continent after the Maned wolf.
Crabeater seals (Lobodon carcinophaga) are considered to be the most abundant seals in the world. It is believed by some scientists that there are more of them than all the other seal species combined. Crabeater seals are "true" or "earless" seals...
The Marine otter (Lontra felina) is a rare and relatively unknown South American mammal. It is the smallest of the New World otters and the smallest marine mammal. This charismatic marine species displays charm and dexterity. It lives along South...
The Common minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) is a small member of the suborder of baleen whales. It is the smallest species of the rorquals and the second smallest species of baleen whale. American whalemen in the 19th century simply thought...
The Pampas cat (Leopardus colocola) is a small wild cat native to South America. It is named after the Pampas, fertile South American low grasslands. It is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List as the loss of its native habitat may cause...
Geoffroy's cat (Leopardus geoffroyi ) is a small wild cat native to the southern and central regions of South America. It is about the size of a domestic cat. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List because it is widespread and abundant...
The Antarctic fur seal (Arctocephalus gazella ), is one of eight seals in the genus Arctocephalus, and one of nine fur seals in the subfamily Arctocephalinae. Despite what its name suggests, the Antarctic fur seal is mostly distributed in...
The South American cougar (Puma concolor concolor) is a cougar subspecies. The cougar holds historical cultural significance amongst many South American indigenous people. People in the Andes regard it as being either a snatcher of souls or as a...
The South American sea lion (Otaria flavescens, formerly Otaria byronia ), also called the southern sea lion and the Patagonian sea lion, is a sea lion found on the western and southeastern coasts of South America. It is the only member of the genus...
Commerson's dolphin (Cephalorhynchus commersonii ), also referred to by the common names jacobita, skunk dolphin, piebald dolphin, panda dolphin, or tonina overa (in South America), is a small oceanic dolphin of the genus Cephalorhynchus....
The pygmy right whale (Caperea marginata ) may be a member of the cetotheres, a family of baleen whales, which until 2012 were thought to be extinct; C. marginata has otherwise been considered the sole member of the family Neobalaenidae. First...
The South American gray fox (Lycalopex griseus ), also known as the Patagonian fox, the chilla or the gray zorro, is a species of Lycalopex, the "false" foxes. It is endemic to the southern part of South America.
Darwin's fox or Darwin's zorro (Lycalopex fulvipes ) is an endangered canid from the genus Lycalopex. It is also known as the zorro chilote or zorro de Darwin in Spanish and lives on Nahuelbuta National Park, the Cordillera de Oncol, Cordillera...
The hoary bat (Aeorestes cinereus ) is a species of bat in the vesper bat family, Vespertilionidae. It lives throughout most of North America (possibly including Hawaii, although this is disputed).
