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 jaguar (Panthera onca) is a large cat species and the only living member of the genus Panthera native to the Americas. It is the largest cat species in the Americas and the third largest in the world. The jaguar has featured prominently in the...
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 capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) is a giant cavy rodent native to South America. It is the largest living rodent and a member of the genus Hydrochoerus. Its close relatives include guinea pigs and Rock cavies, and it is more distantly...
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 ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) is a medium-sized wild cat that was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758. The association of the ocelot with humans dates back to the Aztec and Incan civilizations; it has occasionally been kept as a pet.
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 Maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus) is a large canine of South America. Its markings resemble those of foxes, but it is neither a fox nor a wolf. It is the only species in the genus Chrysocyon (meaning "golden dog"). It is the largest canine in...
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 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 jaguarundi (Herpailurus yagouaroundi) is a wild cat native to the Americas. Secretive and alert, the jaguarundi hunts mainly during daytime and evening hours and feeds on various kinds of prey. It lives in a broad array of closed as well as open...
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 Giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) is an insectivorous mammal native to Central and South America. It is one of four living species of anteaters, of which is the largest member. The Giant anteater is mostly terrestrial, in contrast to...
The margay (Leopardus wiedii) is a small wild cat native to Central and South America. Until the 1990s, margays were hunted illegally for the wildlife trade, which resulted in a large population decrease.
The Nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus) is a mammal found in North, Central, and South America. This makes it the most widespread of the armadillos. Its ancestors originated in South America and remained there until the formation of the...
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 Pink fairy armadillo (Chlamyphorus truncatus) is the smallest species of armadillo first described by Richard Harlan in 1825. It is the only armadillo that has a dorsal shell that is almost completely separate from the body. This solitary,...
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...
The Giant armadillo (Priodontes maximus) is the largest living species of armadillo that lives in South America. It prefers termites and some ants as prey and often consumes the entire population of a termite mound. This species is considered...
The Patagonian mara (Dolichotis patagonum) is a relatively large rodent found in open and semiopen habitats of South America. A population of this species has also been recorded in the northern United Arab Emirates, possibly as a result of escaped...
The Brown-throated sloth (Bradypus variegatus) is the most common of the four species of three-toed sloth. It is native to rainforest canopies of Central and South America. The slowest mammal in the world, the Brown-throated three-toed sloth is an...
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 tayra (Eira barbara) is a forest-dwelling animal from the weasel family, native to the Americas. Tayras are also known as the tolomuco or perico ligero in Central America, motete in Honduras, irara in Brazil, san hol or viejo de monte in the...
The South American coati (Nasua nasua) is a member of the raccoon family (Procyonidae), found in South America. Coatis are also known as coatimundis. The name "coatimundi" comes from the Tupian languages of Brazil, where it means "lone coati"....
Brazilian tapir (Tapirus terrestris) is a species of rhinoceros family with a characteristic fleshy trunk, which is prehensile and able to grasp objects such as leaves. It is the largest surviving native terrestrial mammal in the Amazon. Brazilian...
The Collared peccary (Dicotyles tajacu) is a species of even-toed mammal found in North, Central, and South America. They are commonly referred to as javelina, saíno, or báquiro, although these terms are also used to describe other species in the...
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 spinner dolphin (Stenella longirostris ) is a small dolphin found in off-shore tropical waters around the world. It is famous for its acrobatic displays in which it rotates around its longitudinal axis as it leaps through the air. It is a member...
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 water opossum (Chironectes minimus ), also locally known as the yapok, is a marsupial of the family Didelphidae. It is the only living member of its genus, Chironectes. This semiaquatic creature is found in and near freshwater streams and lakes...
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...
The Crab-eating fox (Cerdocyon thous) is a species of medium-sized canid native to the central part of South America. It is not closely related to true foxes. The part of its scientific name comes from the Greek words kerdo (meaning fox) and kyon...
The Common opossum (Didelphis marsupialis) is a marsupial species living in the Americas. It is a cat-sized omnivorous animal, which can be recognized by its prehensile tail and its tendency to feign death when cornered.
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...
