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 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 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 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 Giant otter (Pteronura brasiliensis) is a South American carnivorous mammal. It is the longest member of the weasel family, Mustelidae, a globally successful group of predators. The Giant otter has no serious natural predators other than humans,...
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 Bush dog (Speothos venaticus) is a canine found in Central and South America. It is very rare in most areas except in Suriname, Guyana, and Peru; it was first identified by Peter Wilhelm Lund from fossils in Brazilian caves and was believed to...
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 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 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 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 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.
Pseudoryzomys simplex, also known as the Brazilian false rice rat or false oryzomys, is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae from south-central South America. It is found in lowland palm savanna and thorn scrub habitats. It is a medium-sized...
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 lowland paca (Cuniculus paca ), also known as the spotted paca, is a large rodent found in tropical and sub-tropical America, from east-central Mexico to northern Argentina, and has been introduced to Cuba and Algeria.The animal is called paca...
The crab-eating raccoon or South American raccoon (Procyon cancrivorus ) is a species of raccoon native to marshy and jungle areas of Central and South America (including Trinidad and Tobago). It is found from Costa Rica south through most areas of...
The white-lipped peccary (Tayassu pecari ) is a species of peccary found in Central and South America and the only member of the genus Tayassu. Multiple subspecies have been identified. White-lipped peccaries are similar in appearance to pigs, but...
The southern tamandua (Tamandua tetradactyla ), also called the collared anteater or lesser anteater, is a species of anteater from South America and the island of Trinidad in the Caribbean. It is a solitary animal found in many habitats, from...
The Central American agouti (Dasyprocta punctata ) is a species of agouti from the family Dasyproctidae. The main portion of its range is from Chiapas and the Yucatan Peninsula (southern Mexico), through Central America, to northwestern Ecuador,...
The Chacoan peccary or tagua (Catagonus wagneri or Parachoerus wagneri ) is the last extant species of the genus Catagonus ; it is a peccary found in the Gran Chaco of Paraguay, Bolivia, and Argentina. Approximately 3,000 remain in the world. It is...
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).
The screaming hairy armadillo (Chaetophractus vellerosus ) is a species of armadillo also known as the small screaming armadillo, crying armadillo or the small hairy armadillo. It is a burrowing armadillo found in the central and southern parts of...
The white-winged vampire bat (Diaemus youngi ), a species of vampire bat, is the only member of the genus Diaemus. They are found from Mexico to northern Argentina and are present on the islands of Trinidad and Margarita.
The marsh deer (Blastocerus dichotomus ) is the largest deer species from South America reaching a length of 2 m (6.6 ft) and a shoulder height of 1.2 m (3.9 ft). It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Peru, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay. Formerly found...
The neotropical otter or neotropical river otter (Lontra longicaudis ) is an otter species found in Middle America, South America, and the island of Trinidad. It is physically similar to the northern and southern river otter, which occur directly...
The Pampas deer (Ozotoceros bezoarticus ) is a species of deer that live in the grasslands of South America at low elevations. They are known as veado-campeiro in Portuguese and as venado or gama in Spanish.Their habitat includes water and hills,...
The Pampas fox (Lycalopex gymnocercus), also known as grey pampean fox, Pampas zorro, Azara's fox, or Azara's zorro (in Spanish also called aguará chaí, anglicized as aguarachay, in Portuguese also called graxaim), is a medium-sized zorro, or...
The tapeti (Sylvilagus brasiliensis ) is a species of cottontail rabbit. As traditionally defined, its range extends from southern Mexico to northern Argentina, but this includes several distinctive population that have since been split into...
The Gray short-tailed opossum (Monodelphis domestica) is a South American member of the family Didelphidae. Unlike most other marsupials, it does not have a true pouch. The Gray short-tailed opossum is used as a research model in science and is also...
The black howler (Alouatta caraya ) or black-and-gold howler, is among the largest New World monkeys and a member of the Alouatta genus. The black howler is distributed in areas of South America such as Paraguay, southern Brazil, eastern Bolivia,...
The Greater bulldog bat (Noctilio leporinus) is a species of fishing bat native to Latin America. It uses echolocation to detect water ripples made by the fish upon which it preys, then uses the pouch between its legs to scoop the fish up and its...
