The tayra is a member of the weasel family. There are 9 known subspecies of tayra that range from Central and South America to Trinidad. Tayras live in woodlands and dense tropical rainforests. The locals use tayra for the control of pests, primarily because they eat rodents. The
The weasel-like jaguarundi has a long slender body, a small flattened head with short rounded ears, and short legs. They are closely related to the puma and are sometimes called
The giant river otter is endemic to South America and more specifically the Amazon, Orinoco, and La Plata River systems. These otters like slow-moving rivers, swamps, lakes, and
The Galápagos tortoise is the largest tortoise on Earth. Sadly, out of the 15 known subspecies of these tortoises, only 11 remain in the wild. They live in dry lowlands to more humid highlands. Galápagos tortoises were hunted during the 17th, 18th, and 19th century to near extinction
The Andean spectacled bear is the only species of bear found in South America. It can be seen in Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and Argentina. Spectacled bears inhabit high altitude cloud forests but they can also be found in various other habitats like grassland
If you think you’ve seen these before… you have. They’re the most populated mammal in South America, the guanaco. These critters are the parent species of the domesticated llama. They inhabit the mountainous regions of Patagonia, in Argentina and Chile. The males
The crested caracara, aka Audubon’s caracara, northern caracara, northern crested caracara, Mexican buzzard, or Mexican eagle, can be spotted in the southern most tips of the United States, throughout Mexico,
The kinkajou lives in tropical rainforests from the southern parts of Mexico down into Brazil. Its small feet have fingers that are a slightly webbed and come equipped with sharp claws
The pudu deer consist of 2 known species of South American deer and are the world’s smallest deer. The name comes from Mapudungun, the language of the indigenous Mapuche people of
One of the more bizarre mammals, and there are a few, is the anteater. They can range in size from a squirrel, to up to 7′ long! There are 4 species of anteater: the giant anteater,
