Mammals
& Other Wildlife
in South
America
(with updated taxonomy)
In Argentina, Brazil,
Chile,
Ecuador, & Venezuela
Tours during the months of February, March, June, July, August,
September,
October, November.
A List compiled by Armas Hill
With those found during FONT tours, 1992 to 2007
noted with an (*)
There have been 41 FONT Tours in Brazil.
In southern South America, 13 tours in Argentina and 16 in Chile.
In northern South America, 6 tours in Venezuela and 8 in Ecuador.
Codes:
Threatened Species, designated in CITES:
(t1): critically endangered
(t2):
endangered
(t3):
vulnerable
(ti): threatened (but with status indeterminate)
The above codes with the 2-letter country code reflect the status in that
country.
(i): species introduced into South America
AR: Argentina
so: southern Argentina (including
Valdez Peninsula)
tf: Tierra del Fuego
BR: Brazil
af: Alta Floresta (southern
Amazonian)
am: Amazonia (particulary the area of
Manaus)
fs: far-southern Brazil, Rio Grande
do Sul
ig: Iguazu
mn: Minas Gerais
mt: Mato Grosso & Mato Grosso do Sul (including the
Pantanal)
se: southeast Brazil (the states of
Rio de Janeiro & Sao Paulo)
CH: Chile
ce: central Chile from the Pacific
coast, up into the Andes
fn: in the far-north in areas of
Arica & Lauca National Park
tf: Tierra del Fuego
EC:
Ecuador
az: Amazonian, along the Napo River
gp: Galapagos
we: western Ecuador
PG: Paraguay
PE: Peru
VE: Venezuela
ll: the Llanos
Some local names are in the following list beneath the scientific names, with the above two-letter country codes.
There are 341 species in the list that follows. (More will be added.)
Of these, 123 species have been
found during FONT South American tours.
Links:
Upcoming
FONT Birding & Nature Tours in Brazil
Upcoming
FONT Birding & Nature Tours in Argentina & Chile
List
of Birds during previous tours in: Argentina, Brazil, Chile,
Ecuador, Venezuela
Photo
Galleries of South American Birds & Other Wildlife
Mammals:
AMERICAN OPOSSUMS -
Family Didelphidae (totally 78 species)
- Southern (or Black-eared) Opossum ______ (*) AR, BR af,se, EC we, VE ll
(also called Common Opossum)
Didelphis marsupialis
AR: Comadreja Grande
BR: Gamba de Orelha Preta
- White-eared Opossum ______ (*) BR
af
Didelphis albiventris
BR: Gamba de Orelha Branca
- Big-eared Opossum ______
AR,BR
Didelphis aurita
- Central American
Wooly Opossum ______
Caluromys derbianus
- Western Woolly Opossum
______
Caluromys lanatus
- Bare-tailed Wooly Opossum
______
Caluromys philander
- Black-shouldered Woolly
Opossum ______
Caluromysiops irrupta
- Bushy-tailed Opossum ______
Gilronia venusta (the single member of its genus)
- Murine Mouse-Opossum ______ (*) EC az, VE
Marmosa murina
(photo below)
- Anderson's Mouse-Opossum (t1) ______ PE
Marmosa andersoni
- Little Rufous Mouse-Opossum ______
Marmosa lepida
- Robinson's Mouse-Opossum ______
Marmosa robinsoni
- Red Mouse-Opossum ______
Marmosa rubra
- Tyler's Mouse-Opossum ______ VE
Marmosa tyleriana
- Dryland Mouse-Opossum (e) ______
Marmosa xerophila
- Bishop's Slender Mouse Opossum ______ PE
Marmosa (formerly Marmoscops) bishopi
- White-bellied Slender Mouse-Opossum ______
(*) EC az
Marmosa (formerly Marmosops) noctivaga
ARMADILLOS - Family Dasypodidae (totally 21 species)
- Nine-banded (Long-nosed) Armadillo
______ (*) AR, BR mt (wide-ranging, from the SC US to
N Argentina)
Dasypus novemcinctus
AR: Mulita Grande, Cachicamo, Tatu-hu
BR: Tatu-Galinha or Mulita Grande
(photo below)
- Southern Long-nosed Armadillo ______ (grasslands
of S Paraguay, N Argentina, Uruguay, & S Brazil)
Dasypus hybridus
- Great Long-nosed Armadillo ______ (forests
of E Colombia to Suriname, S to Amazonian Brazil)
Dasypus kappleri
- Hairy Long-nosed Armadillo ______ (high
elevations of W Andean slope, in SC Peru)
Dasypus pilosus
- Llanos Long-nosed Armadillo ______ (llanos
& savannas of C Venezuela & C Colombia)
Dasypus sabanicola
- Seven-banded Armadillo ______ (grassland
& forests of SE Amazonian & E Brazil to Bolivia, Paraguay, & N
Argentina)
Dasypus septemcinctus
- Yepes' Long-nosed Armadillo ______ (in NW
Argentina, in Salta & Jujuy provinces)
Dasypus yepesi
- Andean Hairy Armadillo ______ (altiplano in
N Chile & in the puna of Bolivia)
Chaetophractus nationi
- Screaming Hairy Armadillo ______ (dry sandy
areas of chaco regions of Bolivia & NW Paraguay to C Argentina)
Chaetophractus vellerosus
- Larger Hairy Armadillo ______ (S Bolivia
& Paraguay to S Chile & Argentina)
Chaetophractus villosus
- Northern Naked-tailed Armadillo ______
Cabassous centralis
- Chacoan Naked-tailed Armadillo ______
Cabassous chacoensis
- Greater Naked-tailed Armadillo ______ (*) AR
ne
Cabassous tatouay
- Southern Naked-tailed Armadillo ______
Cabassous unicinctus
- Six-banded Armadillo (has been called Yellow
Armadillo) ______
(*) BR
mt (rainforests & savannas from Suriname & NC Brazil south to
Uruguay & N Argentina))
Euphractus sexcinctus (the single member of
its genus)
BR: Tatu Peba or Tatu Peludo
- Pichi ______ (*) AR
(open areas of S & C Argentina & S & C Chile)
Zaedyus pichiy (the single member of its genus)
AR: Pichi (Patagonico)
- Chacoan Fairy Armadillo
______
Chlamyphorus retusus
- Pink Fairy Armadillo ______
Chlamyphorus truncatus
- Southern Three-banded
Armadillo ______
Tolypeutes matacus
- Brazilian Three-banded
Armadillo ______
Tolypeutes tricinctus
- Giant Armadillo (t2) ______
BR
Priodontes maximus
(the single member of its genus)
AMERICAN ANTEATERS - Family Myrmecophagidae
(3 species)
- Giant Anteater (t3) ______ (*) BR
az,mn,mt, VE ll
Myrmecophaga tridactyla
BR: Tamandua Bandeira
(photo below)
- Southern Tamandua (or Collared Anteater) (ti) ______
(*) BR mt, EC az, VE ll
Tamandua tetradactyla
BR: Tamandua Colete or Mambira or Tamandua
Mirim
EC & VE: Tamandua or Oso Colmenero
SILKY ANTEATER - Family Cyclopedidae (1 species)
- Silky Anteater ______
Cyclopes didactylus (the
single member of its genus & family)
TWO-TOED SLOTHS - Family Megalonychidae (2 species)
- Southern Two-toed Sloth
______
Choloepus didactylus
- Hoffmann's Two-toed Sloth
______ (*) VE
Choloepus hoffmanni
VE: Perezoso de Dos Dedos
THREE-TOED SLOTHS - Family Bradypodidae (totally 4 species)
- Maned Three-toed Sloth (t2) ______ BR
Bradypus torquatus
- Pale-throated Three-toed Sloth ______ (*)
BR am, VE
Bradypus tridactylus
- Brown-throated Three-toed Sloth ______
Bradypus variegatus
VE: Perezoso de Tres Dedos
RABBITS - Family Leporidae
(totally 57 species)
- Tapiti
(or Forest Rabbit) ______ (*) BR mn,mt, EC an
(also called Brazilian Rabbit) (occurs up to high elevations, as in the
Andes of Ecuador)
Silvilagus brasiliensis
BR: Coelho or Tapiti
EC: Conejo
- Eastern Cottontail ______ (*) VE
Sylvilagus floridannus
(the same species that occurs in eastern North America, at the southern end
of its range)
- European Rabbit (i) ______ (*) AR, CH
Oryctolagus cuniculus
- European (or Brown) Hare (i) ______ (*) AR, CH
Lepus europaeus
RODENTS: the gnawing mammals, in the Order Rodentia, which is the largest
order of mammals with nearly 2,000 species worldwide
SQUIRRELS - Family Sciuridae
(totally 276 species worldwide)
- Guianan (or Brazilian) Squirrel ______ (*)
BR ig,mn,se
Sciurus aestuans ingrami (in se Brazil)
BR: Esquilo or: Caxixe, Serelepe, Quatipuru, Caxinguele
- Southern Amazon Red Squirrel ______ (*) BR
af, EC az
Sciurus spadiceus
BR: Esquilo or Quatipuru
(The Southern & Northern Amazon Red Squirrels are very similar. The
Southern Amazon Red Squirrel is reddish, rather finely grizzled with
black.
The Northern Amazon Squirrel is coarsely grizzled, with yellowish black on
the back. Both species occur in Amazonian Ecuador.)
- Northern Amazon Red
Squirrel ______ (*) VE, EC az
Sciurus igniventris
EC: Huayuashi
VE: Ardilla
- Red-tailed Squirrel ______ (*) VE
Sciurus granatensis
VE: Ardilla
- Guayaquil Squirrel ______ (*) EC we
Sciurus stramineus
EC: Ardilla parda or Ardilla Nucha Blanca, or Ardilla Mora, or Ardilla Negra
(an assortment of local names as there is much individual variation of
color within populations)
- Amazon Dwarf Squirrel ______ (*) EC az
Microsciurus mimulus
BEAVERS - Family Castoridae (2 species)
- (North) American Beaver (i) ______ (*) AR tf
Castor canadensis
(Introduced into Tierra del Fuego for their pelts. Now quite common there.)
NEOTROPICAL MICE - Subfamily Sigmodontinae (totally 461 species)
- Web-footed Marsh Rat
______ (*) AR ne
Holochilus brasiliensis
- Azara's Grass Mouse
______ (*) AR ne, BR se
Akodon azarai
MUSKRAT - Subfamily Arvicoliinae (in the same subfamily as Voles &
Lemmings, in which there are totally 140 species worldwide)
- Muskrat (i) ______ (*) CH tf
Ondatra zibethica
(Introduced into Tierra del Fuego, as the Beaver, for their pelts. Now
apparently more common than that species in ponds in treeless areas.)
TRUE MICE & RATS - Subfamily Murinae
(totally 535 species)
- House Mouse (i) ______ (*) BR
se,
VE
Mus musculus
BR: Cachita
(world-wide distribution greater than any
other mammal except Man)
- Brown Rat (i) ______ (*)
BR am,fs
Rattus norvegicus
NEW WORLD PORCUPINES - Family Erethizontidae (totally 17 species,
in the Americas)
- Brazilian (or
Prehensile-tailed) Porcupine ______ (*) BR mt
Coendou prehensilis
BR: Ourico or Porco Espinho
- Bicolor-spinned Porcupine ______ (*) EC az
Coendou bicolor
EC: Puchan
- Koopman's Porcupine ______
BR
Coendou nycthemera
- Bahia Hairy Dwarf Porcupine
______ BR
Coendou (formerly
Sphiggurus) insidiosus
- Black-tailed Hairy Dwarf
Porcupine ______ BR
Coendou (formerly Sphiggurus)
melanurus
- Van Roosmalen's Hairy Dwarf
Porcupine ______ BR
Coendou (formerly
Sphiggurus) roosmalenorum
- Orange-spinned Hairy Dwarf
Porcupine ______ BR
Coendou
(formerly Sphiggurus)
spinosus
- Bristle-spinned Porcupine
______ BR
Chaetomys subspinosus
(the single member of its genus)
AGOUTIS & PACAS - Family Agoutidae
(totally 16 species)
- Green Acouchi ______ (*) EC az
Myoprocta exilis
(formerly M. pratti)
EC: Guatusa Pequena or Papali
- Red Acouchi ______ BR
Myoprocta acouchy
- Black Agouti ______ (*) EC az
Dasyprocta fuliginosa
EC: Guatusa
- Azara's Agouti ______ (*) AR
ne,
BR mt, PG
Dasyprocta azarae
BR: Cutia
- Red-rumped Agouti ______ (*) BR
af,am,mn,
VE
Dasyprocta leporina (formerly D. agouti)
BR: Cutia
VE: Picure or Acure
