Amazon River Dolphin

Mammals > Cetaceans

The Amazon River Dolphin (Inia geoffrensis), locally celebrated across South America as the boto or bufeo, represents the largest and most ecologically derived species of obligate freshwater cetacean surviving today. Descended from an archaic lineage of proto-dolphins...

Pichi

Mammals > Armadillos

The Pichi (Zaedyus pichiy), also known as the dwarf armadillo or Patagonian pichi, is a small, hardy xenarthran mammal endemic to the wind-swept, semi-arid plains and cold steppes of Argentina and Chilean Patagonia. Measuring barely a foot in length, this compact...

Colocolo

Mammals > Carnivorans

The Colocolo (Leopardus colocolo), renowned in Chilean culture and Indigenous Mapuche mythology, is a distinct and charismatic small wildcat native to the Mediterranean-climate scrublands of central Chile. Historically lumped together with several other South American...

Kodkod

Mammals > Carnivorans

The Kodkod (Leopardus guigna), also affectionately known in Chile as the guiña, holds the title of the smallest wild cat species in the Americas. Inhabiting the ancient, moss-draped Valdivian temperate rainforests of the southern Andean cone, this compact and...

Puku

Mammals > Even-Toed Ungulates

The Puku (Kobus vardonii) is a medium-sized, golden-coated wetland antelope belonging to the tribe Reduncini, closely related to the waterbuck and lechwe. Endemic to the lush floodplains, permanent wetlands, and river valleys of south-central Africa—most notably the...

Oncilla

Mammals > Carnivorans

The Oncilla (Leopardus tigrinus), also known as the Northern Tiger Cat, tigrillo, or little spotted cat, is an elusive and exquisitely patterned Neotropical felid. Closely related to the ocelot and margay, the oncilla is the smallest and most delicate member of the...

Rusty-spotted Cat

Mammals > Carnivorans

The Rusty-spotted Cat (Prionailurus rubiginosus) is celebrated as the smallest wild cat in the world, rivaled in diminutive size only by the southern African black-footed cat. Native to the Indian subcontinent, this petite felid measures barely half the size of an...

Andean Mountain Cat

Mammals > Carnivorans

The Andean Mountain Cat (Leopardus jacobita) is one of the rarest, most specialized, and most threatened felids on Earth. Inhabiting the austere, wind-scoured alpine deserts and rocky scree slopes of the high Andes at elevations exceeding 3,000 to 5,000 meters above...

Jaguarundi

Mammals > Carnivorans

The Jaguarundi (Herpailurus yagouaroundi) is one of the most enigmatic and morphologically distinct small wildcats of the Americas. Bearing a striking superficial resemblance to mustelids such as otters or weasels rather than typical felines, this sleek predator...

Black-footed Cat

Mammals > Carnivorans

The Black-footed Cat (Felis nigripes) is the smallest wild cat species in Africa and one of the smallest felids on Earth, yet it holds the formidable distinction of being the most successful mammalian apex predator by capture percentage. Endemic to the harsh arid...