Baird’s Tapir

Mammals > Odd-Toed Ungulates

Baird’s Tapir (Tapirus bairdii), known in Spanish as the danta or macho de monte, is the largest native land mammal in Central America and an ancient evolutionary relic belonging to the odd-toed ungulate family Tapiridae. Named in honor of the legendary...

Grevy’s Zebra

Mammals > Odd-Toed Ungulates

Grevy’s Zebra (Equus grevyi), historically celebrated as the imperial zebra, is the largest, rarest, and most geometrically striking of all wild equine species on Earth. Named in 1882 in honor of Jules Grévy, then-president of the French Republic who received...

Geoffroy’s Cat

Mammals > Carnivorans

Geoffroy’s Cat (Leopardus geoffroyi) is a tough, versatile, small spotted wildcat native to the diverse savannas, pampas grasslands, and scrub forests of southern South America. Named in honor of the renowned 19th-century French zoologist Étienne Geoffroy...

Ringed Seal

Mammals > Pinnipeds

The Ringed Seal (Pusa hispida, formerly Phoca hispida) is the smallest, most abundant, and most ice-dependent earless seal inhabiting the circumpolar Arctic. Belonging to the true seal family Phocidae, this tubby, torpedo-shaped pinniped is instantly recognized by its...

Llama

Mammals > Camelids

The Llama (Lama glama) is a majestic, long-necked South American camelid that has served as the quintessential working animal and cultural cornerstone of Andean civilization for thousands of years. Domesticated from the wild guanaco (Lama guanicoe) in the Peruvian...

Banner-tailed Kangaroo Rat

Mammals > Rodents

The Banner-tailed Kangaroo Rat (Dipodomys spectabilis) is the largest and most spectacular kangaroo rat inhabiting the Chihuahuan and Sonoran desert grasslands of North America. Belonging to the family Heteromyidae, this magnificent bipedal rodent earns both its...

Spectral Bat

Mammals > Bats

The Spectral Bat (Vampyrum spectrum), historically known as the Linnaeus’s false vampire bat or the great false vampire bat, is the largest carnivorous bat in the entire Western Hemisphere and one of the most formidable aerial predators in the Neotropics....

Southern Hairy-nosed Wombat

Mammals > Marsupials

The Southern Hairy-nosed Wombat (Lasiorhinus latifrons) is a heavily built, ground-dwelling marsupial native to the arid grasslands and limestone plains of southern Australia. Belonging to the wombat family Vombatidae, this remarkable bulldozer of the outback is...

Ord’s Kangaroo Rat

Mammals > Rodents

Ord’s Kangaroo Rat (Dipodomys ordii) is an iconic, bipedal saltatorial rodent native to the vast arid grasslands, sagebrush steppes, and sand dunes of western North America. Belonging to the pocket mouse family Heteromyidae and named in honor of the prominent...

Eastern Spotted Skunk

Mammals > Carnivorans

The Eastern Spotted Skunk (Spilogale putorius), historically celebrated across rural North America as the ‘civet cat’, is a small, remarkably agile, and acrobatic carnivoran native to the central and southeastern United States. Belonging to the skunk...