Bird
Chicken
The world's most common bird
Animals of South America
South America holds the Amazon rainforest, the most biodiverse place on Earth. Its jungles are home to brilliantly colored poison dart frogs and countless other species still being discovered.
Test yourself: Where in the World game117 animal profiles from South America
Bird
Wandering Albatross
The widest wingspan on Earth
Reptile
Leatherback Sea Turtle
The giant jellyfish specialist
Mammal
Cow
The domestic cattle that feeds the world
Mammal
Leopard Seal
Antarctica's apex predator
Reptile
Hawksbill Sea Turtle
The tortoiseshell turtle
Mammal
Sperm Whale
The deep-diving giant with the largest brain
Fish
Ocean Sunfish
The heaviest bony fish
Fish
Rainbow Trout
The colourful fly-fisher's favourite
Mammal
Geoffroy's Spider Monkey
The long-limbed acrobat of Central American forests
Fish
Thresher Shark
The whip-tailed hunter
Mammal
Common Squirrel Monkey
The tiny big-brained monkey of the Amazon
Mammal
Red Deer
The roaring stag of Eurasian woodlands
Mammal
Giant Anteater
South America's two-metre tongue specialist
Bird
Scarlet Macaw
Iconic red-and-blue rainforest parrot
Bird
Flamingo
The pink filter-feeder that stands on one leg
Reptile
Loggerhead Sea Turtle
The powerful-jawed sea turtle
Mammal
Fin Whale
The sleek greyhound of the seas
Mammal
Sloth
The slowest mammal on Earth
Mammal
Domestic Pig
The intelligent farm mammal
Fish
Sand Tiger Shark
The toothy aquarium shark
Bird
Rooster
The crowing guardian of the barnyard flock
Mammal
Manatee
The gentle sea cow of warm coastal waters
Mammal
Ferret
The playful domestic mustelid
Mammal
Capuchin Monkey
The clever New World monkey
Mammal
Domestic Goat
The agile browser
Fish
Nurse Shark
The docile reef bottom-dweller
Mammal
Guinea Pig
The gentle social rodent from the Andes
Bird
Andean Condor
Giant New World vulture of the Andes
Bird
Hyacinth Macaw
Largest flying parrot, cobalt blue
Mammal
Jaguar
The Americas' largest and most powerful cat
Mammal
Howler Monkey
The loudest land animal in the Americas
Mammal
Chinchilla
The soft-furred rodent of the Andes
Mammal
Spectacled Bear
The only bear native to South America
Mammal
Ocelot
The spotted cat of the Americas
Fish
Great Barracuda
Torpedo-shaped reef ambush predator
Mammal
Water Buffalo
The wallowing bovine of Asia
Mammal
Domestic Sheep
Humanity's oldest livestock
Mammal
Nine-Banded Armadillo
North America's armoured digger
Fish
Largemouth Bass
America's favourite freshwater game fish
Bird
Brown Pelican
The plunge-diving fisher
Fish
Largetooth Sawfish
Giant ray with a toothed rostral saw
Bird
Blue-footed Booby
Plunge-diving seabird with vivid blue feet
Reptile
Spectacled Caiman
The common crocodilian of the Americas
Mammal
Llama
The Andean pack animal and flock guardian
Bird
House Sparrow
Ubiquitous sparrow of towns and farms
Invertebrate
Tarantula
The large, hairy spider with a gentle reputation
Mammal
Alpaca
The Andean fleece specialist
Mammal
Minke Whale
The smallest and most abundant rorqual
Bird
Magnificent Frigatebird
Aerial pirate with a scarlet throat pouch
Insect
Leafcutter Ant
Ant farmers that cut leaves to grow fungus
Bird
Barn Owl
The ghostly, heart-faced night hunter
Mammal
American Mink
The semi-aquatic mustelid
Mammal
Donkey
The hardy working companion of arid lands
Mammal
Vicuña
Wild Andean camelid with ultrafine wool
Insect
Bed Bug
The blood-feeding pest of mattresses worldwide
Mammal
Guanaco
Wild South American camelid ancestor of the llama
Mammal
White-tailed Deer
The Americas' most familiar deer
Insect
Army Ant
Nomadic swarm-raiding ants of the Neotropics
Amphibian
Poison Dart Frog
Tiny, brilliantly colored, and among the most toxic animals alive
Insect
Ladybug
The spotted beetle gardeners love
Reptile
Galápagos Tortoise
The giant tortoise that can live over a century
Mammal
Otter
The playful, water-loving member of the weasel family
Mammal
Bat
The only mammals capable of true flight
Mammal
Capybara
The world's largest rodent
Insect
Ant
The tireless team-working insect
Mammal
Cougar
The wide-ranging big cat with many names
Fish
Red-bellied Piranha
The sharp-toothed fish of the Amazon
Reptile
Green Anaconda
The heaviest snake in the world
Reptile
Boa Constrictor
The powerful constricting snake of the Americas
Bird
Roseate Spoonbill
Pink wader with a sweeping spoon bill
Bird
American White Ibis
Red-billed white wader of the Southeast
Bird
Wood Stork
Tactile-fishing stork of southern swamps
Bird
Jabiru
Giant stork of Neotropical wetlands
Mammal
Nine-banded Armadillo
Armoured digger marching through the Americas
Mammal
Collared Peccary
Collared herd animal of American scrublands
Reptile
Emerald Tree Boa
Emerald coil of the Amazon canopy
Amphibian
Surinam Toad
Flat frog that grows babies in its back
Fish
Lemon Shark
Yellow coastal shark of mangrove nurseries
Fish
Oceanic Whitetip Shark
Critically Endangered lord of the open ocean
Fish
Porbeagle
Warm-blooded hunter of cold Atlantic seas
Fish
Cookiecutter Shark
Bioluminescent plug-biter of the deep
Fish
Bonnethead
Seagrass-munching hammerhead of warm shallows
Invertebrate
Vampire Squid
Detritus-eating cape of the oxygen minimum zone
Invertebrate
Water Bear
Near-indestructible moss dweller under the microscope
Invertebrate
Velvet Worm
Slime-shooting living fossil of leaf litter
Insect
Mosquito
The tiny insect with an outsized impact
Insect
Bumblebee
The fuzzy, hard-working pollinator of meadows and gardens
Fish
Electric Eel
The fish that generates powerful electric shocks
Bird
Toco Toucan
The rainforest bird with the giant colorful bill
Fish
Guppy
The colorful beginner's aquarium fish
Insect
Firefly
The glowing beetle of warm summer nights
Insect
Cicada
The loud summer singer with a long underground youth
Invertebrate
Jumping Spider
The big-eyed spider that pounces on its prey
Mammal
Vampire Bat
The only mammal that lives entirely on blood
Bird
Peregrine Falcon
The fastest animal on the planet
Insect
Praying Mantis
The patient ambush predator with folded arms
Insect
Termite
The colony-building recycler of dead wood
Insect
Housefly
The familiar fly found wherever people live
Invertebrate
Centipede
The fast, venomous predator with many legs
Amphibian
Pacman Frog
The round, big-mouthed horned frog
Invertebrate
Millipede
The slow, many-legged recycler of the forest floor
Insect
Dragonfly
The agile aerial hunter of ponds and streams
Insect
Flea
The wingless parasite famous for jumping
Reptile
Green Iguana
The large tree-dwelling lizard of the tropics
Insect
Grasshopper
The jumping insect of fields and meadows
Bird
Great Horned Owl
The powerful nocturnal hunter with feathered tufts
Amphibian
Cane Toad
A large, toxic toad turned invasive pest
Amphibian
Caecilian
The limbless, burrowing amphibians
Insect
Rhinoceros Beetle
One of the strongest animals for its size
Invertebrate
Garden Snail
The slow, shell-carrying garden mollusk
Insect
Cockroach
The hardy survivor that lives almost anywhere
Insect
Cricket
The chirping insect of warm evenings
Invertebrate
Earthworm
The soil engineer that enriches the earth
Amphibian
Glass Frog
The frog with see-through skin
Mammal
Uakari
The crimson-faced monkey of the flooded Amazon
Fish
X-ray Tetra
The see-through fish of the Amazon