page_title: List of mammals of South America
section_title: Order: Carnivora (carnivorans)
hierarchical_section_title: List of mammals of South America / Subclass: Theria / Infraclass: Eutheria / Superorder: Laurasiatheria / Order: Carnivora (carnivorans)
caption_attribution_description: Latina: Procyon cancrivorus English: Crab-eating Raccoon Deutsch: Krabbenwaschbär Français&#160;: Raton crabier Polski: Szop rakojad
context_page_description: This is a list of the native wild mammal species recorded in South America. South America's terrestrial mammals fall into three distinct groups: "old-timers", African immigrants and recent North American immigrants. The marsupials and xenarthrans are "old-timers", their ancestors having been present on the continent since at least the very early Cenozoic Era. During the early Cenozoic, South America's only land connection was to Antarctica, so it was effectively cut off from most of the world; as the fragments of Gondwana continued to separate, this connection was lost, leaving South America an island continent. Caviomorph rodents and monkeys arrived as "waif dispersers" by rafting across the Atlantic from Africa in the Eocene epoch, 35 million or more years ago. All the remaining nonflying mammals of South America are recent arrivals, having migrated from North America via Central America during the past seven million years as part of the Great American Interchange; this invasion, which peaked around three million years ago, was made possible when the formation of the volcanic Isthmus of Panama bridged North and South America.
context_section_description: There are over 260 species of carnivorans, the majority of which feed primarily on meat. They have a characteristic skull shape and dentition. South America is notable for its diversity of canids, having more genera than any other continent in spite of their relatively brief history there. South America's felid diversity is also greater than that of North America north of Mexico, while its mustelid diversity is comparable and its mephitid and ursid diversities are lower. Its procyonid diversity is somewhat less than that of Central America, the center of the family's recent evolution. The diversification of canids and felids in South America was partly a consequence of the inability of the continent's native avian and metatherian predators to compete effectively following the Great American Interchange.
  Suborder: Feliformia
  Family: Felidae (cats)
  Subfamily: Felinae
  Tribe Acinonychini
  Genus: Herpailurus
  Jaguarundi, Herpailurus yagouaroundi LC
  Genus: Puma
  Cougar, Puma concolor LC
  Genus: Leopardus
  Pantanal cat, Leopardus colocola braccatus
  Pampas cat, Leopardus colocolo NT
  Geoffroy's cat, Leopardus geoffroyi LC
  Kodkod, Leopardus guigna VU
  Andean mountain cat, Leopardus jacobita EN
  Ocelot, Leopardus pardalis LC
  Oncilla, Leopardus tigrinus VU
  Southern tigrina, Leopardus guttulus VU
  Margay, Leopardus wiedii NT
  Subfamily: Pantherinae
  Genus: Panthera
  Jaguar, Panthera onca NT
  Suborder: Caniformia
  Family: Canidae (dogs, foxes)
  Genus: Dusicyon
  Falkland Island wolf, †Dusicyon australis EX
  Genus: Urocyon
  Gray fox, Urocyon cinereoargenteus LC
  Genus: Lycalopex
  Culpeo, Lycalopex culpaeus LC
  Darwin's fox, Lycalopex fulvipes EN
  South American gray fox, Lycalopex griseus LC
  Pampas fox, Lycalopex gymnocercus LC
  Sechuran fox, Lycalopex sechurae NT
  Hoary fox, Lycalopex vetulus LC
  Genus: Cerdocyon
  Crab-eating fox, Cerdocyon thous LC
  Genus: Atelocynus
  Short-eared dog, Atelocynus microtis NT
  Genus: Speothos
  Bush dog, Speothos venaticus NT
  Genus: Chrysocyon
  Maned wolf, Chrysocyon brachyurus NT
  Family: Ursidae (bears)
  Genus: Tremarctos
  Spectacled bear, Tremarctos ornatus VU
  Family: Procyonidae (raccoons, coatis and allies)
  Genus: Procyon
  Crab-eating raccoon, Procyon cancrivorus LC
  Genus: Nasua
  White-nosed coati, Nasua narica LC
  South American coati, Nasua nasua LC
  Genus: Nasuella
  Eastern mountain coati, Nasuella meridensis EN
  Western mountain coati, Nasuella olivacea NT
  Genus: Potos
  Kinkajou, Potos flavus LC
  Genus: Bassaricyon
  Eastern lowland olingo, Bassaricyon alleni LC
  Western lowland olingo, Bassaricyon medius LC
  Olinguito, Bassaricyon neblina NT
  Family: Mustelidae (weasels, otters)
  Genus: Mustela
  Amazon weasel, Mustela africana LC
  Colombian weasel, Mustela felipei VU
  Long-tailed weasel, Mustela frenata LC
  Genus: Eira
  Tayra, Eira barbara LC
  Genus: Galictis
  Lesser grison, Galictis cuja LC
  Greater grison, Galictis vittata LC
  Genus: Lyncodon
  Patagonian weasel, Lyncodon patagonicus LC
  Genus: Lontra
  Marine otter, Lontra felina EN
  Neotropical river otter, Lontra longicaudis NT
  Southern river otter, Lontra provocax EN
  Genus: Pteronura
  Giant otter, Pteronura brasiliensis EN
  Family: Mephitidae (skunks)
  Genus: Conepatus
  Molina's hog-nosed skunk, Conepatus chinga LC
  Humboldt's hog-nosed skunk, Conepatus humboldtii LC
  Striped hog-nosed skunk, Conepatus semistriatus LC
  Clade: Pinnipedia (seals, sea lions and walruses)
  Family: Otariidae (eared seals, sea lions)
  Genus: Arctocephalus
  South American fur seal, Arctocephalus australis LC
  Galápagos fur seal, Arctocephalus galapagoensis EN
  Antarctic fur seal, Arctocephalus gazella LC
  Juan Fernández fur seal, Arctocephalus philippii LC
  Subantarctic fur seal, Arctocephalus tropicalis LC
  Genus: Otaria
  South American sea lion, Otaria flavescens LC
  Genus: Zalophus
  Galápagos sea lion, Zalophus wollebaeki EN
  Family: Phocidae (earless seals)
  Genus: Hydrurga
  Leopard seal, Hydrurga leptonyx LC
  Genus: Leptonychotes
  Weddell seal, Leptonychotes weddellii LC
  Genus: Lobodon
  Crabeater seal, Lobodon carcinophaga LC
  Genus: Mirounga
  Southern elephant seal, Mirounga leonina LC
  Genus: Monachus
  Caribbean monk seal, †Monachus tropicalis
caption: Crab-eating raccoon
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