Fauna of the Marima Islands

## Mammals

Over 200 species of mammals live in the Marima Islands.

### Jaguarundi (Herpailurus yagouaround)

Jaguarundis are widespread and very common throughout The Marima Islands with uncounted confirmed individuals due to a extremely healthy and large population, naturalists and animal biologists estimate up to two million individuals thrive through the island, mainly concentrated in the southern end of the island. They often lived off rodents, insects and poultry. More mustelid than felid in overall proportions, with a pointed snout, long body, and shortish legs, the jaguarundi has several color forms of unpatterned fur, from black- mainly in forest-to pale gray-brown or red-in dry shrubland. The cat hunts by day, often on the ground, in habitats ranging from semiarid scrub to rain forest and swamp. Its main prey are birds, rodents, rabbits, reptiles, and invertebrates. Jaguarundis are typically black in southern parts of the country but range to lighter shades in northern parts of the country.

### Marsh Deer (Blastocerus dichotomus)

Except for some offshore smaller islands, marsh deer are found virtually everywhere in The Marima Islands, even in the bigger urban areas. Deer can be found in a variety of habitats include farmlands, swamps, islands, and woodlands; but marsh deer have a special niche which draws them around swamps and swampy areas making them more likely to be found along the southern half of the country which tends to be swampier. Marsh deer's populations have been decreasing due to deforestation. Marsh deer are considered a huge pest to farmers, gardeners and citizens' who plant cereal grasses, bamboo, monocots, legumes, water lillies, water-plantains, arrowroots, evening primroses and sedges which occupy up to 100% of their entire diet. Long legs and wide hooves allow the marsh deer to move easily in swamps and floodplains. The largest deer in southern Herethear, it is reddish brown in summer and darker in winter, with black lower legs, a pale face, and black around the lips and nose. It eats grasses, reeds, water plants, and bushes, and lives alone or in groups of 2-3. It is threatened by habitat loss due to irrigation and conversion to pasture or crops, water pollution, and competition from livestock.

### Bobcat (Lynx rufus)

Bobcats are found in the entire northern half of the country but are very seldom seen in the southern half of the country. Named after its short "bobbed" tail, this medium-sized cat has a ruff-like facial border. Mainly tawny in color, it always has some spots; they may be prominent all over or only the underside. It hunts lagomorphs, such as tapeti rabbits in the south of its range and cottontails farther north, but can survive on rodents, deer, and carrion. Its habitat varies from desert to mixed woodland and conifer forest. Between 10,000 - 15,000 bobcats roam throughout The Marima Islands.

### Coyote (Canis latrans)

Coyotes are found in the northern habitats of The Marima Islands but populations remain scarce due to them preferring usually drier, arid desert or prairie-type conditions whereas The Marima Islands is intensely tropical and is between 35.5-37.1% forested with most of the remainder of the non-forested areas being urban areas located primarily in the country's south. Coyotes are pack animals and primarily hunts mice and lagomorphs in the Marima Islands, evidence shown that coyotes have killed cats and dogs in the country and have a growing population of about 2,000.

### Tapeti (Sylvilagus braziliensis)

Tapeti rabbits range in most of the south of the Marima Islands and up from at least 15-70 tapeti rabbits are found per square kilometer in the southern Marima Islands but are displaced by the introduced cottontail rabbits in the north. As much as one million roam freely throughout the country with varied populations, either rising or plummeting.

### Raccoon (Procyon lotor)

Raccoons have a varied range in the Marima Islands, sightings were reported at about 80.0% of all acres in the country, but about 54.3% of sightings are reported in the northern tier of the island. Raccoons have also been spotted in Hapuduman City but not to the extent that they are in the northern portion of the country. Based on multiple studies shown, between 12,000 - 15,000 raccoons live in the country and aren't a common sight for visitors and locals alike.

### Opossum (Didelphis virginiana)

Opossums are found everywhere in the country, except offshore and smaller islands. Opossums behavior in The Marima Islands is different from those found in Nareemia, most opossums like to thrive in urban settings in Nareemia, but opossums in the Marima Islands usually stray away from cities and are found mainly in arboreal and forested areas, especially in the more humid and rainier portions of the country, opossums also like to thrive where they are near freshwater. Between 40,000 - 70,000 opossums thrive in the country and are common sights at dusk and dawn.

### Coypu (Myocastor coypus)

Coypus are introduced mammals in the country and can be found virtually everywhere in the country, but remain dominant in the forested regions of the southeast, just below Hapuduman City. Coypus generally nest near still water and populations can't be determined due to a very large number of individuals.