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Terciopelo
One of the most well-known and feared snakes in Central and South America
Boat-billed heron
Got its name from its distinctive, boat-shaped bill, which is wider than it is tall
Honduran white bat
Famous for its snowy white fur, which is a rare sight in the bat world
White-faced whistling duck
Loud birds with a distinct three-note whistling sound
Brown anole
Often seen sunning themselves on fences, walls, and tree trunks
Painted bunting
A tiny bird with colors so bright, it looks like it was painted by an artist
Lineated woodpecker
With its strong, sharp beak, it’s a master at pecking holes into trees to find tasty bugs hiding inside
Groove-billed ani
Got a long tail, a big head, and a curved bill with little grooves on it – that’s where its name comes from
Wrinkle-faced bat
One of the most unusual-looking bats with lots of funny wrinkles and folds in its face
Barn swallow
Most common and widely distributed swallow globally
Fiery-throated hummingbird
Named for its breathtaking throat that seems to capture the colors of a sunset
Great hammerhead
The biggest of all the hammerhead sharks, with a massive head that looks like a giant, flat hammer
Crested caracara
Got the looks of a hawk with the scavenging habits of a vulture
Yellowfin tuna
Popular food fish, prized for its mild flavor and firm texture
Southern lapwing
Fearless defenders of their nests and chicks, often taking on much larger animals or humans if they perceive a threat
Great kiskadee
This bird is a real chatterbox, constantly announcing its presence with its loud, three-part call – “kis-ka-dee!”
Pantropical spotted dolphin
A champion swimmer and a social butterfly of the warm seas
Brown noddy
They bob their heads up and down as they fly, which is actually how they earned the nickname “Noddy”
Common coqui
They can be quite loud, reaching noise levels of up to 80 decibels – the equivalent of a running lawnmower!
Brown-throated Parakeet
Charming little parrot with a personality as bright as its feathers
Burrowing owl
They don’t build their own nests – they cleverly take over burrows abandoned by prairie dogs, ground squirrels, or even tortoises!
Common bottlenose dolphin
Known for their acrobatic leaps, twisting and turning gracefully as they jump completely out of the water
Turquoise-browed motmot
Unlike many other birds that build nests in trees or bushes, they excavate burrows in earthen banks or road cuts
Brown pelican
The smallest of the eight pelican species
Common dolphin
Often seen riding the bow waves of boats or performing acrobatic leaps out of the water
Alvarados salamander
Their webbed feet and slender limbs are ideal for climbing, enabling them to thrive in diverse microhabitats
American bullfrog
Introduced to many regions where it is now considered an invasive species
Tiger shark
They eat almost anything that comes their way – you name it, they’ll try to snack on it!
White-lipped peccary
They can spend up to two-thirds of their day traveling and feeding
Great green macaw
A stunning bird dressed in vibrant green and blue, facing dangers from loss of home and unlawful trade
Shortfin mako shark
Speed and power embodied, they rule the seas with their sleek bodies and jaw-dropping leaping prowess
Basking shark
Majestic giants of the sea, they peacefully glide through the ocean with mouths agape, filtering the waters for sustenance
Blacktip reef shark
Graceful and stealthy, these reef dwellers navigate the coral maze with finesse, showcasing their iconic black-tipped fins
Oceanic whitetip shark
Opportunistic predators of the open ocean, their aggressive and persistent feeding behaviour strikes fear into the hearts of their prey
Bull shark
Fearless and formidable, these aggressive predators command respect in the waters they roam
Whale shark
Gentle giants of the sea, with mouths wide open to filter the ocean’s bounty
Great white shark
Majestic ocean predators, embodying power, speed, and precision in their pursuit of prey
Loggerhead sea turtle
One of the largest and strongest sea turtles in the world
Hawksbill sea turtle
Its slender frame and narrow head bear a beak curved like a hawk’s, earning this marine marvel its name
Oncilla
Beneath its fierce exterior lies a tender heart, as it is also known for its loving nature toward its young
Margay
These wild cats are cute, intelligent, agile, and well-adapted to inhabiting tropical and subtropical forests
Central American agouti
This widespread cute-looking creature is also known as the ‘gardener of the forest’
Anhinga
Their neck vertebrae have a hinge mechanism that allows it to dart its long neck and pierce its prey quickly
Long-tailed weasel
Uses a hunting technique known as the Weasel War Dance that involves a series of frenetic turns, manic twists, and jumps to confuse the prey
Resplendent quetzal
This beauty, also known as the “God of the air”, is the national bird of Guatemala and its official currency!
Great Tinamou
A large bird with the tiniest heart and the highest percentage of skeletal muscles used for locomotion
Blue-footed booby
When choosing a mate, foot color is of primary importance as a reliable indicator of health, immunity, and age
Brown booby
An impressively acrobatic bird that can catch flying fish mid-jump
Great frigatebird
These birds spend weeks in the air and hunt, preen and even sleep while in flight
Barn owl
The most cosmopolitan of owls with home ranges extending across the globe
Scarlet macaw
One of the most colorful birds — effortlessly falls in love
Wilsons storm petrel
This species is found in all world oceans except the north Pacific Ocean
Leachs storm petrel
These petrels stylishly ride the ocean waves like they own the winds
Manx shearwater
Impressive flights but clumsy walking on the ground are observed in these birds due to awkward legs
Collared aracari
An attractive small toucan found in Mexico, Central, and South America
Fiery-billed aracari
Vulnerable to threats as it has a very limited and narrowing range from Costa Rica to Panama
Yellow-eared toucanet
One of the smallest toucans that resemble a brightly colored crow rather than a toucan
Keel-billed toucan
The national bird of Belize, this majestic bird will make your head turn
Yellow-throated toucan
Formerly known as Yellow fronted toucan; formerly-formerly known as Chestnut-mandibled toucan
Red-headed barbet
One of the prime examples of sexual dimorphism
Red-billed tropicbird
Professional marine forecasters to optimize breeding success and prey availability
Roseate spoonbill
An easily recognizable bird due to its pink body and spatulate bill
Glossy ibis
These birds seem to have lost their way to the beauty pageant
White ibis
Very good at detecting storms, often the last to leave and first to arrive before and after a hurricane
House sparrow
The most widely dispersed wild bird
Scarlet flycatcher
The scarlet ambush hunter
Limpkin
They don’t need salt, bamboo sticks, or forks to deshell a snail – they have a well-adapted bill to do the job
Great curassow
The only massive and heaviest species of its family living in Neotropical rain forests that is easily vulnerable to hurricanes
American kestrel
The smallest of falcons in the entirety of America, but you would be mistaken to take this bird lightly
Yellow-headed caracara
A common scavenger bird that cleans up the roads of Central and South America
Red-throated caracara
The largest species of the three species present in the Amazon
Peregrine falcon
At the speed of over 321 km/h (200 mph), this bird outraces a Formula1 car
Sunbittern
The sole member of its entire family and the closest living relative to the Kagu
Rufous motmot
Second-largest and the most spectacular bird of the family
Jabiru
One of the tallest flying birds of Americas
Black-winged stilt
Elegant long-legged wader, common almost worldwide
Arctic tern
This bird can give any cross-country runner a run for their money
Common tern
This bird holds the record of the longest distance flown by any bird in recorded history
Northern jacana
This mysterious bird which can walk on water
King vulture
The most colorful vulture, with the orange cruncle
Oilbird
This nocturnal species lives in caves and uses echolocation to navigate, and yes, it is a bird, not a bat!
Great potoo
These nocturnal birds live in solitary and can peek around even with closed eyes
Purple-throated mountain-gem
One of the living jewels found in the humid mountains of Central America
Rufous-tailed hummingbird
Like many of us, this bird loves coffee and feeds on its flowers
Mallard
This invasive species is the ancestor to most of the modern ducks
Harpy eagle
The world’s most spectacular and most robust eagle species serves a critical ecological role in the ecosystem they live in
Osprey
One of only six land-birds with a cosmopolitan distribution habituating all continents except Antarctica
California sea lion
The most intelligent of all sea lion species; trained for use by the United States Navy
Pygmy beaked whale
The most recently described and smallest member of toothed whales –it was only classified as a distinct species in 1991
Hoffmann’s two-toed sloth
Can camouflage itself in trees with the help of algae growth on fur
Brown-throated sloth
Cute but lazy species harmlessly sleep in the trees for 14 to 16 hours a day
Giant anteater
These specialist predators of termites and ants are not immune to ant bites
Silky anteater
Also known as pygmy anteater, they are the smallest and most adorable of their insect-eating kind
Bairds tapir
The largest land mammal native to Central and South America
Nine-banded armadillo
Found all over the Americas, it is the most widespread species of all armadillos
Virginia opossum
“Play possum” when being attacked by remaining still, having the tongue hangs out, and do not blink, making the predator to lost interest
Crab-eating raccoon
Despite the common name, they do not feed on crabs exclusively
Raccoon
‘Raccoon’ comes from ‘arakun’ meaning ‘he scratches with hands’ in Algonquin Indian
White-nosed coati
Helps balsa trees to pollinate while they provide an essential resource of nutrition and hydration in return when the resources are scarce
Northern olingo
One of the most effective seed-dispersing mammals
Kinkajou
Has a spooky nickname, “La Llorona” meaning crying woman in Spanish due to their noisy barks, hisses, and high-pitched squeaks
Cacomistle
The common name “Cacomistle” means “half mountain lion” or “half cat” in the Nahuatl language, but they are relatives of raccoons
Southern spotted skunk
Stand on the front paws when being threatened, balancing with tail and body straight up, and sometimes charge towards predator while upside down
Tayra
Widespread in tropical and subtropical forests Central and South America
Greater grison
When they move cautiously, they press their body close to the ground and move in a zigzag pattern like a snake
Cougar
The most widespread large mammal of the Americas: from Canada’s Yukon to the Andes in South America
Jaguarundi
Secretive and solitary, inhabiting various habitats of Central and South America
Ocelot
They are picky eaters, often plucking off all the furs or feathers of the prey before start eating them
Jaguar
This solitary cat is America’s largest feline and the world’s third, after the tiger and the lion
Gray fox
While still widespread throughout North & Central America, habitat loss and deforestation allowed the red fox to become more dominant
Coyote
They can even sometimes reproduce in huge numbers, which becomes necessary to be regulated as they also carry many diseases, including rabies.
White-tailed deer
We use our agility and speed to outrun their predators, sprinting up to 48.2km/h (30 mph) and leaping as high as 3m (10 ft)
Collared peccary
Suffering from poorly developed vision, they heavily rely on vocalization to communicate
Geoffroys spider monkey
Hooks for hands…
Mantled howler
One of the loudest monkeys in the world!
White-faced capuchin
One of Central America’s famous monkeys can easily live up to 50 years
Leatherback sea turtle
The mysterious diver of the ocean is the largest and only sea turtle without a hard shell and scales
Black wood turtle
The largest of all wood turtles
Common basilisk
Also called the Jesus Christ lizard because of its ability to walk on water
Green iguana
From the US down to Brazil, this trans-American lizard is the most common iguana
Bothriechis lateralis
These slender and arboreal, also called palm-pitviper, occur mainly in Central America
Yellow-bellied sea snake
The most widespread species of snakes on earth are found throughout the Indian and Pacific Oceans and from Africa to Central America
Spectacled caiman
You might get the worst scare of your life if you see the crimson glow in the eyes of these creatures at night
American crocodile
These creatures often ingest stones, aiding food digestion and buoyancy regulation in the water
Red-eyed tree frog
A charismatic frog is known for its beauty which can often be seen on all sorts of artwork throughout the world
Strawberry poison dart frog
Don’t mistake this creature for a juicy strawberry, as this is the most toxic member of its genus
Cane toad
When a big one meets a smaller one, it’s lunch!