Brazilian animals: native, endemic and at risk of extinction

Author: John Stephens
Date Of Creation: 28 January 2021
Update Date: 7 November 2024
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Fauna means the set of species that live in a particular region. Therefore, it is important to know how to differentiate when we talk about Brazilian fauna, we are talking about all species that inhabit Brazil, but not necessarily just endemic or native species, as some animals are considered invasive species and/or were introduced by humans.

To show you some of our amazing fauna, in this PeritoAnimal post we focus on listing those Brazilian animals: native and endemic that are iconic in our history, in addition to the animals that only exist in Brazil. Keep reading and be enchanted by the magnitude of each one of them!


Brazilian fauna

According to the Chico Mendes Institute,[1] Brazil manages the largest biodiversity heritage in the world. In numbers, this translates into 120 thousand invertebrate species and 8930 vertebrate species, approximately, among them are:

  • 734 species of mammals;
  • 1982 species of birds;
  • 732 species of reptiles;
  • 973 species of amphibians;
  • 3150 continental fish;
  • 1358 marine fish.

Among these, approximately 1173 are threatened with extinction. All registered species can be consulted in the Endangered Species list (2014) made available by ICMBio[2]or on the Red List of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN).[3]

brazilian animals

There is no lack of species and more species to make lists of native animals of Brazil, but it is true that some of them are better known and draw attention for their unmistakable characteristics. Some of them are:


Tapir (Tapirus terrestris)

It appears in different Brazilian biomes and is always recognized for its flexible trunk and size that resembles a pig. It can also be found in other countries in South America.

Amazonian manatee (Trichegus Inunguis)

The Amazonian manatee, as the name implies, can only be found in the fresh waters of the Amazon basins and in the Orinoco River, which has tributaries to the Amazon. The Amazonian manatee feeds on grass, macrophytes and aquatic plants. And from plant to plant, he can spend up to 8 hours a day eating

pink dolphin

Or red dolphin, this name refers to 3 species of river dolphins that can be found in the waters of the Amazon, Solimões, Araguaia and Bolivian sub-basin rivers.


Otter (Pteronura brasiliensis)

This mammal's nickname is ounce of water for its carnivorous habits and it can be found in the waters of the Pantanal and in the basin of the Amazon River.

Margay (Leopardus wiedii)

This feline is native to Brazil, but also from other parts of South and Central America. It resembles the ocelot a lot, only smaller.

Guara wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus)

Among the Brazilian animals, this canid can be found in the Brazilian Cerrado and its habits and physical characteristics make it a unique and very special species.

Caatinga Puma, Puma (Puma concolor)

Despite being one of the native animals of Brazil, this jaguar species has an increasingly rare appearance in the Brazilian fauna due to illegal hunting and destruction of its habitat.

Boa constrictor (good constrictor)

This snake is one of the native animals of Brazil but it can also be found in tropical areas throughout the American continent. It can reach up to 2 meters in length and is considered a fish snake.

Capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris)

They are considered the largest rodents in the world and are part of the Brazilian fauna and also from other parts of South America.

Giant Anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla)

This ant eater can eat up to 30,000 of them a day in the regions it inhabits: the Brazilian Cerrado and other regions of South and Central America.

Animals that only exist in Brazil

Whenever you want to look for a species that only exists in a particular place, look for endemic fauna. Endemic species in a given region are those that only exist somewhere. O endemism it is valid for animal and plant species and its cause is the limitation by physical, geographic, biological and/or climatic barriers. Animals that only exist in Brazil, are native or endemic species that can also occur only in certain regions of the country.

Some animals that only exist in Brazil are:

Lear's Hyacinth Macaw (Anodorhynchus lear)

Among the animals that only exist in Brazil, this is an endemic species of the Bahia Caatinga that, unfortunately, is in danger of extinction.

Golden Lion tamarin (Leontopithecus rosalia)

This is one of the most representative species of the Brazilian fauna and, nowadays, one of the rarest. The golden lion tamarin is in danger of extinction and is an endemic species of the Atlantic Forest.

Caatinga Parakeet (Eupsittila cactorum)

As the name announces, this species is only found in the Brazilian hinterland. It may even look like a common parakeet, were it not for the fact that it is a species that is also threatened by illegal trade.

Yellow Woodpecker (Celeus flavus subflavus)

The homonymous species in the sites of Monteiro Lobato's stories is one of the animals that only exist in Brazil, more specifically in the high forests of dense forests. The deforestation of its habitat is one of the causes of the species' extinction risk.

Caatinga armadillo (Tricinctus tolypeutes)

You won't find this armadillo anywhere else in the world. He is one of the animals that only exist in Brazil, more specifically in the Caatinga and its driest regions in Brazil.

8 Brazilian dogs

Although Brazilian dogs belong to the same species, some specific breeds can be considered animals that only exist in Brazil. We talk about them in this video on the PeritoAnimal channel:

Other animals of the Brazilian fauna

As we have seen, there are thousands of species of animals native to Brazil or endemic. We suggest reading these other posts so that you can get to know them in depth:

  • 15 animals threatened with extinction in Brazil
  • Most poisonous frogs in Brazil
  • Brazil's most venomous spiders