Mammals

• Anteater: in Ecuador one can find the giant anteater, 2 meters long, and the "flor de balsa", the world’s smallest anteater. They have prehensile fingers and long claws.

• Bat: there are about 120 bat species, some vampires or carnivores, others insectivores and vegetarian. Most use echolocation to find their way at night.

• Bottle-nosed dolphin: playful dolphins that usually swim along the sides of moving boats. They give birth to live young that are identical to adults.
• Capibara: the biggest rodent in the world, 1.30 meters long and half a meter high. This herbivore Amazonian animal has been endangered by hunting.
• Cuy: a small rodent that inhabits in the paramos of Ecuador, with a thick fur. It is a traditional dish to eat in certain regions.
• Dwarf deer: the smallest deer species in the country, with about 40 cm of height. They remain hidden in dense thickets and live in small groups.
• Fur seal: small sea lions with thick fur that have to avoid the direct sunlight. They have large eyes and prominent ears to go out fishing at night.
• Galapagos sea lion: the male sea lion, known as bull, defends his territory, which has up to 40 females inside it. Small sea lions are naturally playful.
• Giant armadillo: this armadillo is 1.50 meters long, weighs 60 Kg. and feeds on insects. It is found in the Amazonian region.
• Giant otter: this 2-meter long, carnivore, brown mammal lives in the Amazonian area. Its body is built for the fast swimming needed for fishing.
• Guanta: this small nocturne herbivore rodent is mostly found in the lowlands. It can be identified by its reddish-brown fur that has five rows of white spots
• Harpy eagle: a fierce eagle that dominates the lowland skies. However, it has been endangered by hunting.
• Howling monkey: the largest primate in America, they have a prehensile tail. Males have developed cartilage in their throat that permits them to bellow harder.
• Humpback whale: these whales feed on tiny marine organisms known as plankton. They filter their food through their baleen plates, instead of teeth.
• Jaguar: a carnivore feline covered with a spotted reddish-yellow fur, with camouflage purposes. The males defend their territory fiercely.
• Killer whale: each killer whale has different white skin marks to identify them by. They usually eat sea lions and penguins.
• Llama: belonging to the family of the camels, llamas can carry heavy loads of weight and resist hardships. There are few wild llamas left, most are domesticated.
• Manatee: big sized mammals, 3 meters long and 180 kg. of weight, that are vegetarian and live in rainforest rivers. Their head is disproportionately small.
• Marsupial mice: this mouse with a long snout feeds on insects at night. It can be found mostly in Ecuador’s highlands.
• Paramo deer: it is the biggest deer in Ecuador and the only one with antlers, with which males defend their territory. Its color is grayish-brown.
• Paramo wolf: one of the biggest wild dogs of Ecuador, it has grayish-yellow fur. Its diet consists mostly of rabbits, birds and rodents.
• Pink dolphin: only found in Amazonian rivers, this animal uses echolocation to find his fish prey. These animals have been endangered by river contamination.
• Puma: these felines are armed with retractile claws, and can get to be 2 meter long. As carnivores they feed on deer and rodents, and give birth from 2 to 4 young.
• Rabbit: this herbivore species is hunted down for its grayish fur. However, its population has not diminished because of its fast reproduction.
• Sloth: the slowest animal of the vertebrates, it hangs on tree branches all day. Algae that live in their hairs give them a greenish camouflage color.
• Spectacled bear: this bear can weigh up to 140 Kg., with abundant black fur except for white patches in the eyes and the chest. It is the only South American bear.
• Spider monkey: this primate has extremely long extremities, all prehensile, including the tail. The species lives mostly of fruits.
• Squirrel monkey: these monkeys live in groups of up to a hundred individuals. In Ecuador they live in the rainforest and east insects, eggs and fruits.
• Tapirs: there are three different species in Ecuador: coastal, Amazonian and mountainous tapir. Related to the swine, it is hunted for its meat and endangered.