Ecuador boasts of 369 species which puts it by far in first place by species per square area and in 9th
th place in species found by country. Most mammals live in tropical regions and getting lesser in number, the higher one moves up the Andes.
The
Galapagos islands have only twelve native mammal species but nine of them are endemic, only place in the world, where they can be found.
As a whole, Ecuador boasts of 30 endemic species, most of them of the rodent family.
There exists 100 known rodents but the number is probably higher as not enough research is yet done. The largest living rodent in the world is the
capybara and lives in the
tropical rainforest of the nation's Amazon.
The same goes for bats, where 132 species are accounted for in the country but more are believed to exist here.
23 species belong to the marsupial sub-class with the
opossum, the most visible representative.
The largest terrestrial mammal found is the
tapir, which can weigh up to 300 kg and belongs to the odd toed ungulates [
hoofed animals].
Three species of those inoffensive animals are counted however with one specie on the brink of extinction. 11 even toed hoofed animals are also part of the landscape with the
llama the most interesting one.
The carnivores have 31 species present in the country with two beautiful members of the cat family, the mighty
jaguar and the smaller
ocelot, found in the tropical rainforests. But the most versatile of all cats is the
puma, which adapted to all habitats and can be found in all regions of the country although it is now under siege by human encroachment.
In the higher Andean region of the
paramo you find two more carnivores, the
andean fox, a member of the dog family and the
spectacled bear, only bear specie in the whole national territory.
Many are interested in the New World monkeys and 19 members of those primates inhabit the lower tropical regions. Introduced here are the
woolly monkey and the
spider monkey, two of the more larger ones an d the more diminutive
squirrel monkey.
Other mammals found are a lone member of the rabbit family, a
manatee or sea cow in the Amazon rivers, 3 species of insectivores, 33 species of whales and dolphins and 12 members of the armadillo, anteater and sloth family of Edentata.
Many animals and in particular the larger mammals, which need bigger habitats to survive on, are nowadays endangered because of the action of man. Hunting, deforestation, habitat destruction are some of human intervention which threatens them all.
