"monte (""Dromiciops gliroides""), the world's smallest deer, the southern pudú (""Pudu pudu""), and South America's smallest cat, the kodkod (""Leopardus guigna""). The giant snail (""Macrocyclis peruvianus""), with a shell length of , is also found here. This region lies in the centre of the forest to the west of Neuquén. The dominant species here is the Chilean pine (""Araucaria araucana""). This area has been the location of much logging in the past. The understorey is scanty and consists of such shrubs as the bamboo caña coligüe (""Chusquea culeou"") and the box-leaved barberry (""Berberis buxifolia""). The fauna of the Andean Patagonian"
"pudús are recognised: The pudús are the world's smallest deer, with the southern pudú being slightly larger than the northern pudú. It has a stocky frame supported by four short and slender legs. It is high at the shoulder and up to in length. Pudús normally weigh up to , but the highest recorded weight of a pudú is . Pudús have small, black eyes, black noses, and rounded ears with lengths of . Sexual dimorphism in the species includes an absence of antlers in females. Males have short, spiked antlers that are not forked, as seen in most species"
"Leopardus Leopardus is a genus of spotted small cats mostly native to Middle and South America, with a very small range extending into the southern United States. The genus is considered the oldest branch of the part of the cat family to cross into the Americas, followed by the genera ""Lynx"" and ""Puma"". (The jaguar is the other extant cat native to the Americas.) The largest species in ""Leopardus"" is the ocelot; most of the other species resemble domestic housecats in size, with the kodkod (""L. guigna"") being the smallest cat in the Americas. The margay (""L. wiedii"") is more"
"the kodkod, the former members of ""Oncifelis"" were the colocolo and Geoffroy's cat. Kodkod The kodkod (""Leopardus guigna"") (), also called güiña, is the smallest cat in the Americas. It lives primarily in central and southern Chile and marginally in adjoining areas of Argentina. Its area of distribution is small compared to the other South American cats. Since 2002, it has been listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List as the total effective population may comprise less than 10,000 mature individuals, and is threatened due to persecution and loss of habitat and prey base. The kodkod has a small"
"Kodkod The kodkod (""Leopardus guigna"") (), also called güiña, is the smallest cat in the Americas. It lives primarily in central and southern Chile and marginally in adjoining areas of Argentina. Its area of distribution is small compared to the other South American cats. Since 2002, it has been listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List as the total effective population may comprise less than 10,000 mature individuals, and is threatened due to persecution and loss of habitat and prey base. The kodkod has a small head, large feet, and a thick tail. Typical adult length is , with"
"Least weasel The least weasel (""Mustela nivalis""), common weasel, or simply weasel in the UK and much of the world, is the smallest member of the genus ""Mustela,"" family Mustelidae and order Carnivora. It is native to Eurasia, North America and North Africa, and has been introduced to New Zealand, Australia, Malta, Crete, Bermuda, Madeira Island, the Azores, the Canary Islands, São Tomé, the Falkland Islands, Argentina and Chile. It is classified as least concern by the IUCN, due to its wide distribution and large population throughout the Northern Hemisphere. Least weasels from various parts of its range vary greatly"
"protection from predators. Southern Chile, south-west Argentina, Chiloé Island, and northwest South America are home to the deer. The northern pudú is found in the northern Andes of Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru, from above sea level. The southern species is found in the slope of the southern Andes from sea level to . The climate of the pudú's habitat is composed of two main seasons: a damp, moderate winter and an arid summer. Annual precipitation in these areas of Argentina and Chile ranges from . The pudú is a solitary animal whose behavior in the wild is largely unknown because"
"This Park and the geographically contiguous Puyehue, Nahuel Huapi and Lanin parks provide habitat to the puma, ""Puma concolor"". The local sub-species is relatively small, usually not more than 30 or 40 kg, and preys on pudu ""Pudu puda"", a tiny deer of solitary and reclusive forest habitat. Huiña, kodkod, ""Leopardus guigna"", often mistaken for a stocky, short wild cat, is actually a member of the family of the leopards, a tiny ocelot. Of the group of the ""Canidae"", the dogs, the Park is inhabited by chilla, ""Pseudalopex griseus"", an animal that looks like a small fox but is not"
"near threatened, while the northern pudu is classified as vulnerable in the IUCN Red List. The genus ""Pudu"" was first erected by English naturalist John Edward Gray in 1850. ""Pudua"" was a Latinized version of the name proposed by Alfred Henry Garrod in 1877, but was ruled invalid. Pudús are classified in the New World deer subfamily Capreolinae within the deer family Cervidae. The term ""pudú"" itself is derived from the Mapuche people of south-central Chile. Because they live on the slopes of the Andes Mountain Range, they are also known as the ""Chilean mountain goat"". Two similar species of"
"of the pudús include the horned owl, Andean fox, Magellan fox, cougar, and other small cats. The pudú is a wary animal that moves slowly and stops often, smelling the air for scents of predators. Being a proficient climber, jumper, and sprinter, the deer flees in a zigzag path when being pursued. The lifespan of the pudús ranges from 8 to 10 years in the wild. The longest recorded lifespan is 15 years and 9 months. However, such longevity is rare and most pudús die at a much younger age, from a wide range of causes. Maternal neglect of newborns,"
"primary food source (flowers for nectar). Bee hummingbird The bee hummingbird, zunzuncito or Helena hummingbird (""Mellisuga helenae"") is a species of hummingbird which is the world's smallest bird. It is endemic to Cuba and the Isle of Pines. The bee hummingbird is the smallest living bird. Females weigh and are long, and are slightly larger than males, with an average weight of and length of . As its name suggests, it is scarcely larger than a bee. Like all hummingbirds, it is a swift, strong flier. The male has a green pileum and fiery red throat, iridescent gorget with elongated"
"shrew is the smallest mammal native to North America and is one of the smallest mammals in the world, being just slightly larger than the Etruscan shrew of Eurasia. Its body is about long including a 2-cm-long tail, and it weighs about . Its fur is generally a reddish or grayish brown during the summer, and a white-gray color during the winter. The underside is generally a lighter gray. This animal molts about twice a year, once during late summer, and again during the spring. It has a narrow head with a pointed nose, and whiskers. The eyes are small"
"show better signs of acclimation than those from Continental Northern Europe to conditions in the Faroe Islands. The Magellanic subpolar forests are home to the southern pudú, the world's smallest deer, which stands only 35–45 cm (14–18 inches) high at the shoulder. Other animal species include the cougar (""Puma concolor"") and the endangered southern river otter (""Lontra provocax""). Endemic rodents include the Patagonian rat, the mole mouse, and the viscacha, a small rodent that looks almost like a rabbit with a long, bushy tail. Native bird species include the Magellanic woodpecker (""Campephilus magellanicus""), Patagonian sierra-finch (""Phrygilus patagonicus""), Patagonian mockingbird (""Mimus"
"the Gondwana, and in understanding the present-day continental distribution patterns of organisms–while the closest relatives of the purple frog lives 3,000 km across the Indian Ocean in the Seychelles, that of the chikilids is found 7,000 km in Africa. Notable among his new species discoveries are India's first canopy frog ""Raorchestes nerostgona""; India's smallest tetrapod ""Nyctibatrachus minimus"", a frog whose adults do not grow more than 10 mm; and ""Nasikabatrachus sahyadrensis"", the famed purple frog. A critical aspect of Biju's work has been the combination of molecular techniques with traditional approaches bringing on par with the international practice in amphibian"
"Bee hummingbird The bee hummingbird, zunzuncito or Helena hummingbird (""Mellisuga helenae"") is a species of hummingbird which is the world's smallest bird. It is endemic to Cuba and the Isle of Pines. The bee hummingbird is the smallest living bird. Females weigh and are long, and are slightly larger than males, with an average weight of and length of . As its name suggests, it is scarcely larger than a bee. Like all hummingbirds, it is a swift, strong flier. The male has a green pileum and fiery red throat, iridescent gorget with elongated lateral plumes, bluish upper parts, and"
"Etruscan shrew The Etruscan shrew (""Suncus etruscus""), also known as the Etruscan pygmy shrew or the white-toothed pygmy shrew, is the smallest known mammal by mass, weighing only about on average. (The bumblebee bat is regarded as the smallest mammal by skull size and body length.) The Etruscan shrew has a body length of about excluding the tail. It is characterized by very rapid movements and a fast metabolism, eating about 1.5–2 times its own body weight per day. It feeds on various small vertebrates and invertebrates, mostly insects, and can hunt individuals of the same size as itself. These"
"Paedophryne amauensis The Paedophryne amauensis is a species of frog from Papua New Guinea. At in length, it is considered the world's smallest known vertebrate, and it is the smallest frog in the Southern Hemisphere. The species was listed in the ""Top 10 New Species 2013"" by the International Institute for Species Exploration for discoveries made during 2012. The list was announced on 22 May 2013. The frog species was discovered in August 2009 by Louisiana State University herpetologist Christopher Austin and his PhD student Eric Rittmeyer while on an expedition to explore the biodiversity of Papua New Guinea. The"
"cleared for human development, cattle ranching, agriculture, logging, and exotic tree plantations. Habitat fragmentation and road accidents cause pudú deaths. They are taken from the wild as pets, as well as exported illegally. They are overhunted and killed for food by specially trained hunting dogs. The recently introduced red deer compete with pudús for food. Domestic dogs prey upon pudús and transfer parasites through contact. Pudús are very susceptible to diseases such as bladder worms, lungworms, roundworms, and heartworms. Pudú The pudús (Mapudungun ""püdü"" or ""püdu"", , ) are two species of South American deer from the genus Pudu, and"
"Red-shouldered macaw The red-shouldered macaw (""Diopsittaca nobilis"") is a small green South American parrot, a member of a large group of Neotropical parrots called macaws. The species is named for the red coverts on its wings. It is the smallest macaw, being in length. It is native to the tropical lowlands, savannah, and swamplands of Venezuela, the Guianas, Bolivia, Brazil, and far south-eastern Peru. It has two distinct subspecies, the noble macaw and the Hahn's macaw, and a possible poorly distinct third subspecies that has longer wings, but is otherwise similar to the noble macaw. The Hahn's subspecies is named"
"to the US. A Yucatan miniature pig is the unofficial mascot of the Animal Rescue League of Boston. The world's smallest wild pig species is the long wild pygmy hog which lives in Assam, India. It is a critically endangered wild species, not appropriate for domestication. Miniature pig Miniature pig (also micro-pig, teacup pig, etc.) is a term that is used to refer to small breeds of domestic pig, such as Pot-bellied pigs, Göttingen minipigs, Juliana pigs, Choctaw Hogs, or Kunekune (and specimens derived by cross-breeding with these). Notable features of most miniature pigs distinguishing them from other pigs may"
"Tasmanian pygmy possum The Tasmanian pygmy possum (""Cercartetus lepidus""), also known as the little pygmy possum, is the world's smallest possum. It was first described by Oldfield Thomas in 1888, after he identified that a museum specimen labelled as an eastern pygmy possum in fact represented a species then unknown to science. The holotype resides in the British Museum of Natural History. Although it is a marsupial, the Tasmanian pygmy possum superficially resembles a dormouse, and it is the smallest of all the known species of possum. Adults range from in head-body length, with a tail, and weigh just ."
"Little penguin The little penguin (""Eudyptula minor"") is the smallest species of penguin. It grows to an average of in height and in length, though specific measurements vary by subspecies. It is found on the coastlines of southern Australia and New Zealand, with possible records from Chile. In Australia, they are often called fairy penguins because of their small size. In New Zealand, they are more commonly known as little blue penguins or blue penguins owing to their slate-blue plumage. They are also known by their Māori name: kororā. The little penguin was first described by German naturalist Johann Reinhold"
"for the smallest known vertebrate being held by the frog Paedophryne amauensis, formally described in January 2012. Trimmatom nanus Trimmatom nanus, the midget dwarfgoby, is a species of marine goby native to the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean. It can mainly be found on oceanic drop-offs at depths of from though it can occasionally be found in outer reef areas and lagoons at depths of from . This species can reach a length of SL. ""T. nanus"" was until 2004 the smallest known fish and vertebrate. The recent discovery of ""Schindleria brevipinguis"" (called the stout infantfish) relegated it"
"hummingbird, the smallest bird species on the planet. The Zapata Swamp is also visited by 65 species of birds during their migration pattern from North America through the Caribbean to South America. Zapata is also known for the local endemic Cuban crocodile ""(Crocodylus rhombifer)"" which are restricted to the Zapata Swamp and are being reintroduced to the nearby Lanier Swamp on the Isle of Youth (). Within the Zapata Swamp are numerous areas designated for environmental preservation, such as Zapata Swamp Natural Reserve and Las Salinas wildlife sanctuary, which is part of the larger Ciénaga de Zapata Biosphere Reserve (IUCN"
"Least chipmunk The least chipmunk (""Neotamias minimus"") is the smallest species of chipmunk and the most widespread in North America. It is the smallest species of chipmunk, measuring about in total length with a weight of . The body is grey to reddish-brown on the sides, and greyish white on the underparts. The back is marked with five dark brown to black stripes separated by four white or cream-colored stripes, all of which run from the nape of the neck to the base of the tail. Two light and two dark stripes mark the face, running from the tip of"
"White-toothed shrew The white-toothed shrews or Crocidurinae are one of three subfamilies of the shrew family Soricidae. The outer layer of these shrews' teeth is white, unlike that of the red-toothed shrews. These species are typically found in Africa and southern Europe and Asia. This subfamily includes the largest shrew, the Asian house shrew (""Suncus murinus""), at about 15 cm in length, and the smallest, the Etruscan shrew (""Suncus etruscus""), at about 3.5 cm in length and 2 grams in weight. Shrews are possibly the world's smallest extant mammal (although some give this title to the bumblebee bat). ""Crocidura"" contains"
"place specifically protecting the species. Pink fairy armadillo The pink fairy armadillo (""Chlamyphorus truncatus"") or pichiciego is the smallest species of armadillo (mammals of the families Chlamyphoridae and Dasypodidae, recognized by a bony armor shell), first described by Richard Harlan in 1825. This desert-adapted animal is endemic to central Argentina and can be found inhabiting sandy plains, dunes, and scrubby grasslands. Pink fairy armadillos have small eyes, silky yellowish white fur, and a flexible dorsal shell that is solely attached to its body by a thin dorsal membrane. In addition, its spatula-shaped tail protrudes from a vertical plate at the"
"the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed the bird's conservation status as ""near threatened"". Little brown bustard The little brown bustard (""Eupodotis humilis"") is a species of bird in the family Otididae. Found in Ethiopia and Somalia, its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry shrubland and subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland. As indicated by its name, this bustard is the world's smallest at 45 cm (18 in) and 600 grams (1.3 lb). It is threatened by habitat destruction. The smallest species in its genus, the little brown bustard reaches a maximum length of about . They"
"of Africa. The three smallest species of this genus reside solely in Africa, the akun eagle-owl (""Bubo leucostictus""), the greyish eagle-owl (""Bubo cinerascens"") and the spotted eagle-owl (""Bubo africanus""), in rough order of increasing size. These species are all primarily insectivores and are much reduced in the size and strength of their feet and talons compared to most other contemporary species, although the spotted eagle-owl can be locally specialized to feed on small rodents as well. While the akun is a primary forest-dweller as are the medium-sized Fraser's and Usambara eagle-owl and large Shelley's eagle-owl and thus is not likely"
"mass and drinks eight times its total body mass each day. Its nest is 3 cm across. The vulnerable Kitti's hog-nosed bat (""Craseonycteris thonglongyai""), also known as the bumblebee bat, from Thailand and Myanmar is the smallest mammal, at in length and in weight. The Etruscan shrew (""Suncus etruscus""), is the smallest mammal by mass, weighing only about on average. The bumblebee bat has a smaller skull size. The smallest mammal that ever lived, the shrew-like ""Batodonoides vanhouteni"", weighed only . The smallest member of the rodent order is the Baluchistan pygmy jerboa, with an average body length of only"
"pupfish) are endemic to isolated springs or small drainage systems as extensively described by Robert Rush Miller. ""Megupsilon aporus"" is the only known member of its genus. Based on a molecular clock analysis of mitochondrial DNA, it has been estimated that ""Megupsilon"" and ""Cyprinodon"" diverged from a common ancestor approximately 7 million years ago. This species grew to a total length of 4 centimeters (1.6 in). It has been highlighted as one of the smallest fish in North America. The nape and sides of nuptial males were iridescent blue with a dark blotch at the base of the caudal peduncle."
"Pink fairy armadillo The pink fairy armadillo (""Chlamyphorus truncatus"") or pichiciego is the smallest species of armadillo (mammals of the families Chlamyphoridae and Dasypodidae, recognized by a bony armor shell), first described by Richard Harlan in 1825. This desert-adapted animal is endemic to central Argentina and can be found inhabiting sandy plains, dunes, and scrubby grasslands. Pink fairy armadillos have small eyes, silky yellowish white fur, and a flexible dorsal shell that is solely attached to its body by a thin dorsal membrane. In addition, its spatula-shaped tail protrudes from a vertical plate at the blunt rear of its shell."
"feeds on small invertebrates. Males call for mates with a series of very high-pitched insect-like peeps at a frequency of 8400–9400 Hz. Similar to all species of ""Paedophryne"" known so far, members of ""Paedophryne amauensis"" live in the leaf litter on the floors of tropical forests. Paedophryne amauensis The Paedophryne amauensis is a species of frog from Papua New Guinea. At in length, it is considered the world's smallest known vertebrate, and it is the smallest frog in the Southern Hemisphere. The species was listed in the ""Top 10 New Species 2013"" by the International Institute for Species Exploration for"