Below you can find a complete list of Uruguayan animals. We currently track 233 animals in Uruguay and are adding more every day!
Since Uruguay has many different climate zones and various terrain, including rainforests and beaches, this South American country is home to many kinds of wildlife. There are 48 amphibian species in Uruguay. Additionally, there are 448 recorded bird species, 118 mammal species, and 79 reptile species. Of those, 15 are endemic, and 37 are threatened. Yet, the number of native animals continues to decline. In the grasslands, which cover about 60% of the country, overgrazing is a big problem. Other pressures on native animals include mining and commercial development, the introduction of alien species, and climate change.
The Official National Animal of Uruguay
The national animal of Uruguay is the southern lapwing. This bird is often called the tero in Uruguay. This bird, which is the only crested wader in South America, was chosen to be the national animal because of its bold and combative nature. This small native bird looks similar to a roadrunner.
Where To Find The Top Wildlife in Uruguay
One spot that you will want to visit in Uruguay is the Cabo Polonio National Park, where you can see hundreds of sea lions. These marine mammals use this location for breeding in the early part of the year. Those that do not have a mate protect those who are busy raising their young. You can often hear the sea lions for miles before you see them.
Potrerillo de Santa Teresa Biological Station lying next to Laguna Negra is home to over 30 species of amphibians and reptiles and 27 mammal species. The marshes at this location are a favorite, with herons looking for a place to raise hatch and raise their young. Additionally, over 59 other aquatic bird species have been found at this location. The Laguna Negra is the largest of the coastal lagoons of Uruguay. The old-growth forest at this location is home to a herd of the smallest autochthonous deer in the world, along with weasels, wildcats, and raccoons. This forest is a great place to spot the blue cardinal.
The Most Dangerous Animals In Uruguay Today
While most animals in Uruguay will not hurt you, there are some dangerous animals in the country. Even though jaguars are extinct in Uruguay, these are the most dangerous animals in Uruguay. Be sure to watch for these most dangerous animals in Uruguay if you travel there:
- Pumas – This mammal that cannot roar has been known to attack humans.
- Micrurus altirostris – This member of the coral snake family is very venomous.
- Nutria – This beaver-like animal can spread serious diseases, even if people encounter their droppings.
- Latrodectus mactans spider- Sometimes called the brown widow spider, if you are bit by this spider, then you may go into renal failure.
- Ocelots – Although they rarely attack, ocelots have attacked humans in Uruguay.
Endangered Animals In Uruguay
While you will not see a jaguar in Uruguay because they are extinct, there are endangered animals in Uruguay. While we will not deal with the long list of extant ones, endangered animals include:
The Flag of Uruguay
The Flag of Uruguay is made up of a field with nine equally spaced horizontal stripes of blue and white. The Sun of May is depicted as having a face and 16 rays that alternate between wavy and triangular in the white canton.
Uruguayan Animals
The agouti is one of the only animals that can crack open Brazil nut pods!
These parrots can be trained to be "talking birds" that mimic human speech
First evolved 100 million years ago!
Has the longest tongue of any animal in relation to its body size!
Can curl into a hard, protective ball!
They are so named because they "march" in armies of worms from one crop to another in search of food
The banjo catfish is extremely shy and known for hiding from onlookers.
There are over 1768 known species!
Found everywhere around the world!
Older offspring help care for new hatchlings.
Detects prey using echolocation!
There are 8 different species!
Bed bugs feed for 4-12 minutes.
Rock paintings of bees date back 15,000 years
There are more than 350,000 different species
Not all birds are able to fly!
The biscuit beetle form a symbiotic relationship with yeast
They can grow to be 7 inches long!
They typically prey on insects!
In spring, the male bobolink is the only North American bird who is dark below and light colored above. This makes identification easy.
Seabirds found across the South Pacific!
They seem to move in slow motion.
“Mild-Mannered Minimonsters”
Can live its entire life indoors
There are thought to be up 17,500 species!
Some species' babies use their hooked or scraper-like teeth to peel off and eat their mother's skin
Can grow to up 6 meters long!
The camel crickets that are found in the USA are light brown in color. They also have dark streaks all over their body.
Excellent at both diving and swimming
Carpenter ants can lift up to seven times their own weight with their teeth!
Cascabels rely on their camouflage first, and rattle if that doesn't work.
May have been domesticated up to 10,000 years ago.
The larvae of a moth or butterfly!
There are nearly 3,000 different species!
There are about 3,000 documented species!
First domesticated more than 10,000 years ago!
There are more than 2 000 known species!
Dated to be around 300 million years old!
Pupae are able to undergo diapause to survive poor fruit yield years and winter.
Form bands of up to 12 individuals!
The common furniture beetle feeds exclusively on wood
House spiders have the ability to eat most insects in a home.
There are over 80 species of coral snake worldwide.
They can fly 35 mph and dive 150 feet below water.
All Cory Catfish have three pairs of barbels around their mouth that they use to detect food.
There are nearly 1.5 billion worldwide!
There are 93 different crab groups
The crab-eating fox is extremely adaptable, living in all sorts of habitats and eating almost any available food.
Crab Spiders can mimic ants or bird droppings
Male crickets can produce sounds by rubbing their wings together
Have changed little in 200 million years!
Crocodylomorphs include extinct ancient species as well as 26 living species today.
A group of these birds is called a Murder.
First domesticated in South-East Asia!
Dog ticks feed on dogs and other mammals
First domesticated 5,000 years ago!
It's larvae are carnivorous!
The most popular species of feeder roach
Rows of tiny plates line their teeth!
The dung beetle can push objects many times its own weight
The Dusky Shark sometimes eats trash discarded by humans.
Some species can change color from dark to light, and back again.
Has exceptional eyesight!
They are hermaphrodites, which means they have male and female organs
There are nearly 2,000 different species!
Eels can be a mere few inches long to 13 feet!
The fastest creatures on the planet!
The fallow deer has more variation in its coat colors than most other deer.
False spiders actually prey on black widow spiders and other hazardous spiders
The fiddler crab gets its name from the motion the males make with their over-sized claw during the mating ritual.
The firefly produces some of the most efficient light in the world
Adult fleas can jump up to 7 inches in the air
Besides being bred for milk and meat, these cattle were also used as draft oxen.
There are more than 240,000 different species!
Can glide up to 90 meters!
There are around 7,000 different species!
Fruit flies are among the most common research animals in the world
They build a ramp from their nest, which leads to a nearby water source
There are thought to be over 2,000 species!
The most common type of urban roach
Found inhabiting dense woodland and caves!
Males form large mating swarms at dusk
There are 11,000 known species!
Natively found in the Andes Mountain range!
Also known as the Millionfish!
One of the most invasive species in the world
Able to run as quickly backwards as forwards!
Can reach speeds of over 50 mph!
Talon's the size of a grizzly bear's claws!
Their vision is eight times better than a human's
Many hawk moth caterpillars eat toxins from plants, but don’t sequester them the way milkweed butterflies do. Most toxins are excreted.
This dynastine scarab beetle makes a weird huffing sound when it’s disturbed.
Inhabits wetlands around the world!
Prima Donnas of the Snake World
There are only 8 recognized species!
Natively found in South America!
Has evolved over 50 million years!
Horseflies have been seen performing Immelmann turns, much like fighter jets.
The wren’s epithet, aedon, comes from a Greek queen who accidentally killed her only son. She was actually aiming for her nephew, and Zeus took pity on her and turned her into a nightingale.
Spends 80% of it's time resting!
Thought to have orignated 200,000 years ago!
Beat their wings up to 80 times per second!
Some huntsman spiders have an interesting way of moving around. Some cartwheel while others do handsprings or backflips.
Found in swamps, marshes and wetlands!
Uses visual signals to communicate!
There are an estimated 30 million species!
The jacana has the ability to swim underwater
One of the biggest species in the Caranx genus
The largest feline on the American continent!
Some can jump 50 times the length of their bodies
Inhabits wetlands and woodlands worldwide!
There are more than 5,000 species worldwide!
Lipstick albino boas are a designer morph that you'll only find from breeders.
There are around 5,000 different species!
Each locust can eat its weight in plants each day.
Only females have the ‘lone star’ marking
The largest species of parrot in the world!
Will only live in wet areas
With an appropriate tail wind, the mallard can travel hundreds of miles a day
Despite its name, the Maned Wolf is not actually a wolf.
Margays are one of the world’s most highly adapted cat species for climbing trees!
There are 2,500 known species worldwide!
They have a symbiotic relationship with ants.
Megatherium probably used its lips more than its tongue when feeling for choice leaves in the treetops.
Some colonies have millions of bats
Some species have a poisonous bite!
Mockingbirds are incredible mimics that can learn hundreds of songs!
Primarily hunts and feeds on Earthworms!
Known for their calm and peaceful nature!
Has characteristics of two or more breeds!
There are around 260 known species!
Feeds on aquatic insects and water-spiders!
Only the female mosquito actually sucks blood
There are 250,000 different species!
Has no real natural predators!
Found on every continent on Earth!
The offspring of a horse and donkey parents!
Unlike most duck species, the Muscovy is silent and only makes noise when excited or threatened.
Nematodes range in size from 1/10 of an inch to 28 feet long
There are more than 5,000 species.
An invasive species, one female nutria can birth up to 200 babies in just a few years of living!
Also known as the Painted Leopard!
Females are about four times the size of males
They reuse nesting sites for 70 years!
There are 13 different species worldwide
The owl can rotate its head some 270 degrees
Prefers to hunt at night than during the day!
Monk parakeets are the only parakeets that actually build nests. They’re also the only parakeets to nest in great colonies.
Can live for up to 100 years!
The parrot snake shows off with bright green and bronze colors that cover its entire body.
Parrotlets aren't the world's tiniest parrot — that would be the pygmy parrot of Australasia.
Females lay between 8 and 12 eggs per clutch!
They can find their way back to their nests from up to 1300 miles away.
Pit vipers's fangs fold up into their mouths when they don't need them.
Inhabits the jungles of Central and South America!
There are 30 different species worldwide!
The mantis can turn its head 180 degrees.
Has longer back legs than front legs!
Inhabits woodland and forest areas worldwide!
The tail feathers of the male can be 1m long!
Omnivores that eat anything!
Rattlesnakes may have evolved their rattle to warn bison away from them.
Male and female Red-Footed Tortoises move their heads to communicate.
Male rheas mate with up to a dozen females and single-handedly raise up to 80 chicks at once!
Inhabits freshwater habitats around the world!
The capybara, the world’s largest rodent, likes to be in and around bodies of water. Because of this, the Catholic Church in South America decided that it was a fish, and people were allowed to eat it during Lent and First Fridays.
Will mate with the entire flock!
The only Spoonbill in the western hemisphere!
Canines up to 7 inches long!
Ferrets were used during the Revolutionary War to keep down the rat population.
There are more than 700 different species!
The sand crab burrows beneath the sand with its tail
There are around 2,000 known species!
Males give birth to up to 1,000 offspring!
In captivity, sharp-shinned hawks can live up to 13 years. However, in the wild, this number is significantly reduced to 3 years!
Around 35 million in the English countryside!
The short-eared owl is one of the most widespread owl species in the world, covering five continents.
The spinal column of the shrew Scutisorex somereni is so strong and reinforced that it can support the weight of an adult human.
There are 2,000 different species worldwide!
Closely related to the Piranha
Some skinks lay eggs in some habitats while giving birth to skinklets in other habitats.
Also known as the Polecat!
It's body temperature is between 30 - 34 degrees!
They glide around on one foot, which is aided by the slime they produce
Has up to 45 eggs per egg case
There are nearly 1,000 different species!
There are around 4,000 known species worldwide
Large web making house spider
There are 140 different species!
They prey on spiders to feed their larvae or they parasitize other spider wasps.
Small rodents found in woodlands worldwide!
There are more than 3,000 different species!
They can’t sing like other birds.
Their wings form a “V” shape when flying.
Populations have been affected by pollution!
Most closely related to horses and rhinos!
Tarantula hawks are excellent pollinators, especially for milkweed.
Their mounds can be up to 9 meters tall!
The American robin is called the robin because its red breast reminded European settlers of the robin back in the old country.
They inject hosts with a chemical that stops them from feeling the pain of the bite
The adult tiger beetle is one of the fastest land insects in the world
Can live until they are more than 150 years old!
There are more than 40 different species!
They make music with their wings
Found in warmer jungles and forests!
Some species of aquatic turtles can get up to 70 percent of their oxygen through their butt.
Migrates up and down the mountains!
They make jerky movements as they walk through the grass, searching for food.
The female Urutu snake grows longer and heavier than males of the same species
Have a heat sensor on the end of their nose!
Vinegaroons can spray 19 times before the glands are depleted
There are 30 different species worldwide!
There are around 75,000 recognised species!
They are typically noisy birds but take on a soft tone with their young.
Many whiptail species reproduce asexually.
There are two different types of white ferrets!
Carnivorous arachnid that hunts its prey.
This animal can roll up into a ball
There are 200 different species!
Females are much larger than males
Anacondas take prey much bigger compared to body weight than other snakes.
Uruguayan Animals List
Animals in Uruguay FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
What kind of animals live in Uruguay?
Since Uruguay has many different ecosystems, you can find a wide variety of wildlife in the country. There are 19 bat species in the country, along with 32 species of rodents. You may spot some of the 24 different species of dolphins, porpoises and whales along the coast. The country is also home to 14 different types of carnivores.
Are there Jaguars in Uruguay?
Jaguars are extinct in Uruguay.
Are there crocodiles in Uruguay?
Yes, the broad-snouted caiman is a species of crocodile found in Uruguay. It usually lives in slow-moving water, and you may spot it in manmade cow ponds.
What is the national animal of Uruguay?
The national animal of Uruguay is the southern lapwing, which is often called the taro.
Are there monkeys in Uruguay?
There may be a limited number of howler monkeys living in forests in Uruguay, where you can find many other types of wildlife, including Geoffroy’s cats and ocelots.