The South American mammals displayed are the collared peccary, the tapir, and the jaguar. The peccary is a pig relative, which is preyed upon by mountain lions and jaguars.
The jaguar is an odd cat in that it is at home in the water, and swims well. For this reason, they prefer the dense, swampy jungles of South America, even though they hunt mostly on land.
The tapir is a unique animal that eats all types of plant life. For their own safety, they are nocturnal, since they have good hearing, but poor vision.
Exhibits include:
- armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus)
- whitetail deer (Odocoileus virginianus)
- collared peccary (Tayassu tajacu)
- taruca (Hippocamelus antisensis)
- tapir (Tapirus terrestris)
- jaguar (Panthera onca)
- 3-toed sloth (Bradypus variegatus)
- brocket (Mazama sp.)
- pampas deer (Ozotoceros bezoarticus)