Animals in Guyana
Jaguar
Panthera onca
The jaguar is the national animal of Guyana, and two of them stand on the national coat of arms, adopted in 1966, the year of independence, holding a pickaxe and stalks of rice and sugar cane, symbols of mining and farming. It is the largest cat in the Americas and the third largest in the world, with a heavy build, a huge head and one of the strongest bites of any cat, able to crack a turtle shell. Jaguars hunt alone in the rainforest and along rivers, swim well and often catch prey in the water. Guyana's vast forests and small human population make it one of the best remaining places for the species.
View details→Wildlife in Guyana
Guyana is the only English speaking country in South America and one of the greenest countries on Earth: forest covers more than 80 percent of its land, and its roughly 800,000 people live almost entirely on a narrow coastal strip. That leaves a huge interior with very few roads, which is why Guyana is still one of the best places in the Americas to see large wild animals. The climate is hot and humid all year, with heavy rains that swell the rivers, and the land changes a lot from the coast inland. The coast is low and muddy, protected by sea walls and canals first dug by Dutch planters, and its mangroves are the roost of scarlet ibises, while manatees feed in the canals. Inland rise tall rainforests, black water rivers and flat topped mountains, where Kaieteur Falls drops 226 meters in a single plunge. In the south, the open savanna of the Rupununi floods in the rainy season, and its rivers and ponds are home to giant otters, caimans and anacondas.
People and wildlife share the land closely. Indigenous communities live across the interior, and many of them now guide visitors, while cattle ranching in the Rupununi has long existed side by side with wild animals. Kaieteur has been protected since 1929, the Iwokrama reserve, about 371,000 hectares, was set aside in 1996 to show how a rainforest can be used without destroying it, and in 2009 Guyana signed a deal with Norway to be paid for keeping its forests standing.
Tourism here is all about nature. Visitors fly to Kaieteur Falls, walk the canopy walkway at Iwokrama, stay at Rupununi ranches to see giant otters and, with luck, a jaguar on the road, and visit Shell Beach, where four kinds of sea turtle come ashore to nest.
Most Dangerous Animals in Guyana
Guyana has wild animals that can be dangerous in some situations, mainly in the remote forest and along the rivers, but serious incidents are rare for travelers who go with local guides. Venomous snakes are the real risk. Most bites happen to farmers, loggers and miners working far from a hospital, and pit vipers cause most of them, while rattlesnakes live in the open savannas of the Rupununi. Wearing boots, carrying a light at night and watching where you step and put your hands prevent most bites, and anyone bitten needs to reach medical care as fast as possible.
Wild cats are powerful predators, but they avoid people and attacks are extremely rare, even where jaguars are common. Caimans rest along muddy banks and should not be approached, and large constrictor snakes hunt in slow channels and flooded savannas, but they are not venomous and rarely threaten people. Off the coast, sharks swim in the muddy Atlantic water, but incidents are very uncommon. Swimming only where guides say it is safe and never feeding wild animals keep almost every visit trouble free.
Top 10 Animals in Guyana
Guyana's best known animals are spread between the rainforest and the Rupununi savanna, and the two are close enough to visit in one trip. The jaguar is the one everyone hopes for, and the road that crosses Iwokrama between Georgetown and Lethem is one of the few places in South America where people see jaguars from a vehicle, usually at dawn or dusk. Many lodges in the area are run with Indigenous communities and offer night drives and boat trips that raise the chances of seeing wildlife. In the Rupununi, capybaras graze along the rivers, white tailed deer feed in the open grasslands and anacondas hide in the flooded ponds, especially after the rains. The savanna is also home to rattlesnakes, which live in dry, open ground and are worth watching for on walks. The smaller cats, the ocelot, the margay and the jaguarundi, live in the forests and in the strips of woodland along the rivers, but they are shy and seen mostly by chance or on camera traps. The cougar is just as hard to find, while boa constrictors turn up now and then on forest trails and around villages.
Ocelot
Leopardus pardalis
Ocelots are well established across Guyana's vast interior rainforests and in the forest islands and gallery forests of the Rupununi savannas, where cover is plentiful. They hunt rodents, lizards and small birds at night and rest in dense undergrowth by day, often along the same rivers used by jaguars and giant otters. Guyana's low deforestation rate keeps much of their habitat intact, though gold mining is spreading. IUCN status: Least Concern.
Spider Monkey
Ateles spp. (7 species)
Guyana's spider monkey is the red faced spider monkey, an all black monkey with a bare reddish face. Guyana still keeps some of the most intact tropical forests in South America, and protected areas like Iwokrama and the vast forests of the south give it plenty of room to roam. Because it needs large areas of old forest and breeds slowly, hunting near villages and the spread of gold mining are the main threats here. IUCN status: Vulnerable.
White tailed Deer
Odocoileus virginianus
In Guyana the white tailed deer avoids the dense rainforest of the interior and lives in open country instead: the Rupununi savannas of the south, the intermediate savannas and the coastal plain. The Rupununi, with its grasslands and gallery forests, is the best place to see it. It is an important source of meat for Indigenous and rural communities, and populations seem stable. IUCN status: Least Concern.
Cougar
Puma concolor
In Guyana, the cougar inhabits the vast interior rainforests and savanna corridors that stretch toward the Rupununi region. Much of this landscape remains intact, offering the species room to roam with relatively little disturbance. It shares its territory with jaguars, which often push cougars toward different prey and habitat niches. Its status is Least Concern, and Guyana's low deforestation rate helps support a stable population.
Anteater
Myrmecophaga tridactyla
In Guyana the giant anteater is a classic animal of the Rupununi savannas in the southwest, one of the best places in South America to see it walking across the open grassland at dawn or dusk. It also lives along the edges of the country's forests. The Rupununi is still large and fairly wild, but ranching, fires and new roads are reaching it. IUCN status: Vulnerable.
Armadillo
Dasypus novemcinctus (complex of four species)
Guyana's nine banded armadillo is the Guianan long nosed armadillo, Dasypus guianensis, recognized as a separate species in 2024 and found only in the Guiana Shield. It lives in the country's vast tropical forests and in the Rupununi savannas, alongside the giant armadillo, whose huge burrows shelter many other animals, and the greater long nosed armadillo. Guyana's low population density and large areas of intact forest favor armadillos, though subsistence hunting and gold mining disturb parts of the interior. IUCN status: not yet evaluated as a separate species.
Capybara
Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris
In Guyana, capybaras inhabit the low-lying coastal savannas, riverbanks, and interior wetlands, including the Rupununi Savannas in the south. These open, seasonally flooded grasslands provide ideal grazing habitat for social groups of capybaras. The species is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN and faces relatively low hunting pressure in Guyana compared to other parts of South America, benefiting from large areas of intact habitat.
Giant Otter
Pteronura brasiliensis
Guyana's interior rivers and the Rupununi wetlands are among the best refuges for the giant otter. At Karanambu, on the Rupununi River, Diane McTurk spent decades rescuing orphaned otters and returning them to the wild, which made the area famous. Families fish in clear, quiet rivers that also hold caimans and anacondas. Gold mining and mercury in the interior are a growing threat. IUCN status: Endangered.
Jaguar
Panthera onca
Guyana keeps most of its rainforest, and its jaguars benefit from large, little disturbed territories. They live in the forests of the interior, such as the Iwokrama reserve, and in the Rupununi savannas and wetlands in the southwest, where they are seen along rivers and on ranch roads. Gold mining and conflicts over cattle are local pressures, but the population is still fairly secure. IUCN status: Near Threatened.
Opossum
Didelphis spp. (6 species)
Guyana has the common opossum and the Guianan white eared opossum, which live in the rainforests that cover most of the country, along forest edges and near coastal towns and farms. Their nocturnal habits and flexible diet let them survive in both untouched jungle and disturbed land, where they spread the seeds of many forest fruits and eat insects and small animals. IUCN status: Least Concern.
Red Howler Monkey
Alouatta seniculus group
Guyana's red howler is the Guianan red howler, Alouatta macconnelli, the only red howler with a stable population. Guyana's largely intact rainforest lets troops move through continuous canopy across huge areas, and their dawn roar is one of the first sounds of the morning in the interior. They feed on young leaves, fruit and flowers. Hunting near villages is the main local pressure. IUCN status: Least Concern.
Squirrel Monkey
Saimiri spp.
Guyana's squirrel monkey is the common or Guianan squirrel monkey, Saimiri sciureus, the species most often seen in zoos. It lives in lowland forest across the country, most often along rivers and creeks and at forest edges. Troops of dozens move through the trees hunting insects and eating fruit. With most of Guyana still forested, it remains common, though the IUCN notes a decreasing trend. IUCN status: Least Concern.
Tapir
Tapirus spp.
Guyana's largely intact rainforest makes it one of the safest places left for the lowland tapir. Most of the interior is still forest, crossed by big rivers such as the Essequibo and the Rupununi, giving tapirs plenty of room to roam, feed and swim. Hunting pressure exists near villages and mining areas, but the low human population means tapirs are still common in much of the country. IUCN status: Vulnerable.
Brocket Deer
Mazama, Subulo and Passalites spp.
Guyana's extensive tropical forests, savannas and forest edges support healthy brocket populations, especially the red brocket, alongside the Amazonian brown brocket. Low human population density and large areas of intact forest mean these deer face less pressure than in many neighboring countries, although subsistence hunting continues in rural and Indigenous communities across the interior. IUCN status: varies by species.
Jaguarundi
Herpailurus yagouaroundi
In Guyana, the jaguarundi lives in the forests of the interior and especially in the Rupununi savannas, where patches of forest, tall grass and riverside thickets give it the mix of cover and open ground it likes. Its plain red or gray coat helps it vanish into the undergrowth. Guyana's large intact forests are an advantage, though numbers are low. IUCN status: Near Threatened.
Margay
Leopardus wiedii
The margay lives across Guyana's vast interior rainforests, where forest cover remains largely intact. This small spotted cat is an expert climber, able to turn its ankles to run down trunks headfirst, and hunts birds, lizards and small monkeys in the canopy at night. It shares these forests with the ocelot and the jaguar. Guyana's low deforestation rate gives it a relatively safe foothold. IUCN status: Near Threatened.
Iguana
Iguana iguana
The green iguana is native to Guyana, along the coast and in the river forests and tropical interior. It is especially visible along the Essequibo, Demerara and Berbice rivers, basking on branches above the water. It is part of everyday life in many rural and Indigenous communities and is sometimes hunted for food, though it remains common across the country's forested lowlands. IUCN status: Least Concern.
Sea Turtle
Chelonia mydas
Green turtles nest on Guyana's Atlantic beaches, most importantly at Shell Beach in the northwest, near the Venezuelan border, one of the few places where four sea turtle species nest, together with leatherbacks, olive ridleys and hawksbills. The area is protected as the Shell Beach Protected Area, and Indigenous community rangers patrol the beaches during the nesting season to stop poaching. IUCN status: Least Concern.
Anaconda
Eunectes murinus
Guyana's rivers, swamps and flooded savannas are excellent habitat for the green anaconda, especially the Rupununi wetlands and the Essequibo basin, where it hunts caimans, capybaras and fish. A snake shot here in 1937 was reported at 5.9 meters and 163 kilograms, never verified. Intact rainforest and few people make Guyana one of the species' strongholds. IUCN status: Least Concern.
Caiman
Caiman spp.
Guyana's rivers and coastal wetlands are excellent habitat for the spectacled caiman, the black caiman and the dwarf caimans. The Rupununi savannas and the rivers draining the Guiana Highlands are especially important, and the Rewa River and Caiman House at Yupukari are known for black caiman research and night sightings. The black caiman, once reduced by hunting, benefits from low human pressure across much of the interior. IUCN status: Least Concern.
Rattlesnake
Crotalus and Sistrurus (about 40–50 species)
In Guyana, the South American rattlesnake (Crotalus durissus) lives in the open savannas of the interior, above all the Rupununi savannas in the southwest, far from the forests that cover most of the country. Local ranchers and Indigenous communities know it well. Its venom can be strongly neurotoxic, so a bite is a medical emergency, especially in remote areas far from hospitals with antivenom. IUCN status: varies by species.
Boa Constrictor
Boa constrictor
Guyana lies in the heart of the classic range of the red-tailed boa, the form of the Guiana Shield. The boa constrictor lives in the rainforests of the interior, the gallery forests and savannas of the Rupununi and the farmland of the coastal plain, where it often hunts rats near villages. Large tracts of intact forest keep its populations healthy, though mining affects parts of the interior. IUCN status: Least Concern.
Bushmaster
Lachesis muta
In Guyana the bushmaster lives in the vast rainforests of the interior, from the Iwokrama forest to the Rupununi and the Pakaraima foothills. It is one of the country's most dangerous snakes, though rarely seen, since it hides in leaf litter and hollow logs by day and hunts rodents at night. Its forests are also home to jaguars, giant otters and harpy eagles. IUCN status: Least Concern.
Barn Owl
Tyto alba
The barn owl is found in Guyana mainly in open farmland, coastal savanna, and the outskirts of towns and villages along the Atlantic coast and in the interior lowlands. The dense tropical rainforest that covers much of the country's interior offers little suitable open hunting habitat, so the species is concentrated in the agricultural coastal strip and the savanna regions of the Rupununi in the south. It nests in old buildings and hollow trees and hunts rodents at night in areas near human settlement.
Scarlet Ibis
Eudocimus ruber
Guyana's Atlantic coastline, fringed with dense mangroves and intersected by river mouths, is prime territory for the Scarlet Ibis. The bird is commonly seen foraging along tidal flats and roosting in coastal vegetation. Guyana's relatively low level of coastal development has helped preserve key habitats for this species. Large communal roosts, sometimes shared with the white ibis, are a memorable sight along the country's shore.
Scarlet Macaw
Ara macao
Guyana's largely forested interior offers prime habitat for the scarlet macaw, which ranges widely across the country's tropical lowlands and riverine forests. The species is a common sight along the Rupununi and Essequibo river corridors, where pairs nest in tall trees and gather at clay licks. Guyana's relatively low rate of deforestation benefits the species. The IUCN lists the scarlet macaw as Least Concern.
Peregrine Falcon
Falco peregrinus
The peregrine falcon visits Guyana as a non-breeding migrant, arriving from North American breeding grounds during the boreal winter. It can appear along the Atlantic coast, over savanna regions, and near the forested interior. A bird of remarkable adaptability, it hunts other birds at speeds exceeding 300 km/h. Guyana's diverse landscapes, from coastal mudflats to open grasslands, provide productive foraging areas throughout its seasonal visit. IUCN status: Least Concern.
Flamingo
Phoenicopteridae (6 species)
The American flamingo lives in Guyana, where it feeds on the wide coastal mudflats and lagoons along the Atlantic shore. The coast of the Guianas is one of the richest areas of tidal mud in the world, full of small invertebrates, and flamingos move along it between Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana. Flocks are most often seen at low tide, their bright orange pink standing out against the gray mud. IUCN status: Least Concern.
Harpy Eagle
Harpia harpyja
Guyana keeps some of the most intact tropical forests in South America, and the harpy eagle lives across much of its interior. The Rupununi region and the forested highlands near the Venezuelan border offer excellent habitat. Guyana's low rate of deforestation makes it an important refuge, and indigenous communities play a key role in protecting nesting trees. IUCN status: Vulnerable.
Southern Lapwing
Vanellus chilensis
In Guyana, the southern lapwing inhabits the grasslands of the coastal plain and the savanna regions such as the Rupununi in the south of the country. It is a conspicuous bird in open areas, nesting on the ground in short grass near water and diving at intruders that come too close. Its loud calls make it easy to detect across the wide savannas, and populations here are considered stable. IUCN status: Least Concern.
Toco Toucan
Ramphastos toco
In Guyana, the toco toucan lives in the open savannas of the south, especially the Rupununi, where scattered trees, gallery forests along rivers and palm groves offer the semi open landscape it prefers. It is the northernmost part of its range. In the country's dense interior rainforest it is replaced by other toucans, such as the channel billed and white throated toucans. Its huge orange bill makes it a highlight for visitors to the Rupununi. IUCN status: Least Concern.
Southern Caracara
Caracara plancus
In Guyana the southern caracara lives on the coastal plain and in the inland savannas, especially the Rupununi in the south of the country. The Rupununi's open grasslands and seasonal wetlands are a lot like the Llanos and the Pantanal, and they make great habitat for this bird. It is often seen searching for food on the ground or perched out in the open on trees and fence posts.
Lesser Kiskadee
Philohydor lictor
The lesser kiskadee is a common waterside bird throughout Guyana, found along the coastal plain's canals and creeks as well as the rivers that flow through the forested interior. It is almost always seen near water, perching on low vegetation and making short flights to pick insects off leaves or the surface. Guyana's extensive wetlands and intact riverside forests give this small flycatcher plenty of room. IUCN status: Least Concern.
Manatee
Trichechus manatus
Guyana's manatees live in its coastal rivers, canals and mangroves, from the Essequibo to the Berbice. They are famous in Georgetown, where manatees live in the ponds of the Botanical Gardens and the National Park and visitors feed them grass, a tradition that goes back to when they were used to keep the city's canals clear of weeds. Accidental capture in fishing nets and hunting are the main threats in the wild. IUCN status: Vulnerable.
Tiger Shark
Galeocerdo cuvier
In Guyana the tiger shark lives off a coast of mud banks and mangroves shaped by the outflow of the Amazon and other large rivers, where the water is brown and murky close to shore. It hunts in the deeper, clearer water of the continental shelf and is caught by the artisanal fleets that fish the coast with gillnets and lines. Young tiger sharks are among the sharks landed in the country's fishing ports. IUCN status: Near Threatened.
Bull Shark
Carcharhinus leucas
In Guyana the bull shark lives along a coast of mud flats, mangroves and wide river mouths shaped by the outflow of the Essequibo, the Demerara and the nearby Amazon. The brown, brackish water suits it well, and young sharks use the estuaries as nurseries. It is one of the sharks most often caught by the artisanal fleets that fish with gillnets and lines along the coast, and its meat is sold locally. IUCN status: Vulnerable.
Frequently Asked Questions
What animals live in Guyana?
Guyana's animals include jaguars, cougars, ocelots, margays, jaguarundis, tapirs, capybaras, anteaters, armadillos, opossums, white tailed deer and brocket deer. Its monkeys include spider monkeys, squirrel monkeys and red howler monkeys, and giant otters live in its rivers. Its birds include the harpy eagle, scarlet macaws, toucans, scarlet ibises, caracaras and barn owls. Its reptiles include caimans, anacondas, boa constrictors, rattlesnakes, iguanas and sea turtles, and manatees and sharks live along its Atlantic coast.
What is the national animal of Guyana?
The national animal of Guyana is the jaguar. Two jaguars stand on the coat of arms adopted in 1966, one holding a pickaxe and the other stalks of rice and sugar cane, symbols of the country's work and crops. The jaguar is the largest cat in the Americas and still lives across most of the Guyanese interior, where the forest is almost untouched. The best chance to see one is on the road that crosses the Iwokrama forest, where jaguars are sometimes seen walking at dawn or dusk.
What animals live in the Guyana rainforest?
Forest covers more than 80 percent of Guyana, and it is one of the least disturbed rainforests in South America. Jaguars, cougars, ocelots, margays and jaguarundis hunt there, along with tapirs, capybaras, anteaters, armadillos and brocket deer. Spider monkeys, squirrel monkeys and red howler monkeys move through the canopy, watched by harpy eagles, which hunt monkeys among the branches. Scarlet macaws and toucans are common in the treetops. The Iwokrama reserve, in the center of the country, protects about 371,000 hectares of this forest and has a canopy walkway for visitors.
Where can you see giant otters in Guyana?
Guyana is one of the last strongholds of the giant otter, the largest otter in the world, which can reach almost 2 meters long. They live in family groups of up to a dozen animals, fish together and call to each other with loud whistles and barks. The rivers and ponds of the Rupununi, in the south of the country, are the best place to see them, especially around Karanambu, a former cattle ranch known for raising orphaned otter cubs. They are also seen along the Essequibo River and inside Iwokrama.
Where can you see sea turtles in Guyana?
Shell Beach, on the remote northwest coast near the border with Venezuela, is the main nesting site for sea turtles in Guyana. Four kinds of sea turtle come ashore there to lay their eggs, including the largest sea turtle in the world, and the nesting season runs mainly from about March to August. The beach can only be reached by boat, and local rangers and community groups watch over the nests. Visitors who make the trip can see females digging nests at night and, later in the season, hatchlings heading to the sea.
Researched and written by Juan Pablo. Sources: IUCN Red List, scientific literature and regional field guides. Last updated: .