Page:A History of Land Mammals in the Western Hemisphere.djvu/200

176 northern continent, and the curious, long-snouted coatis (Nasua), which just enter the Sonoran region, are typically Neotropical. The Spectacled Bear (Tremarctos ornatus) is the only member of the family that occurs in South America and is confined to the highlands of Peru and Chili, The cat family is quite numerously represented; the Jaguar (Felis onca), which ranges from Texas to Patagonia, is a large spotted cat, rivalling

the Leopard in size and ferocity; the Ocelot (F. pardalis, Arkansas to Paraguay) is smaller and streaked and blotched rather than spotted. The pumas differ little from those of North America, and there are many small cats, spotted, clouded and of solid colour, but no lynxes, which are essentially northern types.

Hoofed animals are not numerously represented in South America. The only existing Perissodactyla of the western hemisphere are the tapirs (Tapirus) of Central and tropical South America, a very remarkable contrast to the ancient faunas, especially of the northern continent, as will be shown in the sequel. The Artiodactyla are more varied, though very scanty in comparison with those of the Old World; even North America, which has but a poor representation of these animals,