home to over 2,300 species of mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians, the mata atlântica accounts for 5% of all vertebrates found on the planet and contains an extensive list of endemic, endangered and threatened species. the most well known of these is the golden lion tamarin which is only found in three small areas of the rainforest northeast of rio de janeiro, including the fazenda união biological reserve, poço das antas biological reserve and private land established for them.

other notable species include the maned three-toed sloth - the rarest of the six species of sloth found in the world, the puma, jaguar and ocelot and the wooly spider monkey, the largest of the monkeys found in south america and one of the most endangered of all the monkey species.

it is not just mammals that make up this list but also lesser known species such as the golden lancehead snake, found only on a small island off the coast, the mitu mitu, a pheasant like bird that is now extinct in the wild and numbering only 130 in captivity and the itatiaia highland frog, of which a sighting has not been witnessed in over 10 years.