Wildlife

There are thousands of species of wildlife on South America, ranging from colorful macaws to the three-toed sloth, the slowest moving mammal on Earth; from rare monkey species to the pink river dolphin (they really are bright pink!)  South America has so much to offer animal lovers, and it includes some of the most bio-diverse regions for fauna on the planet.

Peru is a true paradise for nature lovers. The innumerable quantity of animal species, in their natural habitats, makes Peru a perfect place to observe birds and animals of every kind. Peru has more than 1800 species of birds (twenty per cent of all of the species in the world), 361 mammal species (10%), 297 species of reptiles (10%), and is fifth in the number of amphibian species in the world, with 251 species.

All of this is included in Peru’s 84 ecological zones, (of the 103 known on the planet), making Peru among the five most biologically diverse countries in the world.
The principal destinations where one can find a great variety of species in their natural habitats are: Manu National Park, located between the departments of Cusco and Madre de Dios, with an extension of 1500 thousand hectares, is a reserve that shelters more than 800 species of birds, including the harpy eagle, the endangered jabiru stork, and Andean cock-of-the-rock, and over 200 species of mammals such as the black maquisapa monkey, giant river otter, black caiman, jaguar, ocelot, spectacled bear, and huemal deer. There are also over 1200 species of butterflies, and innumerable reptiles and amphibians.

The Tambopata Reserved Zone lies in the southwestern Peruvian Amazon region, comprises over 7% of the rain forest left on the planet, and is next to the Manu Biosphere Reserve. With over one million square hectares, it possesses an incredibly high biological diversity. There are more than 1200 species of butterflies, 575 species of birds, 135 types of arboreal ants, 103 species of dragonflies, 103 types of mammals, over 60 kinds of amphibians, 67 types of reptiles, 5 species of turtles and tortoises, 4 species of crocodile and 22 species of small lizard.

Ninety-four species of fish have also been identified. The Tambopata River watershed is considered to be one of the world's richest ecosystems in terms of biodiversity. There are intact populations of species like the giant river otter, the South American bush dog, the black caiman and the Harpy eagle in this area, all of them threatened with extinction. Another of Tambopata’s attractions is the richness of its flora, as nearly 1400 species of plants exist in the area.

The Pacaya Samiria National Reserve, located in the Loreto region, with over 2,000 000 hectares, is considered a national treasure of the Northern Peruvian jungle, for its abundant and varied wildlife. It has a great variety of fish, which are the principal protein source for the region. Its lakes, swamps and waterholes shelter more than 132 species of mammals, 330 species of birds, and numerous reptiles and amphibians. The enormous Charapas tortoise, the manatee or sea cow, the pink river dolphin, the giant nutria, the black caiman, and the paiche, a type of large freshwater fish, are  found here.

Brazil´s Amazon rainforest is the largest expanse of rainforest in the world, with many species of birds, insects, mammals, reptiles and amphibians.

The Amazonian rain forest in Brazil, is the largest rain forest in the world. Many species of mammals, reptiles, amphibians, insects, and birds occupy the canopy of this magnificent rain forest. Wildlife smuggling is, unfortunately, very big business in Brazil, and animals are often taken from the wild and mistreated as they are exported to wealthy buyers in the US and other countries.

Some of the animals that can be found in Brazil´s Amazon are: the iguana, which  lives in the trees high above the ground; the poison dart frog, a tree frog that secretes a lethal  poison when attacked, or even when merely touched; this frog´s poison is used by South American Indians to poison their arrows before going on the hunt; and the spider monkey, which uses its prehensile tail to swing from branch to branch in the jungle canopy.

Brazil has one of the greatest diversities of bird species in the world, with approximately 1700 species recorded. Ten per cent of these are considered threatened.
Some of the birds found in Brazil´s rainforest are the Rufous-necked Puffbird, the Black-girdled Barbet, and the Hardy´s Pygmy Owl. The beautiful and mythical Quetzal is also present in the Brazilian Amazon.

The Pantanal Region comprises 81,000 square miles of diverse habitats including forests, lagoons, and prairies in the States of Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul in Brazil. It is estimated that more than 650 bied species make their home in this region. Some of them are roseate spoonbills, snowy egrets, flamingoes, tourcans, hawks, ducks, and parrots. The Hyacinth Macaw lives in the Pantanal of Brazil.