Although Bolivia may not have a very large territory, it is a megadiverse country, hosting between 45% and 55% of all biological diversity worldwide. The secret of such magnitude of diversity is in the geographical configuration that the country presents, since its Pacific coast, its dry and humid slopes or the side of the Amazon, among other areas, result in a vast diversity of landscapes, climates and , consequently, species.
If you are passionate about biodiversity and want to learn more about flora and fauna of BoliviaWe encourage you to continue reading this article that we present to you from Green Ecologist.
Characteristics of the flora and fauna of Bolivia
Given the great diversity of ecosystems in Bolivia, this country presents an extraordinary biodiversity. Bolivia occupies position 8 in terms of quantity of biological diversity, with 205 ecosystems, 7 biomes and 36 ecological regions. We encourage you to read these other articles about What is the diversity of ecosystems and examples and The ecoregions of Bolivia and their characteristics.
The biodiversity of Bolivia It is home to up to 3,000 species of vertebrates, including 422 species of mammals, 642 species of fish, 1,450 species of birds, 378 species of amphibians and more than 300 species of reptiles, along with several thousand species of plants.
As mentioned above, the geography of this country has contributed to such biodiversity. On the one hand, the Bolivian climate It presents a lot of variation depending on the region and the altitude, as well as important contrasts between day and night, although, on average, it is a temperate climate. The climate of this country is mainly divided into two annual seasons: the dry season and the wet season, with an important rainy season. On the other hand, its high variety of landscapes is relevant, among which the Amazon basin and the highlands stand out. The Amazon basin is considered to be home to the largest percentage of diversity of wild species on the planet, and there are otters, anteaters, jaguars, parrots, monkeys and turtles, among many more. The altiplano is the place where most llamas and alpacas live, along with vicuñas, vizcachas and southern Lipez flamingos.
Flora of Bolivia
The Bolivian vegetation is extraordinary and most species of its flora are centered on the Amazon jungle. Bolivia ranks fifth in South America in terms of plant species diversity, and 10th in the world, according to its taxonomic classification and the number of endemic species it presents. And is that, have you ever wondered how many species of plants are there in Bolivia? The answer is more than 40,000 species of flora, an important part of which are endemic. A large percentage of this diversity of plants is found in the Andes area. Throughout the extension of this country, there are subtropical humid forests, semi-humid montane, semi-humid low, semi-arid low and the Yungas forest. The wetlands, the puna, the savannah and the tropical jungle also stand out.
Some of the Bolivian trees, shrubs and plants most common are:
- The Palm trees.
- The ferns.
- The orchids.
- The coca.
- Cassava.
- Bananas.
- The corn.
- The chili.
- The churqui.
- The chañar.
- The mistol.
- The tacuara.
- The cupesi (carob).
- The palo santo.
It is worth mentioning that the flora of Bolivia it is experiencing very accelerated destruction with one of the highest rates of deforestation. To all this, we must add the fires, since this country has one of the highest records in terms of heat sources.
Fauna of Bolivia
The biodiversity of Bolivia It also includes a great diversity of its fauna. In fact, this country is located in the Neotropical region, recognized as an area of high diversity and, in addition, its wild fauna is part of the Renewable Natural Resources of the country. The fauna of this country is normally classified into four different regions: the Andean district, the sub-Andean district, the tropical district, and the Chaco district.
The Bolivian animals more typical are:
- The alpaca.
- The jaguar.
- The Maned Wolf.
- The giant otter.
- The Andean flamenco.
- The spectacled bear.
- The capybara.
- The Andean condor.
- The dolphin of the Amazon river.
- The vizcacha.
- Piranha.
- The lazy bear.
- The tapir.
- The chinchilla.
- The deer.
- The alligator.
- The Anaconda.
As for marine fauna, there are animals such as the stingray, the dorado, the eel, the pacú or the palometa.
Animals in danger of extinction in Bolivia
To finish knowing the flora and fauna of Bolivia, we mention several animals of Bolivia in danger of extinction:
- Satan beetleDynastes satanas)
- Andean rhea or Cordilleran rhea (Rhea pennata)
- Andean catLeopardus jacobita)
- Bolivian pink dolphin (Inia geoffrensis)
- Chilimero peccary (Catagonus wagneri)
- Armadillos (Dasypus novemcinctus)
- Andean condor (Vultur gryphus)
- Puma or mountain lion (Puma concolor)
- Andean catLeopardus jacobita)
- Londra or giant otter (Pteronura brasiliensis)
- Bolivian chinchilla rat (Abrocoma boliviensis)
- Guanaco (Lama guanicoe)
- Emperor marmosetSaguinus imperator)
- Macaw (Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus)
- Andean bear (Tremarctos ornatus)
- Titicaca giant frog (Telmatobius culeus)
- Fake vampireVampyrum spectrum)
In this other post we will tell you more about Animals in danger of extinction in Bolivia.
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