LOW JUNGLE: Fauna, Flora and more Characteristics

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The low jungle o Omagua region It is an area of peruvian rainforest characterized by a warm and rainy climate and a flat geography crossed by numerous rivers, which are home to a wonderful number of animal and plant species. Whether or not you live near this beautiful place, it is impressive to know both its beauty and its ecosystem quality.

If you want to know more about one of the most impressive jungle regions in South America, keep reading this Green Ecologist article in which we talk about the Low jungle, its fauna and flora and more characteristics.

Low forest: what it is and characteristics

Before going on to describe the fauna and flora of the low jungle, we want to better explain what this part of the planet is and what its main characteristics are. The Low jungle or Omagua region is an area of Peru located on the eastern slope of The Andes, very close to the border with Brazil. It is, therefore, a not very steep terrain, with terraces from 80 to 400 m above sea level. It is a terrain characterized by a large presence of river courses, such as rivers or lagoons (in fact, the word "Omagua" means "region of freshwater fish"), which together with a warm climate results in optimal conditions for the development of the type of forest that we know as jungle.

In terms of geology, it is a large alluvial plain through which numerous rivers continue to flow. As it is a flat terrain, they form extensive curves (whose generic name is "meander"). However, we find several differentiated areas:

  • Tahuampas or flood zones, which remain covered with water throughout the year.
  • Restingas or areas with a little more altitude, which are flooded only during times of flood.
  • High or non-floodable areas, which are formed as moors, and on which the population centers of the region are based.
  • Amazonian foothills or foothills, somewhat steeper.

The climate is hot, humid and rainy. A special feature is its dense cloud covers. These clouds are formed by the action of the trade winds when they collide with the high mountains of the Andean range, which causes moisture to concentrate and these vast clouds are formed.

Low jungle: fauna

Both the flora and fauna of the region are characterized by being very rich and varied. As we have seen in the previous section, this region is known as the "region of freshwater fish", which is not by chance. Its rivers are home to extensive fluvial fauna, but there is also great biodiversity outside the water. These are some of the main animals of the low jungle:

Low jungle fish

  • Paiche (Arapaima gigas): very large fish, whose diet consists of other fish or small animals that fall into the water.
  • Black cachama (Colossoma macropomum): has a migratory behavior, moving upstream of rivers in summer. It has also been introduced in some regions of Asia for fishing.
  • Tarpon (Prochilodus lineatus): can measure up to 60 cm and weigh more than 6 kg. It is greenish-gray in color.

Mammals

  • Sachavaca (Tapirus terrestris): or tapir, is a mammal of the tapirid family and the largest land mammal in South America, weighing up to 300 kg. It uses its proboscis (moving nose) to eat vegetables. Here we explain why the tapir is in danger of extinction.
  • Sajino (Peccary tajacu): it is an artiodactyl mammal similar to a wild boar. Presents approximately 50 cm at the withers.
  • Huangana (Tayassu pecari): it is also similar to wild boar. It is distinguished by a white spot at the base of the mouth or around the lips.
  • Ronsoco (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris): also called capybara or capybara, it belongs to the cavids family, and is the largest and heaviest rodent in the world. It lacks a tail and has a large, broad head.
  • Otorongo (Panthera onca): also called the Peruvian jaguar, it is a large feline with characteristic black spots on a yellowish coat. It is classified on the IUCN Red List as a "near threatened species". Here we tell you all about why the jaguar is in danger of extinction.

Birds that inhabit the low jungle

  • Macaws (Ara sps.): bird of the order Psittaciformes, very striking for its vivid and colorful plumage. It is large in size, and has also been used as a companion animal. This is one of the most famous birds that are at risk of disappearing from nature. In this other Green Ecologist article we talk about why the scarlet macaw is in danger of extinction.
  • Parrots (Ara sps.): very similar to macaws, but with a shorter and smaller tail. Some of the best known are the Amazon parrots, of which there are several species.
  • Paujil (Crax sps.): it is a large, black galliform bird.
  • Mountain guan (Dark penelope): It is also a dark colored galliform bird, currently in danger of extinction due to hunting.

Reptiles

  • Alligator (Caiman sps.): Alligators are a genus of crocodiles in the alligator family.
  • Jergon (Bothrops atrox): snake of the viper family (Viperidae). It is one of the poisonous snakes that causes the most deaths in Latin America.
  • Charapa (Podocnemis expansa): turtle dark in its dorsal part, yellow in the ventral area. It is large in size (up to 100 kg) and has a characteristic thickening on the back of the back.

Meet more Animals that live in the rainforest here. In addition, below we show images of the animals of the lower jungle in the order of the lists detailed above.

Low forest: flora

The vegetation is mainly arboreal of tropical forest. There are up to 2,500 species of trees of different families and genera. Its trees can reach an impressive height of up to 60 meters, and among them are different species of palm trees, lianas, ferns, wild cane, lupunas, mahogany, cedars, ishpingos or Creole oaks, etc. It is also common to find orchids.

In any case, we see that the flora is typical of regions with a hot and very humid climate, in general with large leaves that allow them a great capture of light (depending on the area of the forest, light can become a scarce resource) and that have a large number of stomata through which they carry out perspiration. This loss of water is not a problem for them, as there is so much available.

Here you can see some images of these species of trees and plants of the lower jungle.

If you want to read more articles similar to Low jungle: fauna and flora, we recommend that you enter our Ecosystems category.

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