Wildlife of Brazil
The wildlife of Brazil comprises all naturally occurring
Biodiversity
In the animal kingdom, there is general consensus that Brazil has the highest number of both terrestrial
Scientists have described between 96,660 and 128,843 invertebrate species in Brazil.
Enough is known about Brazilian fungi to say with confidence that the number of native species must be very high and very diverse: in work almost entirely limited to the state of Pernambuco, during the 1950s, 1960s and early 1970s, more than 3300 species were observed by a single group of mycologists[5] Given that current best estimates suggest only about 7% of the world's true diversity of fungal species has so far been discovered, with most of the known species having been described from temperate regions,[11] the number of fungal species occurring in Brazil is likely to be far higher.
Because it encompasses many species-rich ecosystems for animals, fungi and plants, Brazil houses many thousands of species, with many (if not most) of them still undiscovered. Due to the relatively explosive economic and demographic rise of the country in the last century, Brazil's ability to protect its
Ecoregions
Brazil's immense area is subdivided into different
Animals
Terrestrial mammals and reptiles
The wild canids found in Brazil are the maned wolf, bush dog, hoary fox, short-eared dog, crab-eating fox and pampas fox. The felines found in Brazil are the jaguar, the puma, the margay, the ocelot, the oncilla, and the jaguarundi. Other notable animals include the giant anteater, several varieties of sloths and armadillos, coati, giant river otter, tapir, peccaries, marsh deer, Pampas deer, and capybara (the world's largest existing rodent).[3] There are around 131 (in 2022) primate species, including the howler monkey, the capuchin monkey, and the squirrel monkey, the marmoset, and the tamarin.[3][13]
Brazil is home to the anaconda, frequently described, controversially, as the largest snake on the planet. This water boa has been measured up to 30 feet (9.1 m) long, but historical reports note that native peoples and early European explorers claim anacondas from 50 to 100 feet (30 m) long.[14][15]
Invertebrates
There are 1107[16] known species of non-marine molluscs living in the wild in Brazil.
The second largest spider in the world, the Goliath birdeater (Theraphosa blondi), can be found in some regions of Brazil.[17]
Insects
It is calculated that Brazil has more
Birds
Brazil ranks third on the list of countries, behind Colombia and Peru, with the most number of distinct bird species, having 1622 identified species,[3] including over 70 species of parrots alone. It has 191 endemic birds.[8] The variety of types of birds is vast as well, and include birds ranging from brightly colored parrots, toucans, and trogons to flamingos, ducks, vultures, hawks, eagles, owls, swans, and hummingbirds. There are also species of penguins that have been found in Brazil.[21]
The largest bird found in Brazil is the rhea, a flightless ratite bird, similar to the emu.
Aquatic and amphibian
Brazil has over 3,000 identified species of
Other aquatic and amphibian animals found in Brazil include the
Fungi
The diversity of Brazil's fungi - even the small amount known so far to scientists - is astonishing. Using only conventional microscopy, and examining living leaves collected from various plants, the mycologist Batista and his colleagues, working in Pernambuco in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, regularly recorded more than one fungal species, and sometimes up to ten on a single leaf.[5] Although information about fungi worldwide remains very fragmented, a preliminary estimate, based only on the work of Batista, shows that the number of potentially endemic fungal species in Brazil already exceeds 2000. Also, fungi is very often spotted in Brazil.[24]
Plants
Brazil has 55,000 recorded plant species, the highest number of any country.[3] About 30% of these species are endemic to Brazil.[8] The Atlantic Forest region is home to tropical and subtropical moist forests, tropical dry forests, tropical savannas, and mangrove forests. The Pantanal region is a wetland, and home to a known 3,500 species of plants. The Cerrado is biologically the most diverse savanna in the world.
The
All over Brazil, in all biomes, are hundreds of species of orchids, including those in the genera Cattleya, Oncidium, and Laelia.
Along the border with
List of plants by ecoregion:
- List of plants of Amazon Rainforest vegetation of Brazil
- List of plants of Atlantic Forest vegetation of Brazil
- List of plants of Caatinga vegetation of Brazil
- List of plants of Cerrado vegetation of Brazil
- List of plants of Pantanal vegetation of Brazil
Threats to wildlife
More than one-fifth of the Amazon Rainforest in Brazil has been completely destroyed, and more than 70 mammals are endangered.[3] The threat of extinction comes from several sources, including deforestation and poaching. Extinction is even more problematic in the Atlantic Forest, where nearly 93% of the forest has been cleared.[29] Of the 202 endangered animals in Brazil, 171 are in the Atlantic Forest.[30] Currently, 15.8 million acres of tropical ecosystem have been completely eliminated to farm sugarcane for ethanol production. And additional 4.5 million acres is planned to be planted during the next four years. 70-85% of Brazil's transportation energy is derived from ethanol, or various mixtures of ethanol and petroleum-based fuels. Only about 15-20% comes from imported petroleum. This massive national biofuel program has been devastating to tropical wildlife diversity, and to the global climate/environment.[31] Article 1 With its acquisition of BioEnergia, BP (British Petroleum) is planning to further expand Brazil's ethanol program. BP - BioEnergia
National emblems
National bird
|
Rufous-bellied thrush (sabiá)[32] |
National flower | Ipê-amarelo – Tecoma chrysostricha[33]
|
National tree | Pau-brasil – Caesalpinia echinata[25]
|
See also
- List of endangered flora of Brazil
- List of ministers of natural environment of Brazil
- Movimento dos Atingidos por Barragens
- Biomes in Brazil
References
- ^ "Amazon - World's largest tropical rain forest and river basin". World Wide Fund for Nature. Retrieved 2010-06-03.
- ^ "Mamíferos do Brasil – SBMZ". sbmz.org (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2023-07-21.
- ^ OCLC 76936293.
- ^ "Brasil 'ganha' mais espécies de aves e reforça o título de país megadiverso". G1 (in Brazilian Portuguese). 2021-07-30. Retrieved 2023-07-21.
- ^ a b c Da Silva, M. and D.W. Minter. 1995. Fungi from Brazil recorded by Batista and Co-workers. Mycological Papers 169. CABI, Wallingford, UK. 585 pp.
- ^ Chapman, A.D (September 2005). "Numbers of Living Species in Australia and the World: A Report for the Department of the Environment and Heritage". Australian Biological Resources Study. Australian Biodiversity Information Services. Archived from the original on 2007-11-01. Retrieved 2007-11-26.
- ^ "ICMBio - Centro Nacional de Pesquisa e Conservação de Répteis e Anfíbios - Anfíbios e Répteis do Brasil". www.icmbio.gov.br. Retrieved 2023-07-21.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Marco Lambertini (2000). "A Naturalist's Guide to the Tropics". Retrieved 2007-06-19.
- ^ Ministério do Meio Ambiente. "Lista Nacional das Espécies da Fauna Brasileira Ameaçadas de Extinção" (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2007-06-20.
- ^ S2CID 84691981.
- ^ Kirk, P.M., P.F. Cannon, D.W. Minter and J. Stalpers. 2008. Dictionary of the Fungi. Edn 10. CABI, Wallingford, UK.
- ^ USDA Forest Service website, Forest Service International Programs: Brazil, retrieved February 2007.
- ^ "Mamíferos do Brasil – SBMZ". sbmz.org (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2023-04-23.
- ^ "Which is the Biggest Snake?". Extreme Science. Retrieved 2007-12-05.
- ^ "Eunectes murinus". Catalogue of Life: 2006 Annual Checklist. Retrieved 2007-12-05.
- ISBN 85-906670-0-6. (book review)
- ^ Benders-Hyde, Elisabeth. "Goliath Bird Eating Spider". Blue Planet Biomes. Retrieved 2007-12-05.
- ^ "Brazil in Brief: Natural Resources". Embassy of Brazil - Ottawa. Retrieved 2007-12-05.
- ^ Holmes, Bob; Gabrielle Walker (1996-09-21). "How did paradise begin?". New Scientist (2048). Retrieved 2007-12-05.
- ^ Renata Chiarini Monteiro. "The Thysanoptera fauna of Brazil" (PDF). CSIRO Entomology. Retrieved 2007-11-26.
- ^ Magellanic Penguin, Organisation for the Conservation of Penguins.
- ^ Rantin B., and M.E. Bichuette (2013). Phototactic behaviour of subterranean Copionodontinae Pinna, 1992 catfishes (Siluriformes, Trichomycteridae) from Chapada Diamantina, central Bahia, northeastern Brazil. International Journal of Speleology 41(1): 57-63
- New York Times, September 11, 1988.
- ^ "Fungi of Brazil - potential endemics". Retrieved 2011-07-09.
- ^ a b "Pau brasil profile". Global Trees Campaign. Archived from the original on 2007-08-31. Retrieved 2007-11-28.
- ^ Kirkbride, Joseph H. Jr. (1995-06-11). "Brazil, National flower?". Plantbio Mailing List. Retrieved 2007-11-28.
- ^ "Tepuis". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund. Retrieved 2007-11-28.
- ^ "Visible Earth: The Amazon, Brazil". NASA. Archived from the original on 2006-03-30. Retrieved 2007-11-28.
- ^ "Places We Work: The Atlantic Forest of Brazil". The Nature Conservancy. 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-05.
- ^ Capobianco, João Paulo. "Biodiversity in the Atlantic Forest". Brazil on CD-ROM and Internet. Ministry of External Relations. Retrieved 2007-12-05.
- ^ Aljazeera / Brazil's Ethanol for SugarCane program
- ^ "National Bird of Brazil: Sabià - Laranjeiro". Brazil Travel. Retrieved 2007-11-26.
- ^ "National Symbols". Brazilian Embassy in Washington. Archived from the original on 2007-11-14. Retrieved 2007-11-26.
Sources
- Costa, L.P. et al. (2005). Mammal Conservation in Brazil. Conservation Biology 19(3): 672-679. [1]
- Comitê Brasileiro de Registros Ornitológicos. 2010. Lista das aves do Brasil. 9ª edição (18 de outubro de 2010). Disponível em <http://www.cbro.org.br>, accessada em 28 de dezembro de 2010.
Further reading
- Pearson, David L.; Les Beletsky (2002) [2001]. Brazil-Amazon and Pantanal. Ecotravellers Wildlife Guides. Academic Press. p. 275. OCLC 77711203.
External links
- BrazilianFauna.com, a not-for profit educational website
- Brazil Nature: Ecosystem
- List of Brazilian animals on Encyclopedia of Life