What Animals Live In South America Rainforest

What animals live in the Amazon? And 8 other Amazon facts

aerial view of the amazon rainforest

The Amazon is an incredibly unique place. It is the world's largest rain forest and river arrangement, and the most biologically diverse place on Earth. It contains millions of species, about of them yet undescribed.

Both the Amazon's woods and freshwater systems are at risk. Since the year 2000, rainfall has declined across 69% of the Amazon woods. WWF estimates that 27% of the Amazon biome volition be without copse past 2030 if the current charge per unit of deforestation continues. Protecting and conserving the Amazon is no easy chore, but WWF has been working to save this important place.

Learn more virtually this special region:

one. What animals live in the Amazon?
The Amazon is one of Earth's terminal refuges for jaguars, harpy eagles, and pink river dolphins, and information technology is abode to sloths, black spider monkeys, and toxicant dart frogs. Information technology contains ane in 10 known species on Globe, xl,000 establish species, 3,000 freshwater fish species, and more 370 types of reptiles. Over 2,000 new species of plants and vertebrates, including a monkey that purrs like a cat, have been described since 1999.

2. How many countries does the Amazon span?
This vast region, about 2-thirds the size of the US, spans eight countries: Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, and the overseas territory of French Guiana. Roofing about 40% of Due south America, the Amazon contains 1.4 billion acres of dumbo forests, one-half of the planet'southward remaining tropical forests, 4,100 miles of winding rivers and two.half-dozen million square miles in the Amazon bowl.

3. What kind of birds can you see in the Amazon?
Habitation to more than than a thousand different species of birds similar hummingbirds, channel-billed toucans, hoatzins and macaws, the Amazon is ane of the almost various areas for birds in the world. Macaws, an icon of the Amazon, are highly intelligent and social, living in flocks of x to 30 birds. They mate for life and can alive upwardly to 60 years. Some species tin can fifty-fifty mimic human oral communication. Just macaws are under threat from deforestation and the illegal pet trade.

four. Why is the Amazon important?
More than than 30 meg people, including 350 indigenous and ethnic groups, live in the Amazon and depend on nature for agriculture, clothing, and traditional medicines. There is besides a articulate link between the health of the Amazon and the health of the planet. The rain forests, which contain 90 billion to 140 billion metric tons of carbon, help stabilize local and global climate. The Amazon also pumps nigh 7 trillion tons of water per year into the atmosphere, and its forests recycle l%-75% of annual rainfall back into the temper.

5. What threats does the Amazon face up?
The Amazon faces many threats, including deforestation from extensive cattle ranching and agricultural expansion, poorly planned infrastructure, illegal and unsustainable natural resource extraction, and climatic change.

six. What is WWF doing to protect the Amazon?
WWF has been working to protect and conserve the Amazon for over 40 years. WWF works to face up the drivers of deforestation, similar soy farming, cattle ranching, hydropower, illegal and unsustainable logging, and infrastructure.

7. What is the Amazon Region Protected Areas program?

WWF and our partners launched an arroyo chosen Projection Finance for Permanence in Brazil to protect 150 meg acres of the Brazilian Amazon. We joined public and individual entities to raise $215 million to create, consolidate, and maintain a network of 114 protected areas. The network, called the Amazon Region Protected Areas plan, is almost three times larger than all US national parks combined.

At present WWF is testing the same approach for the protected area systems in several other countries that are important for conservation, including Peru, Bhutan, and Republic of colombia.

8. How is climate change impacting the Amazon?
Climate modify threatens to disrupt the networks of water and forests wildlife depend on. Warmer temperatures and less rainfall accept produced droughts of celebrated proportions. The Amazon suffered its worst droughts of 100 years in 2005 and 2010. Long dry out spells wither crops, decimate fisheries and pb to woods fires. This can result in significant shifts in the makeup of ecosystems and a loss of species. WWF helps farmers protect their crops from severe rainfall and droughts and ensure nearby wildlife areas tin can adjust to a warmer globe.

9. How tin can you help protect the Amazon?
There are many means yous can help protect the Amazon. You lot can educate your friends and family unit about the importance of the Amazon. You tin can go a discerning customer: ask how your food and other purchases have been produced, and buy products with the FSC label. You tin can reduce your employ of fossil fuels, and your impact on the planet. Yous can also speak upward for the Amazon peoples by sharing their stories and talking well-nigh ecology concerns.