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Wildlife of Brazil

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Thetoco toucanis an animal typical of the Braziliansavannas.
Many varieties ofpoison dart frogssuch as thisyellow-banded poison dart frogcan be found in the jungles of Brazil.

Thewildlife of Brazilcomprises all naturally occurringanimals,plants,andfungiin theSouth Americancountry. Home to 60% of theAmazon Rainforest,which accounts for approximately one-tenth of all speciesin the world,[1]Brazilis considered to have the greatestbiodiversityof any country on the planet. It has the most known species ofplants(60,000), freshwaterfish(3,000),amphibians(1,188),snakes(430),insects(90,000) andmammals(775)[2][3]It also ranks third on the list of countries with the mostbirdspecies (1,971) and the third with the mostreptilespecies (848).[4][3]The number of fungal species is unknown (+3,300 species).[5]Approximately two-thirds of allspeciesworldwide are found intropicalareas, often coinciding withdeveloping countriessuch as Brazil. Brazil is second only toIndonesiaas the country with the mostendemicspecies.[6][7]

Biodiversity

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In the animal kingdom, there is general consensus that Brazil has the highest number of both terrestrialvertebratesandinvertebratesof any country in the world.[8]This high diversity offaunacan be explained in part by the sheer size of Brazil and the great variation inecosystemssuch asAmazon Rainforest,Atlantic Forest,Cerrado,Pantanal,Pampasand theCaatinga.The numbers published about Brazil's fauna diversity vary from source to source, as taxonomists sometimes disagree about species classifications, and information can be incomplete or out-of-date. Also, new species continue to be discovered and some species goextinctin the wild. Brazil has the highest diversity ofprimates(131 species) and freshwater fish (over 3150 species) of any country in the world.[8]It also claims the highest number ofmammalswith 775 species,[8]the third highest number ofbutterflieswith 3,150 species,[8]the third highest number ofbirdswith 1,982 species,[8]and third highest number ofreptileswith 848 species.[8]There is a high number ofendangered species,[9]many of which live in threatened habitats such as the Atlantic Forest or the Amazon Rainforest.

Scientists have described between 96,660 and 128,843 invertebrate species in Brazil.[10]According to a 2005 estimate by Thomas M. Lewinsohn and Paulo I. Prado, Brazil is home to around 9.5% of all the species and 13.1% ofbiotafound in the world; these figures are likely to be underestimates according to the authors.[10]

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 itsenvironmental habitatshas increasingly come under threat. Extensiveloggingin the nation's forests, particularly the Amazon, both official andunofficial,destroys areas the size of a small country each year, and potentially a diverse variety of plants and animals.[12]However, as various species possess special characteristics, or are built in an interesting way, some of their capabilities are being copied for use in technology (seebionics), and the profit potential may result in a retardation of deforestation.

Ecoregions

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Main article:List of ecoregions in Brazil

Brazil's immense area is subdivided into differentecoregionsin several kinds ofbiomes.Because of the wide variety of habitats in Brazil, from the jungles of theAmazon Rainforestand theAtlantic Forest(which includesAtlantic Coast restingas), to thetropical savannaof theCerrado,to thexeric shrublandof theCaatinga,to the world's largestwetlandarea, thePantanal,there exists a wide variety of wildlife as well.

See also:List of biosphere reserves in Brazil

Animals

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Terrestrial mammals and reptiles

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See also:List of mammals in BrazilandList of reptiles in Brazil
A jaguar

The wild canids found in Brazil are themaned wolf,bush dog,hoary fox,short-eared dog,crab-eating foxandpampas fox.Thefelinesfound in Brazil are thejaguar,thepuma,themargay,theocelot,theoncilla,and thejaguarundi.Other notable animals include thegiant anteater,several varieties ofslothsandarmadillos,coati,giant river otter,tapir,peccaries,marsh deer,Pampas deer,andcapybara(the world's largest existing rodent).[3]There are around 131 (in 2022) primate species, including thehowler monkey,thecapuchin monkey,and thesquirrel monkey,themarmoset,and thetamarin.[3][13]

Brazil is home to theanaconda,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

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Main articles:List of non-marine molluscs of BrazilandList of marine molluscs of Brazil

There are 1107[16]known species of non-marinemolluscsliving in the wild in Brazil.

The second largest spider in the world, theGoliath birdeater(Theraphosa blondi), can be found in some regions of Brazil.[17]

Insects

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See also:List of stingless bees of Brazil

It is calculated that Brazil has moreinsectsthan any country in the world. It is estimated as having over 70,000 species of insects,[18]with some estimates ranging up to 15 million,[8]with more being discovered almost daily. One 1996 report estimated between 50,000 and 60,000 species of insects and spiders in a singlehectareof rainforest.[19]About 520thysanopteraspecies belonging to sixfamiliesin 139generaare found in Brazil.[20]

Acommon rhea

Birds

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See also:List of birds of Brazil

Brazil ranks third on the list of countries, behindColombiaandPeru,with the most number of distinct bird species, having 1622 identified species,[3]including over 70 species ofparrotsalone. It has 191endemicbirds.[8]The variety of types of birds is vast as well, and include birds ranging from brightly coloredparrots,toucans,andtrogonstoflamingos,ducks,vultures,hawks,eagles,owls,swans,andhummingbirds.There are also species ofpenguinsthat have been found in Brazil.[21]

The largest bird found in Brazil is therhea,a flightlessratitebird, similar to theemu.

Aquatic and amphibian

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See also:List of amphibians in Brazilandpt:Lista de peixes do Brasil
Southern right whale,Florianópolis.

Brazil has over 3,000 identified species offreshwater fishand over 500 species ofamphibians.[8]As elsewhere in South America, the majority of the freshwater fish species arecharaciforms(tetras and allies) andsiluriforms(catfish), but there are also many species from other groups such as thecyprinodontiformsandcichlids.While the majority of Brazil's fish species are native to theAmazon,theParaná–Paraguayand theSão Franciscoriver basins, the country also has an unusually high number oftroglobitic fish,with 25 species (15% of the total in the world) known so far.[22]The most well-known fish in Brazil is thepiranha.[23]

Other aquatic and amphibian animals found in Brazil include thepink dolphin(the world's largestriver dolphin), thecaimans(such as theblack caiman), and thepirarucu(one of the world's largest river fish). Also familiar are the brightly coloredpoison dart frogs.

Fungi

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The diversity of Brazil's fungi - even the small amount known so far to scientists - is astonishing. Using only conventionalmicroscopy,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

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Princess flower

Brazil has 55,000 recorded plant species, the highest number of any country.[3]About 30% of these species are endemic to Brazil.[8]TheAtlantic Forestregion is home totropical and subtropical moist forests,tropical dry forests,tropical savannas,andmangrove forests.ThePantanalregion is awetland,and home to a known 3,500 species of plants. TheCerradois biologically the most diversesavannain the world.

Thepau-brasiltree (also known as brazilwood and theorigin of the country's name) was a common plant found along the Atlantic coast of Brazil. But excessive logging of the prized timber and red dye from the bark pushed the pau-brasil towards extinction. However, since the inception ofsynthetic dyes,the pau-brasil has been harvested less.[25][26]

All over Brazil, in all biomes, are hundreds of species oforchids,including those in the generaCattleya,Oncidium,andLaelia.

Cattleya aclandiaeor Lady Ackland's cattleya

Along the border withVenezuelaliesMonte Roraima,home to manycarnivorous plants.The plants evolved to digest insects due to theoligotrophic(low level of nutrients) soil of thetepui.[27]

List of plants by ecoregion:

Threats to wildlife

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Main article:Conservation in Brazil
"At bottom right and bottom center, deforestation and cultivation are evident by the regular, rectangular shapes that delineate plots."[28]

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, includingdeforestationandpoaching.Extinction is even more problematic in theAtlantic 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 forethanolproduction. 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

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National bird Rufous-bellied thrush(sabiá)[32]
National flower Ipê-amarelo–Tecoma chrysostricha[33]
National tree Pau-brasil–Caesalpinia echinata[25]

See also

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References

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  1. ^"Amazon - World's largest tropical rain forest and river basin".World Wide Fund for Nature.Retrieved2010-06-03.
  2. ^"Mamíferos do Brasil – SBMZ".sbmz.org(in Brazilian Portuguese).Retrieved2023-07-21.
  3. ^abcdefgPalmerlee, Danny (2007).South America on a Shoestring.Lonely Planet Publications.p. 275.ISBN978-1-74104-443-0.OCLC76936293.
  4. ^"Brasil 'ganha' mais espécies de aves e reforça o título de país megadiverso".G1(in Brazilian Portuguese). 2021-07-30.Retrieved2023-07-21.
  5. ^abcDa Silva, M. and D.W. Minter. 1995.Fungi from Brazil recorded by Batista and Co-workers.Mycological Papers 169. CABI, Wallingford, UK. 585 pp.
  6. ^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 fromthe originalon 2007-11-01.Retrieved2007-11-26.
  7. ^"ICMBio - Centro Nacional de Pesquisa e Conservação de Répteis e Anfíbios - Anfíbios e Répteis do Brasil".icmbio.gov.br.Retrieved2023-07-21.
  8. ^abcdefghijMarco Lambertini (2000)."A Naturalist's Guide to the Tropics".Retrieved2007-06-19.
  9. ^Ministério do Meio Ambiente."Lista Nacional das Espécies da Fauna Brasileira Ameaçadas de Extinção"(in Portuguese).Retrieved2007-06-20.
  10. ^abLewinsohn, Thomas M.; Paulo Inácio Prado (June 2005). "How Many Species Are There in Brazil?".Conservation Biology.19(3): 619–624.doi:10.1111/j.1523-1739.2005.00680.x.S2CID84691981.
  11. ^Kirk, P.M., P.F. Cannon, D.W. Minter and J. Stalpers. 2008.Dictionary of the Fungi.Edn 10. CABI, Wallingford, UK.
  12. ^USDAForest Service website,Forest Service International Programs: Brazil,retrieved February 2007.
  13. ^"Mamíferos do Brasil – SBMZ".sbmz.org(in Brazilian Portuguese).Retrieved2023-04-23.
  14. ^"Which is the Biggest Snake?".Extreme Science.Retrieved2007-12-05.
  15. ^"Eunectes murinus".Catalogue of Life: 2006 Annual Checklist.Retrieved2007-12-05.
  16. ^Luiz Ricardo L. Simone. 2006.Land and Freshwater Molluscs of Brazil.Museu de Zoologia Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil. 390 pp.ISBN85-906670-0-6.(book review)
  17. ^Benders-Hyde, Elisabeth."Goliath Bird Eating Spider".Blue Planet Biomes.Retrieved2007-12-05.
  18. ^"Brazil in Brief: Natural Resources".Embassy of Brazil - Ottawa.Retrieved2007-12-05.
  19. ^Holmes, Bob; Gabrielle Walker (1996-09-21)."How did paradise begin?".New Scientist(2048).Retrieved2007-12-05.
  20. ^Renata Chiarini Monteiro."The Thysanoptera fauna of Brazil"(PDF).CSIRO Entomology.Retrieved2007-11-26.
  21. ^Magellanic Penguin,Organisation for the Conservation of Penguins.
  22. ^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
  23. ^Levitas, Gloria."The Amazon's Kettle of Fish",New York Times,September 11, 1988.
  24. ^"Fungi of Brazil - potential endemics".Retrieved2011-07-09.
  25. ^ab"Pau brasil profile".Global Trees Campaign. Archived fromthe originalon 2007-08-31.Retrieved2007-11-28.
  26. ^Kirkbride, Joseph H. Jr. (1995-06-11)."Brazil, National flower?".Plantbio Mailing List.Retrieved2007-11-28.
  27. ^"Tepuis".Terrestrial Ecoregions.World Wildlife Fund.Retrieved2007-11-28.
  28. ^"Visible Earth: The Amazon, Brazil".NASA.Archived fromthe originalon 2006-03-30.Retrieved2007-11-28.
  29. ^"Places We Work: The Atlantic Forest of Brazil".The Nature Conservancy.2007.Retrieved2007-12-05.
  30. ^Capobianco, João Paulo."Biodiversity in the Atlantic Forest".Brazil on CD-ROM and Internet.Ministry of External Relations.Retrieved2007-12-05.
  31. ^Aljazeera / Brazil's Ethanol for SugarCane program
  32. ^"National Bird of Brazil: Sabià - Laranjeiro".Brazil Travel.Retrieved2007-11-26.
  33. ^"National Symbols".Brazilian Embassy in Washington. Archived fromthe originalon 2007-11-14.Retrieved2007-11-26.

Sources

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  • 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:// cbro.org.br>, accessada em 28 de dezembro de 2010.

Further reading

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