Wildlife of Brazil

The wildlife of Brazil is all the natural flora and fauna in the South American country. Home to the Amazon Rainforest, Brazil is considered to have the greatest biodiversity of any country on the planet.

Among all the countries in the world, Brazil has most known species of plants (55,000), freshwater fish (3000) and mammals (over 520).^[1] It also ranks third on the list of countries with most number of bird species (1622) and fifth on the list of countries with most number of reptile species (468).^[1] Approximately two thirds of all species, are found in tropical areas, which is often where developing contries are. The Amazon Rainforest, 60% of which is situated in Brazil, is home to more than one third of all species in the world.^[2]

There is general consensus, that Brazil has the highest number of both terrestrial vertebrates and invertebrates of any country in the world.^[3] This high diversity of fauna can be explained by the sheer size of Brazil and also the great variation in ecosystems. The numbers published about Brazil's fauna diversity can 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source to source, as taxonomists sometimes disagree about species classifications and information can be incomplete or out of date.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, sadly, some species go extinct in the wild. Brazil has the highest primate diversity of any country in the world with 77 species and fresh water fish (over 3000 species),^[3] it also claims the highest number of mammals with 524 species,^[3] the second highest number of amphibian with 517 species and butterflies with 3,150 species,^[3] the third highest number of bird with 1,622 species,^[3] and fifth number of reptile with 468 species.^[3] There is a high number of endangered species,^[4] many of them live in threatened habitats such as the Atlantic Forest.

Scientists have described between 96,660 and 128,843 invertebrate species in Brazil.^[5] 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% of biota found in the world; these figures are likely to be underestimates according to the authors.^[5]

Being a species-rich ecosystem for fauna and flora, 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 environmental habitats has increasingly come under threat. Extensive logging in the nation's forests, particularly the Amazon, both official and unofficial, destroys areas the size of a small country each year, and potentially a diverse variety of plants and animals.^[6] 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 (see bionics), and the profit potential may result in a retardation of deforestation.

Brazil's immense area is subdivided into different ecoregions in several kinds of biomes such as the Amazon Rainforest, Atlantic Forest (which included Atlantic Coast restingas), the Cerrado (tropical savanna), the Caatinga, and the Pantanal (the world's largest wetland area).

The main wild felines found in Brazil are the jaguar, the puma, the margay, the oncilla, and the jaguarundi. Other notbale animals include the giant anteater, several varieties of sloths and armadillos, coati, giant river otter, Maned Wolf, tapir, peccaries, marsh deer, Pampas deer, and capybara (the world's largest existing rodent).^[1] There are around 75 primate species, including the howler monkeys, the capuchin monkeys, the squirrel monkeys, the marmosets, and the tamarins.^[1]

About 520 thysanoptera species belonging to six families in 139 genera are found in Brazil.^[7]

The largest bird found in Brazil is rhea, a flightless ratite bird. There are many brightly colored birds, including species of parrots (esp. macaws), toucans, and trogons.

The most well-known aquatic and amphibian animals found in Brazil are the pink dolphin, the alligators (such as the Black Caiman), the pirarucu and the piranha.

Brazil has most known species of plants (55,000), among all the countries in the world.^[1] 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.

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

More than one-fifth of the Amazon rainforest in Brazil has been completely destroyed, and more than 70 mammals are endangered.^[1]

Brazil's environment is under threat because of the (quick) economic and demographic rise. Extensive logging, official and unofficial, destroys forests the size of a small country per year, and with it a diverse series of species.^[8] Between 2002 and 2006, an area of the Amazon Rainforest the size of South Carolina was completely devistated, for the purposes of raising cattle and woodlogging. By 2020, it is estimated that at least 50% of the species resident in Brazil will become extinct.^[9]

In 2005, Dorothy Stang, a 73 year old American nun, was murdered in a dispute with a local rancher. Stang wanted to preserve a swath of the rainforest, where the rancher wanted to raise cattle.^[10] In addition, the Brazilian environmental activists Chico Mendes and Wilson Pinheiro were also murdered in disputes with other local ranchers in 1988 and 1980, respectively.

According to a 2001 report by Rede Nacional de Combate ao Tráfico de Animais Silvestres or RENCTAS (Portuguese for "National Network Against the Trafficking of Wild Animals"), the wildlife smuggling is Brazil's third most profitable illegal activity, after arms and drug smuggling.^[11]. RENCTAS believes that the poachers are taking an estimated 38 million birds, animals and reptiles from the wild each year.^[12]

Brazil has declared several regions as protected areas in order to protect wildlife.

In order to protect biological and social - cultural diversity, Brazil has established an extense network of protected areas which actually covers more than 2 million sqkm (25% of Brazil´s national territory) and is divided almost equally between protected natural areas or conservation units and indigenous land (terras indígenas).

National bird	Rufous-bellied Thrush (Sabiá)[13]
National flower	Ipê-amarelo - Tecoma chrysostricha[14]

• Ethanol fuel in Brazil

• Pearson, David L. Brazil-Amazon and Pantanal. Ecotravellers Wildlife Guides. Academic Press. p. 275. ISBN 978-0125480529. OCLC 77711203. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)

• BrazilianFauna.com, a not-for profit educational website
• Brazil Nature: Ecosystem

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