Flora and Fauna from Ecuador

The Biodiversity wealth That presents Ecuador, has led him to be classified, according to the World Fund for Nature (WWF), such as the eighth country worldwide in terms of species diversity. The vast variety of species is due, in part, to the plurality of ecosystems that the country has. To dimension the diversity of landscapes of this country, in the next list, we will mention the 4 great geographical regions of Ecuador and the ecosystems that are in each of them.

• Amazon region: divided into the high Amazon and the Amazon plain.
• Andean region: There you can find mountains, valleys, lagoons and snowy peaks. Here you can read about the Andean region: characteristics, flora and fauna.
• Coastal region: Formed by plains, sedimentary basins, foothills and a little high height.
• Insular region: It is an archipelago of volcanic origin with interrelated terrestrial and marine ecosystems.

While there are species that are endemic to each geographical region, some species may be present in more than one region. In common, Ecuadorian species are conditioned by 3 factors:

• Location: Width, the Ecuadorian territory is crossed by the Equatorial Land line. This determines that the climates in the plain areas of the country are tropical and the temperature is constant all year.
• Cordillera de los Andes: The presence of the mountain range throughout a tropical country such as Ecuador, increases the diversity of environments that favor the development of biodiversity. Also, the altitudinal gradient of the mountain range imposes climatic strata that are the habitat of many species.
• Sea currents: The presence of a warm current, also called the child and a cold current, known as Humboldt, diversify the number of environments, especially those of the coastal and insular region.

In Ecuador, approximately 8% of the species of vascular plants registered in the world are found and, in fact, around 4,500 species are considered endemic. Next, we will develop the Plant species of Ecuador more relevant:

Orchids

Ecuador has More than 4,000 orchid speciesof which almost 40% are endemic to the country. Although they are distributed throughout the Ecuadorian territory, the greatest abundance of orchids is in the Andes region. Some species of endemic orchids of Ecuador are: Vampire Dracula, Lepanthes Caprimulgus and Ecuadorella Harlingii.

Palms

Las Palmas are distributed by The entire Ecuadorian surface. For example, the tagua (Phytelefhas aequatorialis) It is a palm originally from Ecuador with a wide distribution within the country. In contrast, there are other species of palm that are typical of the different geographical regions. The napa (Manicaria Saccifera) and the ungurahua (Oenocarpus Bataua) are found in the coastal region, while Zeroxylon Amazonicum and Wettinia aequatorialis They are in the Amazon region.

Andina Passiflora

This species, Endemic from Ecuadorit has no vulgar name but its denomination is through its scientific name. As the name implies, it is typical of the Andean region and, unfortunately, it is in danger of extinction for deforestation and changes in land use.

Guayabillo

Scientifically known as Psidium galapageiumit is a high height, endemic tree of the island region, more precisely The Galapagos Islands. It has yellow fruits, which as they mature turn black and whitish flowers.

We invite you to discover more about the flora and fauna of the Galapagos Islands. In addition, here you can meet the plants in danger of extinction in Ecuador.

As we learned so far, Ecuador presents a huge amount of plant species. As for animal species, it is not far behind, such is that it presents 18% of bird species that have been recorded in the world. In this section we will summarize the species of Animals of Ecuador more emblematic:

Giant turtles

The complex Chelonoidis Nigra It is a group of closely related species, which encompasses 10 species of giant turtles characteristics of the Galapagos Islands. These are large land quelonios species that can live for more than 200 years. Discover more about what animals live more years reading this other post.

Marina iguana

Endemic to the Galapagos Islands, this species (Amblyrhynchus Cristatus) is the only current iguana that It depends on marine ecosystems living. They feed exclusively with algae and stand out for their ability to swim.

TSÁCHILA TROUSE RANA

This species (Engystomops Coloradorum) is endemic to the west of Ecuador and inhabits the humid tropical forests. Its appearance is extremely particular, since it is brown with irregular bumps in its back.

Emerald hummingbird

This specimen (Chaetcercus Berlepschi) It is exclusively in Ecuadorprecisely in tropical humid forests. It stands out for its emerald color, hence its name, although its neck presents a bluish hue and its belly is whitish.

Arnejo

This kind of Vizcacha (Lagidium ahuacaense) is only southern Ecuadorian territory and there was a population that lives in the rock area of ​​the El Ahuaca hill. With respect to its anatomy, it is medium-sized with a gray-brown and lighter fur towards the lower parts.

Now that you know the flora and fauna of Ecuador better, then we will list some species of Animals in danger of extinction of Ecuador:

• Giant turtle from the Spanish (Chelonoidis Hoodensis).
• Darwin Manglero Pinch (GALHYCHUS HELIOBATES).
• Negructuca seagull (Larus Fuliginosus).
• Zamarrito Pechinegro (Eriocnemis nigrivestis).
• Brown head spider monkey (Ateles Fuscipes Fuscipes).
• GlassesTremarctos ornatus).
• Papagayo de Guayaquil (ARA ambiguus guayaquilensis).
• Galapagos penguin (Spheniscus mendendulus).
• Pacific Jambeato (ATELOPUS ELEGANS).

Here you can discover more about endangered animals in Ecuador.

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