Missionary or paranaense jungle: characteristics, animals and plants

We start with Locate the missionary jungle and talk about their caractristciassuch as its extension, temperatures, rainfall and strata.

Location and extension

Until only a hundred years ago, this area extended along one million square kilometers uninterrupted within the countries of Brazil, Paraguay and Argentinabut today its surface has been reduced to about 54 thousand square kilometers, that is, 20 times less surface of what it owned a hundred years ago. The reason is that it is one of the most threatened ecosystems in the world, due to mass felling and the exploitation of its fauna. In its territory, only 10% of its surface is protected, and sometimes that protection only exists on paper. At present, the jungle areas of this jungle are fragmented in isolated green islands by farms, pines, roads, cities that have been developed by the exploitation of the jungle and its resources and by the cultivation plantations.

Rainfall and temperature

The jungle is characterized by a high amount of rainfall throughout the year, with about 2,000 mm per year. It has a variable humidity between 75% and 90%, with sprinkle during the night, and temperatures ranging from the 16ºC on winter and the 25ºC on average in summer, reaching up to about 40ºC of maximum.

Missionary jungle strata

We can divide the jungle into three strata, with reddish soils, where we find a large number of branches, decomposition trunks, leaves, fungi, mosses and lichens. In this first stratum, we find many ferns, herbs, pastures and small plants. In the Sotobosque we find various varieties of shrubs, reeds and tree offspring. Finally, in the highest or most emerging stratum trees can be seen that reach heights between 12 and 40 meters, and that fight to reach sunlight.

The Missionary or Paranaense jungle It has a great diversity of flowers, particularly in the Brazilian area, which has an average of up to 400 different species per hectare. In Brazil, the Paranaense jungle is found as an extension of the Amazon jungle, where it occupies up to 17 states.

There are some 200 varieties of treesbut the most prominent among the Flora of the missionary jungle are:

Black lapacho (Handroanthus heptophyllus)

The black lapacho is a tropical and subtropical tree that reaches up to 30 meters high and a maximum diameter of 1.5 meters

Pino Paraná (Araucaria Angustifolia)

This tree is the colossus of the missionary jungle, reaching heights of up to 40 meters and diameters of 1.50. It has a glass -shaped glass. This tree has been declared a provincial natural in 1986, so its extraction is prohibited in the province of Misiones, Argentina.

Pink stick (Aspidosperma Polyneuron)

This is the tree that reaches a greater height of the jungle, reaching more than 40 meters and diameters of 1.60, but counting the straight stick 20 to 30 meters. However, its presence today is scarce, due to indiscriminate felling, so it is protected in Iguazú National Park.

This area of ​​the planet has a large and very diverse fauna, despite the exploitation it suffers, as well as the Amazon jungle. For example, it has even A million and a half of animal speciesincluding insects although they are the most complicated to account. It is estimated that only 2% of the invertebrates living in the world inhabit this place. It also houses a great diversity of mammalian species, birds, amphibians and reptiles. Thus up to about 1,500 species and, approximately, Half of the animal species of the missionary jungle are endemic.

Invertebrates

Within the invertebrates, we find a great diversity of spiders and butterflies in this jungle region. Learn more about the characteristics of butterflies, where they live, what they eat, types and curiosities with this other post of ecology.

Birds

Among the bird species are parrots or parrots, such as macaws that are in danger, there are also eagles and toucans, which are some of the most colorful species of birds of the missionary jungle.

Mammals

There are also a lot of mammals such as bats, river wolves, otters, capibaras, foxes, otters, coatis (such as those in the image below) or small rodents. There are monkeys such as Red Cayá or the Cae monkey, which are very sought after by fauna photographers.

We also find antiques and tapirs. Among the most exotic and difficult to see are the jaguar or yaguareté, the ocelot or the puma.

In this other article we tell you why the jaguar is in danger of extinction and in this other about why is the ocelot in danger of extinction, two of the emblematic species of the missionary jungle.

Reptiles

Among the reptiles there are turtles, lizards, common caimanes and yacarés or caimanes of Para. A large amount of snakes and vipers (including some highly poisonous), such as yarará or rattlesnake.

The Missionary or Paranaense jungle it’s a Highly threatened ecosystem due to the deforestation and exploitation of its fauna and water resources. Therefore, there are different foresee protection projects and its fauna.

For example, the World Wide Fundation for Nature organizes a protection project with multiple participating organizations such as non -governmental organizations, universities, technicians, local residents or the government. Also, species such as Tapir, Hormiguero or Jaguar or Yaguareté have been protected since 1989 as a provincial and public interest natural monument, which prohibits their hunting and possession throughout the territory of the province of Misiones.

If you want to read more articles similar to Missionary or paranaense jungle: characteristics, animals and plantswe recommend that you enter our category of ecosystems.