Nicaragua Flora and Fauna

Nicaragua Flora and Fauna

By Dr. Kyle Muller

Nicaragua is in Central America with an extension of 130,370 km2limiting with Costa Rica and Honduras, and with coasts that extend throughout the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean. In addition, in its territory there are two major lakes: Lake Lake and Nicaragua. Nicaragua is one of the largest countries in Central America and has a very varied landscape, with unique freshwater habitats, spectacular marine environments, a wide variety of forests. These ecosystems support a great biodiversity, which is unfortunately in danger of disappearing.

If you want to know more about the flora and fauna of this tropical country, continue reading this interesting ecology article in which you will find a Nicaragua’s Flora and Fauna Summary.

Nicaragua’s Flora and Fauna Characteristics

We started by explaining a bit how Nicaragua’s flora and fauna is. The influence of the weather and the relief in the Nicaraguan flora and fauna They make both certain characteristics:

  • As soon as the Nicaragua vegetationit is characterized by being tropical and subtropical nature and there are species of ferns, angiosperms and gymnosperms. In addition, the largest Flora families found in Nicaragua are Orchidaceae, Poaceae, Fabaceae, Mimosaceae and Caesalpiniaceae. The great diversity of flora found in this country is due to the large amount of habitats found in the area, for example there are different types of forests, undulations of the land that create a great effect on diversity, hills between 400-500 meters, there are also phenomena of currents or spare making it rain alone in lower areas, therefore creating different habitats.
  • The Nicaragua fauna It is characterized by being very rich and varied, among it are antiques, armadillos, different species of monkeys, there are also reptiles such as alligators, lizards or snakes, among the bird species there are herons, hummingbirds, urracans, pelicans, vultures, and even in this habitat is the quetzal. As for aquatic and curious species, in the lake called great lake, fresh water sharks can be found.

Flora of Nicaragua

Among the Nicaragua plants There are some species such as:

  • Alstonia Longifolia OCOpalchi: It is a kind of tree that is distributed by the perennifolian forests of Nicaragua. They measure between 8 and 12 meters high, their leaves are simple lanceolate and verticilated, their flowers are white with a medium size and their fruits contain many seeds, being in two woody round follicles.
  • Arborea cushion o Lorito plant: Tree species that is distributed mainly in the Atlantic region. It measures between 15 and 30 meters, its leaves are bipinnate and alternate compounds, its flowers have white heads and their fruits have intense red pods, wrinkled, twisted, elongated and velvety, which contain black seeds. The wood of this tree is used in the construction of furniture such as beds, chairs, tables, among others.
  • Strelitzia Reginae o Planta from paradise: It is a herbaceous Perene plant, also known as a bird flower or library. Although it is originally from South Africa, it is also located in Nicaragua, among other South American countries. This herbaceous can reach up to 1.5 m high. Its leaves are large oval and oblong, persistent, petiolate and grayish green. The stem is holding approximately 8 flowers composed of large sepals and orange yellow color, and three petals of an intense blue color. This plant can be taken care of in the garden or even in a large pot. Here you can know the care of the AVE Plant of Paradise.

Nicaragua Flora and Fauna - Flora de Nicaragua

Nicaragua fauna

Having learned a little about some of Nicaragua’s Flora species, we went on to comment on the fauna, which is also very diverse. Among the Nicaragua animals There are some species such as:

  • Tayassu Pecari o Mount pig: It is a mammal belonging to the family of wild boars. It measures approximately one meter and can weigh up to 50 kg. It has a dark reddish fur, less under the lip and neck, that the color is white. This animal, also called Pecarรญ Barbiblanco, lives in Manada, and is very threatened by hunting, since its meat has great value, in addition to its threat the reduction of forests is added.
  • STETELLA ATENUATA or stained dolphin: In general, this dolphin has a thin and long snout, both the lower and upper part of its jaws are dark, being separated by thin white lines. The belly, the chin and throat of these dolphins are white to light gray, and the flanks separate into three bands of color, going from light to dark gray. They have a life expectancy of approximately 40 years, and in their adult life they reach up to 2.5 meters long and weigh one 120 kg.
  • GEOFFROYI ATELES or spider monkey: It is located in Nicaragua, mainly in large natural reserves such as the Bosawรกs Biosphere Reserve and the Indian Biological Reserve. His fur is black or brown and both his arms and legs are long and very flexible, they also have a presile tail. Here you can read why the spider monkey is in danger of extinction.

To learn more about Nicaraguan fauna, we encourage you to read this other post about animals in danger of extinction in Nicaragua.

Nicaragua Flora and Fauna - Nicaragua Fauna

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Kyle Muller
About the author
Dr. Kyle Muller
Dr. Kyle Mueller is a Research Analyst at the Harris County Juvenile Probation Department in Houston, Texas. He earned his Ph.D. in Criminal Justice from Texas State University in 2019, where his dissertation was supervised by Dr. Scott Bowman. Dr. Mueller's research focuses on juvenile justice policies and evidence-based interventions aimed at reducing recidivism among youth offenders. His work has been instrumental in shaping data-driven strategies within the juvenile justice system, emphasizing rehabilitation and community engagement.
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