Amazonia

The Amazon not only encompasses the largest tropical forest in the world; but is also home to one in ten known species on earth.

At its heart flows the Amazon River, over more than 6,600 km, and along with its hundreds of tributaries, contains the largest number of species of freshwater fish in the world.

The arboreal canopy of the Amazon helps regulate temperature and humidity, and is closely linked to regional climate patterns through forest-dependent hydrological cycles. Because of the huge amount of carbon stored in the Amazon forests, there is an enormous potential to alter global climate if it is not properly managed. The Amazon contains between 90 and 140 billion metric tons of carbon, and the release of just one part would accelerate global warming significantly.

Over the past 50 years, the Amazon has lost at least 17% of its forest cover, its connectivity has been increasingly affected, and numerous endemic species have been subject to resource exploitation waves.

In the BioDomo are some of the most representative species of this ecosystem as the sloth, the six banded armadillo or the gray-winged trumpeter.

Animal Species

Axolotl

Ambystoma mexicanum

Baron’s green racer

Philodryas baroni

Giant wood-rail

Aramides ypecaha

Gray-winged trumpeter

Psophia crepitans

Green Arasarí

Pteroglossus viridis

Green iguana

Iguana iguana

Lady Amherst’s pheasant

Chrysolophus amherstiae

Mata mata

Chelus fimbriatus

Northern cardinal

Cardinalis cardinalis

Red eye treefrog

Agalychnis callidryas

Six banded armadillo

Euphractus sexcinctus

Southern two-toed sloth

Choloepus didactylus

Spangled cotinga

Cotinga cayana

White-lipped tamarin

Saguinus labiatus

White-throated toucan

Ramphastos tucanus

Plant species

Blue passion flower

Passiflora caerulea

Cockspur coral tree

Erythrina crista-galli

Cuban royal palm

Roystonea regia

Expanded lobsterclaw

Heliconia latispatha

Feijoa

Acca selloviana

Fountainbush

Russelia equisetiformis

Indian nut

Thevetia peruviana

Jacaranda

Jacaranda mimosifolia

Jelly palm

Butia capitata

Night-blooming cestrum

Cestrum nocturnum

Paperflower

Bougainvillea glabra

Paurotis palm

Acoelorraphe wrightii

Pink lapacho

Tabebuia impetiginosa

Purple secretia

Tradescantia pallida

Queen palm

Syagrus romanzoffiana

Silk fross tree

Chorisia speciosa

Spanish moss

Tillandsia usneoides

Trumpet tree

Handroanthus ochraeus

Virginia creeper

Partenocissus quinquefolia

Wild-sage

Lantana camara

Winterbourn philodendron

Philodendron xanadu

Woody jelly palm

Butia eriospatha

Yellow trumpetbush

Tecoma stans

Yvyrá-pytá

Peltophorum dubium

Zebrina pendula

Tradescantia zebrina