Neotropical realm

The Neotropical realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms that make up Earth's land surface. It covers warm and cool areas across the Americas. This includes all of the tropical lands and the temperate zone of South America.

The Neotropical realm is very important because it has many different plants and animals, many of which live only here. Famous places in this realm are the Amazon Rainforest and the Andes Mountains. This makes it a key part of Earth's natural world.

Definition

In biogeography, the Neotropical realm is one of the eight main areas where land animals and plants live on Earth. It includes South America, Central America, the Caribbean Islands, and the southern parts of North America. In Mexico, places like the Yucatán Peninsula and parts of the coastlines are also part of this realm. Even some areas in the southern United States, like South Florida, belong to the Neotropical realm.

This realm is special because it has many tropical rainforests, more than any other area on Earth. These forests stretch from southern Mexico through Central America and into southern Brazil, including the huge Amazon rainforest. These rainforests are very important for protecting many different kinds of plants and animals. They are also home to many indigenous peoples who have lived there for a long time.

Major ecological regions

The World Wide Fund divides the Neotropical realm into special areas called bioregions. These areas share similar plants and animals, even if they look different.

There are many kinds of forests and lands here. Some are warm and wet like tropical rainforests and cloud forests. Others are dry and grassy like the Cerrado and Caatinga. Big forests like the Amazon rainforest stretch across many countries. Some cooler forests in the south have special, very old trees.

History

See also: History of South America

South America was once part of a huge landmass called Gondwana, which also included Africa, Australia, India, New Zealand, and Antarctica. Many plants and animals in this area share similar traits.

Over time, Gondwana broke apart, and South America moved away from Africa. Around 66 million years ago, a big event changed many plants and animals there. Later, South America connected with North America through the Isthmus of Panama. This allowed animals from both continents to move between them. For example, some animals from South America, like the ancestors of the Virginia opossum, went north, while others from North America, like the ancestors of the llama, came south.

Endemic animals and plants

The Neotropical realm is home to many animals and plants found nowhere else on Earth. It has many bird families that live only here, including tanagers, rheas, tinamous, curassows, antbirds, ovenbirds, toucans, and seriemas. Two special bird families are hummingbirds and wrens.

Many mammal groups are also unique to this area. These include anteaters, sloths, and armadillos, as well as New World monkeys. Other special mammals are solenodons, rodents like capybaras and guinea pigs, and opossums.

The Neotropics also have many fish species that live only here. The red-bellied piranha is one well-known fish from this area. Other unique fish groups include electric fishes, tetras, armoured catfishes, and special cichlids.

There are also many interesting reptiles, amphibians, and insects that are mainly found in the Neotropics. These include caimans, coral snakes, poison dart frogs, special kinds of butterflies, and unique bees and bugs.

The Neotropics have many plant species that grow only in this region. Some important plant families include Hymenophyllopsidaceae, Marcgraviaceae, and Caryocaraceae. Plants that originated here and are important to people include potatoes, tomatoes, cacao trees (which give us chocolate), maize (corn), passion fruit, guava, lima beans, cotton, cassava, sweet potatoes, amaranth, and quinoa.