Wildlife of Brazil

The wildlife of Brazil includes all the naturally occurring animals, plants, and fungi in the country, making Brazil the most biodiverse place on Earth. Brazil is home to 60% of the Amazon rainforest, which contains about one-tenth of all the world's species. With the greatest biodiversity of any country, Brazil has the most known types of plants, freshwater fish, amphibians, snakes, insects, and mammals.

Brazil also has many native edible fruits, with over 300 different kinds. It ranks third in the world for the number of bird and reptile species. Even though the total number of fungal species is still unknown, scientists have already found more than 3,300 types. Most of the world's species live in tropical areas, and Brazil, along with other developing countries, is a key part of this rich natural world. Only Indonesia has more endemic species than Brazil.

Biodiversity

Brazil has the most animals, plants, and tiny living things of any country in the world. This is because Brazil is very big and has many different kinds of places where animals and plants live, like the Amazon rainforest, Atlantic Forest, Cerrado, Pantanal, Pampas, and Caatinga.

Brazil has the most types of primates (131 species) and freshwater fish (over 3,150 species). It also has the most mammals (775 species), and many birds, reptiles, butterflies, and insects. Sadly, many of these animals live in places that are in danger because of human activities. Scientists think there are many more species in Brazil that we have not even discovered yet.

Ecoregions

Main article: List of ecoregions in Brazil

Brazil is a very large country with many different places where animals and plants live. These places are called ecoregions. Brazil has many kinds of areas, like the jungles of the Amazon rainforest, the forests near the coast called the Atlantic Forest, wide open fields known as the Cerrado, dry areas named the Caatinga, and a huge wet area called the Pantanal. All these different places help Brazil have so many kinds of living things.

Animals

Brazil is home to many interesting animals. You can find wild canids like the maned wolf, bush dog, and pampas fox. There are also felines such as the jaguar, the puma, and the ocelot. Other notable animals include the giant anteater, sloths, armadillos, and the capybara, which is the world's largest rodent. Brazil also has many primates, such as the howler monkey and the capuchin monkey.

Brazil has many insects, birds, and aquatic animals. The anaconda is one of the largest snakes in the world. Brazil is also home to the heaviest spider, the Goliath birdeater. With over 1,600 bird species, you can see many types of birds, including parrots, toucans, and hummingbirds. Brazil has many freshwater fish, such as the piranha, and other aquatic animals like the pink dolphin and caimans.

Main articles: List of non-marine molluscs of Brazil and List of marine molluscs of Brazil

There are 1,107 known species of non-marine molluscs in Brazil.

Brazil has more insects than any other country, with over 70,000 known species. Some estimates suggest there could be as many as 15 million species, with new ones being discovered almost every day. One report from 1996 found between 50,000 and 60,000 species of insects and spiders in just one hectare of rainforest.

Fungi

Brazil has an amazing variety of fungi, even though scientists have only recently started studying them. Researchers in Pernambuco discovered many different types of fungi on just one leaf, sometimes finding up to ten types! Early guesses suggest there may be over 2000 types of fungi that only live in Brazil. Fungi can often be seen in many places throughout the country.

Plants

Brazil has the most plant species of any country in the world, with 55,000 different kinds of plants. About 30% of these plants grow only in Brazil and nowhere else. The Atlantic Forest area has many types of forests, including tropical and subtropical moist forests, tropical dry forests, tropical savannas, and mangrove forests. The Pantanal region is a wetland home to around 3,500 plant species. The Cerrado is the most diverse savanna in the world.

Forests cover about 59% of Brazil’s land. In 2020, there were about 496 million hectares of forest, with 485 million hectares being naturally growing forests and 11 million hectares planted by people. Many of these forests are protected, and some are owned by the government while others are on private land. The pau-brasil tree, which gave Brazil its name, was once common along the coast but is now rare because people cut it down for its valuable wood and dye. Since synthetic dyes were invented, people harvest pau-brasil less. Brazil is also home to many beautiful orchids, including types like Cattleya, Oncidium, and Laelia.

Brazil has many special plants growing in different areas. Along its border with Venezuela is Monte Roraima, where plants have learned to eat insects because the soil there has few nutrients.

Threats to wildlife

Main article: Conservation in Brazil

A lot of Brazil's forests, including parts of the Amazon Rainforest, have been lost. This is very bad for the animals that live there. Many animals are in danger because of things like cutting down trees and taking animals from the wild. In some areas, almost all the trees have been cut down, leaving animals with nowhere to live. This is especially hard on animals in the Atlantic Forest, where very few trees are left. Many animals in Brazil are now at risk of disappearing forever because of these changes to their homes.