Guyana Flora and Wildlife

Guyana is a hothouse of tropical biodiversity. Its interior is one of the last undisturbed rain forest habitats left in the world, harboring an incredibly diverse collection of plants and animals. The area is uninhabited except for scattered Amerindian tribes.

The savannahs of Guyana are of two major types. The Rupununi savannah, which is shared with Brazil and Venezuela, is the largest. This typical dry savannah in the south-west is the major cattle producing area in Guyana. In the northeast region there are tropical wet and semi-wet savannahs centering on the Berbice River system.

Rainforest covers the rest of Guyana, approximately 170,000 square km (65,600 sq. mi.) or 80% of the land mass. The rainforest is actually made up many different types of forest, including greenheart, dry evergreen, seasonal, montane, and lowland evergreen as well as swamp forest. Relatively pristine, this area has a rich biodiversity with natural habitats that have high levels of endemism. This region is also rich in Guyana's natural resources, such as, bauxite, diamonds, gold, kaolin, and manganese.

Guyana is rich in wildlife, and is home to some of the world's most beautiful birds. With the development of the Brazilian amazon, and the rapidly disappearing rainforests, Guyana may be the last sunctuary of the world's largest eagle, the Harpy.

Jaguar still roam the rain forest, and the unearthly cries of troupes of howler monkeys echo through the trees. The Giant River Otter, the Black Caiman, and the Arapaima (the largest freshwater fish in the world) swim in the rivers of the Rupununi. Flashes of scarlet, yellow and blue burst through the forest`s intense green as Macaws fly like arrows across a clearing in the canopy. Toucans swoop through the trees, while the beautiful but elusive Guyana Cock-of-the-Rock lingers around the waters of Kaieteur Falls. More than 700 indigenous species of birds adorn Guyana`s forests.

Guyana is also home to a variety of exotic animals and reptiles like the anteater, the tapir, the anaconda to name a few. Animals like the Black Cayman, the Giant Otter (water dog) and the jaguar are rare and endangered.

More details: http://www.conservation.org/Documents/CI_Konashen_COCA_Biodiversity_Book...