South America: the plants and animals that inhabit it

2024 Author: Harold Hamphrey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:06

South America… Plants and animals of this region have attracted increased attention for centuries. It is here that a huge number of unique animals live, and the flora is represented by truly unusual plants. It is unlikely that in the modern world you can meet a person who would not agree to visit this continent at least once in his life.

General geographical description

In fact, a huge continent called South America. Plants and animals are also diverse here, however, according to experts, all of them are largely due to the geographical location and features of the formation of the earth's surface.

The continent is washed on both sides by the waters of the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. The main part of its territory is located in the southern hemisphere of the planet. The connection of the mainland with North America occurred during the Pliocene era during the formation of the Isthmus of Panama.

The Andes are a seismically active mountainsystem stretching along the western border of the continent. To the east of the ridge flows the largest Amazon River, and almost the entire area is covered with plants of the equatorial forests of South America.

Among other continents, this one ranks 4th in area and 5th in population. There are two versions of the appearance of people in this territory. Perhaps the settlement occurred through the Bering Isthmus, or the first people came from the South Pacific.

Unusual features of the local climate

South America is the wettest continent on the planet with six climate zones. In the north there is a subequatorial belt, and in the south there are belts of subequatorial, tropical, subtropical and temperate climates. The northwest coast and lowlands of the Amazon have high humidity and an equatorial climate.

From the equatorial belt to the north and south, there is a subequatorial zone, where air masses of the equatorial type in summer with a large amount of precipitation and dry tropical air in winter alternate. Trade winds influence the weather in the tropical zone in the east. It is mostly humid and hot here. In the center, rainfall is less, but the dry winter period lasts longer.

On the Pacific coast and the western slopes (between 5° and 30° S) is a dry tropical climate zone with low temperatures. The cold waters of the Peruvian current prevent the formation of precipitation and form fogs. Here is the driest desert in the world - Atacama. In the south of the Brazilian Highlands, located in the subtropicalzone, humid subtropical climate, closer to the center of the mainland it is already becoming drier.

On the Pacific coast, a subtropical climate of the Mediterranean type prevails with dry, hot summers and mild, wet winters. The south of the continent is also characterized by a temperate climate, characterized by contrast. On the coast of the west, it is of a temperate maritime type with rainy, cool summers and warm winters. In the east, the climate is temperate continental: summers are warm and dry, while winters, on the contrary, are cool. The weather conditions of the Andes belong to the climate of altitudinal zoning.

Local flora conditioning

If you ask experts what plants are considered the most common in South America, you can get something like this: “Very different! And most of them are actually found nowhere else in the world.”

The development of flora began in the Mesozoic era and, starting from the Tertiary period, was completely isolated from other lands. Because of this, South American plants are so diverse and famous for their endemism.

Many modern cultural representatives of the flora originate in South America, one of them is the well-known potato. But the cocoa tree, hevea rubber, cinchona are now grown on other continents.

On the continent, experts identify the Neotropical and Antarctic floristic regions. The first is similar to the flora of Africa, and the second is similar to the flora of Antarctica, New Zealand and Australia. Despite this,there are differences in the types of vegetation and species composition. Savannah is typical for Africa, and tropical rainforests (selvases) predominate in South America. Such forests cover areas with an equatorial climate and the slopes of the Brazilian and Guiana highlands from the Atlantic side.

Under the influence of climate, forests turn into savannahs. In Brazil, the savannahs (campos) consist mainly of cereal vegetation. In Venezuela and Guiana, in the savannahs (llanos), in addition to cereals, palm trees grow. In the Brazilian Highlands, in addition to the flora of the typical savannah, there are species that are resistant to drought. The northeast of the highlands is occupied by caatinga, which is a rare forest of drought-resistant trees. The humid part of the southeast is covered with subtropical araucaria forests and representatives of the undergrowth, including Paraguayan tea. Inside the highlands of the Andes are lands with mountain-tropical desert greenery. Subtropical vegetation occupies small areas of the mainland.

The cover of the eastern La Plata Plain mainly consists of grass-forb plants (feather grass, bearded vulture, fescue) and belongs to the second type of South American flora. This is the subtropical steppe, or pampa. Closer to the Brazilian Highlands, steppe plants are combined with shrubs. The Pacific coast is characterized by thickets of evergreen shrubs.

In Patagonia, vegetation of arid steppes and semi-deserts of temperate latitudes (bluegrass, cactus, mimosa and others) prevails. The extreme south-west of the continent, covered with multi-tiered evergreen forests of coniferous and deciduous species, is distinguished by its diversity.

Cinchona

If any continent can still surprise the seasoned traveler, it's South America. The plants and animals here are truly outlandish. The cinchona alone is worth something.

By the way, it became famous thanks to the healing properties of its bark, with which the natives treated malaria. The tree is named after the wife of the Viceroy of Peru, who was cured of a fever with cinchona bark in 1638.

The height of the tree reaches 15 meters, the evergreen leaves are shiny, and at the ends of the branches are collected inflorescences of pink or white flowers. The entire crown has a reddish tint. Only the bark of the tree is curative. Now the so-called cinchona grows in many parts of the world.

Chocolate tree

The cocoa tree is native to South America. Its seeds are used to make chocolate, hence the name.

For the sake of these seeds, the species is now cultivated all over the world. The tree reaches a height of 8 meters, and also has large dark green leaves and small pinkish-white flowers collected in inflorescences.

It blooms and bears fruit almost all year round. Fruit ripening occurs from 4 to 9 months. The lifespan of a tree is 25-50 years.

Hevea brazilian

A unique tree that is a source of natural rubber found in milky juice (latex). Latex is found in all parts of the rubber plant.

This is an evergreen tree up to 30 meters high with a straight trunk up to 50 cm thick and lightbark. The leaves are leathery, trifoliate, pointed, oval in shape and clustered at the ends of the branches.

Change of foliage occurs annually. The species belongs to monoecious plants with unisexual small flowers of white-yellow color, collected in simple inflorescences. The fruit with dense ovoid seeds is a three-leaved box.

South American animals

There are many rare and interesting species of flora on the mainland. These include sloths, armadillos, vicuñas, alpacas and others. American ostriches and rhea have taken refuge in the pampas, while seals and penguins live in the cold south.

Endangered giant river turtles are found in the Galapogos Islands of the Pacific Ocean. Many animals cannot be found on other continents. For example, the Titicaca whistler, the wingless great grebe and the pood deer.

All animals living in South America are adapted to harsh environmental conditions.

Kinkajou

The animal loves honey, for which it received the name "kinkajou", which translates as "honey bear". But kinkajou is not at all unlike bears and belongs to the raccoon family.

The length of the animal - from 43 to 56 cm, slightly bulging big eyes, round head and ears. The coat is dense and short, brown on the back, and slightly lighter on the belly. Many individuals have a dark stripe on their backs.

In addition to honey, it feeds on plants, fruits, insects and small animals, does not disdain eggs and chicks. These are nocturnal solitary animals, meeting with relatives only for reproduction.

Spectacled bear

What animals in South America are still attracting attention? Spectacled bear, of course! He does not like open areas and lives in mountain forests. The animal weighs up to 140 kg, body length - up to 1.8 m, height at the withers - up to 80 cm.

There are white or reddish spots around the eyes and on the nose. They are sometimes on the chest. The fur is thick black or with a brownish tinge. The eyes are round and small. Paws are long with large claws for digging the ground. Other bears have 14 pairs of ribs, while the spectacle bear has only 13. It feeds mainly on plant foods or small insects and animals.

This nocturnal animal builds its shelter in the trees and does not hibernate in winter. The organs of the beast are used in medicine, which is why their population is rapidly declining. The animal is listed in the Red Book.

Jaguarundi

This small feline predator resembles a weasel or a cat. Jaguarundi has a long body (about 60 cm) with short legs, a small round head with triangular ears. Height at the withers reaches 30 cm, weight - up to 9 kg.

Wool of a uniform color of gray, red or reddish-brown, of no commercial value. Found in forests, savannahs or wetlands.

Feeds on insects, small animals and fruits. The jaguarundi lives and hunts alone, meets with other individuals only for breeding.

Here it is, unusual, amazing, alluring and bewitching South America, which plants and animals useespecially popular not only among scientists who connect their lives with the study of the continent, but also among curious tourists seeking to discover something new.