In the world there are a great variety of ecosystems, which have greater or lesser species richness depending on their characteristics and geographical or climatic conditions. However, the high jungle is considered one of the regions with the greatest biodiversity on planet Earth, with various protected natural areas of great interest. Do you want to know what makes this region so special?
Keep reading this AgroCorrn article in which we tell you all about the high jungle, its characteristics, flora and fauna .
- Characteristics of the high jungle
- Flora of the high jungle
- Fauna of the high jungle
Index
Characteristics of the high jungle
The high jungle, also known as ” rupa rupa ” is an ecosystem typical of the region of Peru with very peculiar characteristics and biodiversity. It occupies the entire territory located between the Amazon and Cajamarca, extending to the south of the country and including some areas of the western flank.
Its altitude varies between 500 and 3,500 meters above sea level, so its relief is very varied, characterized by the presence of canyons and natural caves, as well as large areas of forests. In the areas near the Andes there are steep slopes, canyons, canals and caves of great tourist interest such as the Chaglla or the San Andrés cave.
Its climate is hot and humid. Its temperature is around 22ºC-25 ° C although extreme temperatures of 8 and 36 ° C have been recorded with frequent torrential rains, especially in forested areas.
Regarding the influence of the human being, it should be noted that numerous indigenous communities inhabit this territory, preserving their customs and traditions without causing practically any disturbance in the environment, since it is their home. To this is added the tourist activity in the area as well as the development of industrial activities in other countries that have an impact on the high jungle, giving rise to various environmental problems.
Flora of the high jungle
The vegetation of the high forest is very varied, being able to find a great diversity of trees, ferns, mosses, lichens and flowers divided mainly into three ecoregions: the subtropical forest of the lower zone, the misty forest of the middle zone and the small forest . located from lowest to highest altitude respectively.
In the areas of less slope it is common to find lush forests with tall trees such as fig, myrtle, willow, romerillo, cabuya, high-altitude cedar, walnut, oak, turpay, cocoa, pot-bellied, catahua and achihua as well as some ferns such as suro and chaglla.
As the altitude increases, the forest disappears and is replaced by epiphytes and smaller forests in which you can find shrubs such as the laguir, the pracksha, the huarhuash, the sulchuche, the papelillo, the etepen, the guartiro, the tabaquillo, the overo, the pichana, the sanango and the ahuarate.
On the other hand, the presence of indigenous communities has led to the planting of some species with curative properties or that serve as food, finding among their crops, coffee, tea, rice, cocoa, banana and other tropical fruits.
Fauna of the high jungle
As in the case of vegetation, there is also a great diversity of animal species , many of them endemic to the region, due to the peculiar Amazon ecosystem, and many are also in danger of extinction. Learn about the endangered animals in Peru in this other AgroCorrn article .
Mammals
Among the most representative mammals are the tapir, the spectacled bear, the jaguar, the yellow-tailed monkey, the armadillo, the American tiger, the sloth and the rock trigger.
Reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates
As for the reptiles typical of this ecosystem, we can find vipers, the mattress and other coral snakes, as well as fish such as corvina and dorado. There are also eight species of toads typical of the high jungle and species of invertebrates of great interest such as the giant snail, which can reach 15 cm in length, the coquis ant, or the leaf cutter.
Birds
Some of the most characteristic birds of the area are the condor, the gray-headed partridge, the torrent duck, the tufted eagle, the pigeon hawk and several species of parrots. The more than forty species of hummingbirds stand out, being at least nineteen of them endemic to the area, such as the bumblebee hummingbird, which is the smallest hummingbird in the world with about 6 cm in size, the giant hummingbird, which can measure up to 20 cm.
In addition, there are also animals domesticated by the indigenous communities of the area, destined for the development of livestock as occurs with the bovine subspecies Zebu.
If you want to read more articles similar to High jungle: characteristics, flora and fauna , we recommend that you enter our Ecosystems category .
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