From mankind to giant river otters: Tambopata is home to many large mammals
21 December 2015 (2937 visits)The enormous biological diversity of Peru’s Tambopata National Reserve is due to the variety of ecosystems it is home to, as well as its extensive wetland areas.
Tambopata National Reserve and our own Tambopata Ecolodge Private Conservation Area offer a refuge for many major species classified as endangered in other parts of the Peruvian Amazon basin. The forests that flank the Tambopata River are among the best places in South America for ecotourism and the observation, photographing and appreciation of an incredible range of wild fauna and flora.
Tambopata is also home to people. The indigenous communities of Palma Real, Sonene and Infierno are located in the Reserve’s buffer zone. These native people are members of the Ese Eja linguistic group, while the people of Kotsimba belong to the Puquirieri ethno-linguistic group.
Within Tambopata National Reserve, the presence has been reported of some 632 species of birds, 1200 butterfly species, 103 amphibians, 180 kinds of fish, 103 reptiles and 169 mammals.
The reserve’s lake systems and forests provide the ideal habitat for several endangered Amazon mammalian species, such as giant river otters (Pteronura brasiliensis), the neo-tropical otter (Lontra longicaudis), the eyra cat (Herpailurus yagouaroundi), the puma (Puma concolor), jaguar (Panthera onca) and ocelot (Leopardus wiedii).
Primate species found in the Tambopata area include spider monkeys (Ateles chamek), brown-mantled tamarins (Saguinus fuscicollis), emperor tamarins (Saguinus imperator), howler monkeys (Alouatta seniculus), black-headed night monkeys (Aotus nigriceps), brown woolly monkeys (Lagothrix lagotricha), black-capped squirrel monkeys (Saimiri boliviensis), squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus), white-fronted capuchins (Cebus albifrons) and tufted capuchins (Cebus apella).
Other large mammal species found with the Tambopata National Reserve include the South American tapir (Tapirus terrestris), white-lipped peccary (Tayassu pecari), collared peccary (Tayassu tajacu), red brocket deer (Mazama americana), gray deer (Mazama gouazoubira) and two-toed (Choloepus hoffmanni) and three-toed sloths (Bradypus variegatus).
