Ecuador_update.qxd

Ecuador

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have been recorded per acre. The Amazon region’s rivers, lakes, streams, and marshlands support over 600 species of fish. More than 250 species of amphibians and reptiles can be found here as well. Many mammals make their homes in Ecuador’s Amazon rain forest, including armadillos, honey bears, and sloths. There are over 60 species of Amazon bats. Other mammals found in the tropical forest include tapirs, monkeys, and ocelots (or jaguars). The jungle’s shallow ponds, or lagoons, support manatees and caimans, a kind of crocodile. Approximately 1,000 species of birds live in the Oriente’s forest habitats, lagoons, and savannas. Parrots, macaws, and tanagers can be found among the trees. In the waterways, darters, herons, and gulls thrive. To preserve these precious areas, Ecuador has created protected lands such as the Yasuni National Park Biosphere Reserve, the Limoncocha

Cotopaxi, the highest active volcano in the world, in the early morning. The area around Cotopaxi is a national park.