El Tuparro National Natural Park
Encyclopedia
The Tuparro National Natural Park is a national park
located in the in the Vichada Department
in the Orinoquía Region of Colombia
. It is the only protected area in the Eastern Plains (Llanos
Orientales) under Colombia's Natural Parks System
.
One of its main attractions is the mighty stream Raudal de Maypures, called the "Eighth Wonder of the World
" by German explorer Alexander von Humboldt
in the 19th century.
to the east, the Tomo River to the north and the Tuparro River
to the south. It was created in 1970 and covers an area of 548,000 hectares. In addition to the park's two broad types of natural ecosystems, flooded
and non-flooded savannas, it also have five types of riparian forest
s.
Average yearly rainfall is 2477 mm in the western region and 2939 mm in the eastern. Average temperature is 27°C. Savanna
s cover 75% of the area, and gallery forest
s covering the rest. Predominating plants include the Moriche Palm
and the tree Caraipa
llanorum. The dominant vegetation on the non-flooded savannas is grass.
The park is home to 74 species of mammals, 320 birds (many of them marine), 17 reptiles, 26 fish and five primate species. Amphibians are significantly diverse due to the variety of ecosystems in the area. Notable birds include guans
, curassow
s, screamer
s, eagle
s and duck
s. Mammals found on the savanna include white-tailed deer
, giant armadillo
, small savanna armadillo
, and tapir
. Peccaries
, pumas, jaguar
s inhabit the woodlands.
National park
A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or...
located in the in the Vichada Department
Vichada Department
Vichada is a department of the Republic of Colombia in South America. Vichada is located in the eastern plains of Colombia, in the Orinoquia region within the Orinoco river basin bordering the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to the north and east...
in the Orinoquía Region of Colombia
Orinoquía Region of Colombia
The Orinoquía Region is one of the five natural regions of Colombia. It is also known colloquially as Eastern Plains from the Spanish Llanos Orientales. The region covers most of the area of the departments of Meta, Arauca, Casanare and Vichada. The region is rich in oil and is apt for extensive...
. It is the only protected area in the Eastern Plains (Llanos
Llanos
The Llanos is a vast tropical grassland plain situated to the east of the Andes in Colombia and Venezuela, in northwestern South America. It is an ecoregion of the Flooded grasslands and savannas Biome....
Orientales) under Colombia's Natural Parks System
National Natural Parks System (Colombia)
The Special Administrative Unit of the National Natural Parks System is Colombian central agency that manages all the national parks and protected areas....
.
One of its main attractions is the mighty stream Raudal de Maypures, called the "Eighth Wonder of the World
Eighth Wonder of the World
Eighth Wonder of the World is a term sometimes used to describe things in comparison to the Seven Wonders of the World, the widely-known list of seven remarkable constructions of classical antiquity.-Natural places:...
" by German explorer Alexander von Humboldt
Alexander von Humboldt
Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander Freiherr von Humboldt was a German naturalist and explorer, and the younger brother of the Prussian minister, philosopher and linguist Wilhelm von Humboldt...
in the 19th century.
Geography
The flat area is bounded by the Orinoco RiverOrinoco
The Orinoco is one of the longest rivers in South America at . Its drainage basin, sometimes called the Orinoquia, covers , with 76.3% of it in Venezuela and the remainder in Colombia...
to the east, the Tomo River to the north and the Tuparro River
Tuparro River
Tuparro River is a river of Colombia found in Vichada Department. It gives its name to El Tuparro National Natural Park. Tuparro is part of the Orinoco River basin....
to the south. It was created in 1970 and covers an area of 548,000 hectares. In addition to the park's two broad types of natural ecosystems, flooded
Flooded grasslands and savannas
Flooded grasslands and savannas is a terrestrial biome. Its component ecoregions are generally located at subtropical and tropical latitudes, which are flooded seasonally or year-round...
and non-flooded savannas, it also have five types of riparian forest
Riparian forest
A riparian forest is a forested area of land adjacent to a body of water such as a river, stream, pond, lake, marshland, estuary, canal, sink or reservoir. -Etymology:...
s.
Average yearly rainfall is 2477 mm in the western region and 2939 mm in the eastern. Average temperature is 27°C. Savanna
Savanna
A savanna, or savannah, is a grassland ecosystem characterized by the trees being sufficiently small or widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to support an unbroken herbaceous layer consisting primarily of C4 grasses.Some...
s cover 75% of the area, and gallery forest
Gallery forest
Gallery forests are evergreen forests that form as corridors along rivers or wetlands and project into landscapes that are otherwise only sparsely treed such as savannas, grasslands or deserts....
s covering the rest. Predominating plants include the Moriche Palm
Moriche Palm
The Moriche Palm, Mauritia flexuosa, also known as the Ité Palm, Ita, Buriti, or aguaje , is a palm tree. It grows in and near swamps and other wet areas in tropical South America....
and the tree Caraipa
Caraipa
Caraipa is a plant genus in the family Calophyllaceae.Species include:*Caraipa ampla*Caraipa densifolia*Caraipa grandifolia*Caraipa jaramilloi*Caraipa parvifolia*Caraipa psilocarpa*Caraipa punctulata...
llanorum. The dominant vegetation on the non-flooded savannas is grass.
The park is home to 74 species of mammals, 320 birds (many of them marine), 17 reptiles, 26 fish and five primate species. Amphibians are significantly diverse due to the variety of ecosystems in the area. Notable birds include guans
Guan (bird)
The guans are a number of bird genera which make up the largest group in the family Cracidae. They are found mainly in northern South America, southern Central America, and a few adjacent Caribbean islands...
, curassow
Curassow
Curassows are one of the three major groups of cracid birds. Three of the four genera are restricted to tropical South America; a single species of Crax ranges north to Mexico...
s, screamer
Screamer
The screamers are a small family of birds, the Anhimidae. For a long time they were thought to be related to the Galliformes because of similar bills, but they are truly related to ducks , most closely to the Magpie Goose...
s, eagle
Eagle
Eagles are members of the bird family Accipitridae, and belong to several genera which are not necessarily closely related to each other. Most of the more than 60 species occur in Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just two species can be found in the United States and Canada, nine more in...
s and duck
Duck
Duck is the common name for a large number of species in the Anatidae family of birds, which also includes swans and geese. The ducks are divided among several subfamilies in the Anatidae family; they do not represent a monophyletic group but a form taxon, since swans and geese are not considered...
s. Mammals found on the savanna include white-tailed deer
White-tailed Deer
The white-tailed deer , also known as the Virginia deer or simply as the whitetail, is a medium-sized deer native to the United States , Canada, Mexico, Central America, and South America as far south as Peru...
, giant armadillo
Giant Armadillo
The giant armadillo , colloquially tatou, ocarro, tatu-canastra or tatú carreta, is the largest living species of armadillo...
, small savanna armadillo
Armadillo
Armadillos are New World placental mammals, known for having a leathery armor shell. Dasypodidae is the only surviving family in the order Cingulata, part of the superorder Xenarthra along with the anteaters and sloths. The word armadillo is Spanish for "little armored one"...
, and tapir
Tapir
A Tapir is a large browsing mammal, similar in shape to a pig, with a short, prehensile snout. Tapirs inhabit jungle and forest regions of South America, Central America, and Southeast Asia. There are four species of Tapirs: the Brazilian Tapir, the Malayan Tapir, Baird's Tapir and the Mountain...
. Peccaries
Peccary
A peccary is a medium-sized mammal of the family Tayassuidae, or New World Pigs. Peccaries are members of the artiodactyl suborder Suina, as are the pig family and possibly the hippopotamus family...
, pumas, jaguar
Jaguar
The jaguar is a big cat, a feline in the Panthera genus, and is the only Panthera species found in the Americas. The jaguar is the third-largest feline after the tiger and the lion, and the largest in the Western Hemisphere. The jaguar's present range extends from Southern United States and Mexico...
s inhabit the woodlands.