El Tuparro National Natural Park

El Tuparro National Natural Park (Spanish: Parque Nacional Natural El Tuparro) is a national park located 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.

Parque Nacional Natural El Tuparro
El Tuparro National Natural Park
Map showing the location of Parque Nacional Natural El Tuparro
Map showing the location of Parque Nacional Natural El Tuparro
Nearest cityPuerto Carreño, Colombia
Coordinates5°17′N 68°4′W
Area5,480 km2 (2,120 sq mi)[1]
Established1970
Governing bodySINAP

One of its main attractions is the mighty stream Raudal de Maypures (Maipures Rapids), called the "Eighth Wonder of the World" by German explorer Alexander von Humboldt in the 19th century.[2]

Geography

The area is bounded by the Orinoco River to the east, the Tomo River to the north and the Tuparro River to the south.[1] The park was created in 1970 and covers an area of 548k hectares (about 1.3 mil acres). In addition to flooded and non-flooded savannas, the park's two main types of habitat, it also has areas of riparian forest.[3]

Average yearly rainfall is 2477 mm in the western region and 2939 mm in the eastern. Average temperature is 27 °C.[4] Savannas cover roughly 75% of the area, with gallery forest covering the rest.[4] Predominating trees include the Moriche palm and the Caraipa llanorum.[3] The dominant vegetation on the savannas is grass.[4]

The park is home to around 74 species of mammals, 320 birds (many of them aquatic or migratory from the coast),[2] 17 reptiles, 26 fish and five primate species.[5] Amphibians are significantly diverse, in the hundreds to thousands of species, due to the variety of pristine ecosystems in the area.[3] Notable birds include guan, curassow, screamers, eagles and ducks. Mammals found in the park include Brazilian tapir, brocket deer, giant armadillo, grison, hairy armadillo, jaguarundi, margay, nine-banded armadillo, puma, jaguar, ocelot, oncilla, squirrel monkeys, tayra, titi monkeys, white-lipped peccary and white-tailed deer.[1]

References

Citations
  1. "Biosphere Reserve Information, El Tuparro". UNESCO. Retrieved 10 July 2010.
  2. "Parque Nacional Natural El Tuparro" (in Spanish). Parques Nacionales Naturales de Colombia. Archived from the original on 22 July 2011. Retrieved 10 July 2010.
  3. "Naturaleza y Ciencia del Parque Nacional Natural El Tuparro" (in Spanish). Parques Nacionales Naturales de Colombia. Archived from the original on 22 July 2011. Retrieved 10 July 2010.
  4. Villegas & Sesana 2007, p. 368
  5. Villegas & Sesana 2007, p. 371

Works cited
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