KidZone Geography: Brazil

Habitats

The range of environments in Brazil means there are lots of very different places for animals to live. As such, there are many unique animals in Brazil.

A Monkey
Photographed by Diego Guzman on Unsplash

Many of the animals from Brazil live in the Amazon rainforest. Some of the more unique animals include pink river dolphins, piranhas, anacondas and capybara. Capybara are the largest rodents in the world and can commonly be seen across Brazil, even on the side of the road. Larger animals exist in Brazil, most notably jaguars. Other strange and famous animals to make their home here include: Armadillos, bats, deer, howler monkeys, river dolphins and marmosets. However, these species have suffered from the intense deforestation that has removed their habitat without question.

Few land based habitats are as unexplored as the Amazon, with some tribes of people having lived in isolation there for generations. The same can be said of animals. There are always new or variations of known animals being discovered within the forest. This is in direct contrast to another sizeable portion of Brazil, the plains. Cattle ranching is popular in these parts and is one of Brazil's main agricultural exports. Unfortunately, this does keep the habitats very limited.

The diversity and wonder of habitats in Brazil is mainly provided by the rainforest but there are other more limited habitats across the country. The highlands link into the Andes and contain some semblance of mountain life. Meanwhile the ever expanding cities continue to create their own ecosystem and ways of life.