Home to 60% of the Amazon Rainforest, which contains more than one-third of all species
in the world, Brazil is considered to have the greatest bio diversity of any country
on the planet. It has most known species of plants (55,000), freshwater fish (3000)
and mammals (over 520). It also ranks third on the list of countries with the most
number of bird species (1622) and fifth with the most reptile species (468). Approximately
two-thirds of all species worldwide are found in tropical areas, often coinciding
with developing countries such as Brazil. Brazil is second only to Indonesia as the
country with the most endemic species.
Being a species-rich ecosystem for fauna and flora, Brazil houses many thousands
of species, with many (if not most) of them still undiscovered. Due to the relatively
explosive economic and demographic rise of the country in the last century, Brazil's
ability to protect its environmental habitats has increasingly come under threat.
Extensive logging in the nation's forests, particularly the Amazon, both official
and unofficial, destroys areas the size of a small country each year, and potentially
a diverse variety of plants and animals. However, as various species possess special
characteristics, or are built in an interesting way, some of their capabilities are
being copied for use in technology (see bionics), and the profit potential may result
in a retardation of deforestation.
Brazil's immense area is subdivided into different eco-regions in several kinds of
biomes. Because of the wide variety of habitats in Brazil, from the jungles of the
Amazon Rainforest and the Atlantic Forest (which includes Atlantic Coast restingas),
to the tropical savanna of the Cerrado, to the xeric shrub land of the Caatinga,
to the world's largest wetland area, the Pantanal, there exists a wide variety of
wildlife as well.
Brazil ranks third on the list of countries, behind Colombia and Peru, with the most
number of distinct bird species, having 1622 identified species, including over 70
species of parrots alone. It has 191 endemic birds. The variety of types of birds
is vast as well, and include birds ranging from brightly coloured parrots, toucans,
and trogons to flamingos, ducks, vultures, hawks, eagles, owls, swans, and hummingbirds.
There are also species of penguins that have been found in Brazil.
The largest bird found in Brazil is the rhea, a flightless ratite bird, similar to
the emu.
Source: Wikipedia
