science

Wildlife of Peru

Wildlife of Peru is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Wildlife of Peru rather than just read about it. In short: Peru has some of the greatest biodiversity in the world. It belongs to the select group of mega diverse countries because of the presence of the Andes, Amazon rainforest, and the Pacific Ocean.

Key takeaways

Wildlife of Peru belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Wildlife of Peru to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Wildlife of Peru from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Peru has some of the greatest biodiversity in the world. It belongs to the select group of mega diverse countries because of the presence of the Andes, Amazon rainforest, and the Pacific Ocean. It has the fourth-most tropical forests of any country and the ninth-most forest area. The country is ranked among the five countries with the greatest biodiversity in the world according to various studies.

Natural protected areas

The 1993 Constitution of Peru recognized the natural resources and ecosystems of Peru as part of its heritage. In 1999, the National System of Natural Areas Protected by the State (Sistema Nacional de Áreas Naturales Protegidas por el Estado, SINANPE) was established by the Peruvian government. SINANPE consists of natural areas under national administration, managed and overseen by the National Service of Natural Protected Areas by the State (SERNANP). They also created a map of protection and preservation of historical–cultural heritage and nature. Peru has 76 natural protected areas (more of 15% of the country surface area) that are preserved by the national government: 15 national parks, 9 national sanctuaries, 4 historical sanctuaries, 17 national reserves, 3 wildlife refuges, 2 landscape reserves, 10 communal reserves, 6 protected forests, 2 hunting enclosed lands and 8 reserved zones. A map was also created containing the natural protected areas.

National parks National parks are areas designated for the protection and preservation of wildlife and scenic beauty. In these areas, the exploitation of natural resources and human settlements are prohibited. The oldest national park in Peru is Cutervo, created in 1961 in the department of Cajamarca, known for its numerous caves such as San Andrés, home to the oilbird, a nocturnal bird in danger of extinction. Other notable national parks include:

Tingo María (Huánuco), famous for the Cave of the Owls, also inhabited by oilbirds. Manu (Madre de Dios and Cusco), one of the most representative areas of Amazonian biodiversity, recognized as the Manu Biosphere Reserve and a Natural World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Huascarán (Áncash), dominated by Mount Huascarán, the highest mountain in Peru, and home to the largest species of bromeliad, Puya raimondii, and various animal species. Cerros de Amotape (Piura and Tumbes), characterized by its dry forests and endangered species such as the Tumbes crocodile. Río Abiseo (San Martín), included in the UNESCO Natural and Cultural World Heritage. Yanachaga-Chemillén (Pasco), which preserves tropical forests and has important archaeological sites. Bahuaja-Sonene (Madre de Dios and Puno), which includes tropical forests and the Heath pampas.

National reserves National reserves are areas designated for the protection and propagation of wildlife. Some of the most important include:

Pampa Galeras-Bárbara D’Achille (Ayacucho), dedicated to the vicuña. Junín (Junín), which protects the ecosystem and biodiversity of Lake Junín. Paracas (Ica), focused on the conservation of marine ecosystems and cultural heritage. Lachay (Lima), intended for the restoration and protection of the Lachay hill ecosystem. Pacaya-Samiria (Loreto), which conserves lowland forest ecosystems and promotes native populations. Salinas y Aguada Blanca (Arequipa and Moquegua), for the conservation of flora, fauna, and landscape formations. Calipuy (La Libertad), focused on the protection of guanacos. Titicaca (Puno), dedicated to the conservation of the ecosystems and landscapes of Lake Titicaca.

Other conservation units In addition to national parks and reserves, Peru has various protection units, including:

National sanctuaries such as Huayllay, Calipuy, Lagunas de Mejía, Ampay, Manglares de Tumbes, and Tabaconas Namballe. Historical sanctuaries such as Chacramarca, Pampas de Ayacucho, and Machu Picchu. National forests such as Biabo Cordillera Azul, Mariscal Cáceres, Pastaza-Morona-Marañón, and Alexander von Humboldt. Protection forests such as Aledaño Bocatoma del Canal Nuevo Imperial, Puquío Santa Rosa, Pui-Pui, San Matías-San Carlos, Alto Mayo, and Pagaibamba. Communal reserves such as Yanesha. Hunting reserves such as Sunchubamba and El Angolo. Reserved zones such as Manu, Laquipampa, Apurímac, Pantanos de Villa, Tambopata-Candamo, Batán Grande, Algarrobal El Moro, Tumbes, Güeppi, Chancaybaños, and Aymaru Lupaca. These various units of protection, conservation, and research reflect Peru's extraordinary biological richness and cultural heritage, making the country one of the world's privileged natural regions.

Animals Peru has over 1,800 species of birds (120 endemic to Peru), and 500 species of mammals and over 300 species of reptiles. Peru has hundreds of mammals including some rare species like the puma, jaguar and spectacled bear, that live in the canopy so jungle lodges usually construct towers to observe life above. The Pacific holds a bounty of sea bass, flounder, anchovies, tuna, crustacean (crab or lobster), shellfish and seals. The Pacific also has a lot of sharks, sperm whales, and whales. The birds of Peru have an economic importance, because of the concentrations of guano deposits that are exported to different countries. Alpaca is also a native of Peru which is now domesticated for its fiber.

Insects As of March 2009 scientists have discovered two new species of beetles, Eriopis canrash and Cycloneda andresii.

Mammals

Peru has over 500 species of mammals, of which about 70 are endemic and about 109 are threatened or endangered. These include spectacular species like the jaguar and spectacled bear and rare endemic species like the yellow-tailed woolly monkey. In January 2007, scientists discovered a new species of cloud-forest rodent of the spiny rat family (Isothrix barbarabrownae) in Manu. In March 2009, scientists discovered a new species of mouse (Akodon sp.nov)

Birds

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Wildlife of Peru

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Wildlife of Peru claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Wildlife of Peru before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Wildlife of Peru ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Wildlife of Peru

In research: Wildlife of Peru appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Wildlife of Peru in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Wildlife of Peru is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Natural history of Peru, Wildlife by country, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Wildlife of Peru outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Wildlife of Peru in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Wildlife of Peru means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Wildlife of Peru out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Wildlife of Peru in simple terms?

Peru has some of the greatest biodiversity in the world. It belongs to the select group of mega diverse countries because of the presence of the Andes, Amazon rainforest, and the Pacific Ocean.

Why does Wildlife of Peru matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Wildlife of Peru?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Wildlife of Peru.