INTERESTING WILDLIFE OF BOLIVIA

INTERESTING ANIMALS OF BOLIVIA

PART 1 

Bolivia with its huge varieties of different ecosystems could be the worlds most underated wildlife watching destinations. Here is a list of some of the interesting animals Bolivia has to offer.

BLUE THROATED MACAW

First of our list is the endemic and critically endangered Blue throated Macaw. This rarely seen Macaw only lives in a few isolated areas in the Beni department. They are so rare that they number between 200-350 in the wild.  Nicks Adventures Bolivia offers day tours from Trinidad through to multiple day packages to the spectacular Blue throated Macaw Nature Reserve.

JAGUAR  - PANTERA ONCA

The largest cat in the America's, the Jagaur is the king of the Amazon, Chaco, Pantanal and many other ecosystems. It kills with a crushing bite to the base of the skull and its prey includes anything from Caimans and Anaconda though to 250kg Tapirs. Suprisingly unlike its other relatives the Tiger, Lion or Leopard its rarely implicated in attacks on humans and it prefers to stay away from humans. Sadly it is frequently killed by Ranchers and now is poached for its teeth for Chinese medicine.
Best places to observe Jaguars is during our San Carlos Reserve , the Bolivian Chaco and Madidi National Park trips.

LOWLAND TAPIR

One of my personal favourite giants of South America. The Lowland Tapir is Latin Americas largest land mammal. This unique species looks like a pig, but is closely related to horses and rhinos. It communicates via whistles and has one of the longest gestation periods of any animal. The Tapir is very shy and can be observed at salt licks or swimming in rivers during hot days. Sadly it is threatened thoughout its range due to overhunting for meat and loss of habitat. Our tours to Madidi National Park, San Carlos Wildlife Reserve and Kaa Iya National Park offer excellent chances to observe these species.

ANACONDA 

The stuff of legends, the infamous Anaconda is one of the most iconic and infamous animals of South America. This species is called the Yellow Anaconda and only grows to a maximum of 4 metres. It feeds on Capyabara, birds and whatever smaller mammals it can capture. Its larger cousin the Green Anaconda is the worlds heaviest snake and can grow to 9.8 metres. This species is often killed on sight due to lack of education, movies such as Anaconda are partly to blame for the unfair reputation these amazing snakes have. Nicks Adventures Bolivia offers tours to the Bolivian and Brazilian Pantanal to look for Jaguars and Anacondas.

 TARANTULA 

Another of South America's infamous species. The Tarantula often has an unfair reputation, it is commonly seen along roads at night and unlike the hysteria from movies it generally tries to avoid humans.

PUMA

South America's 2nd largest feline, the Puma is sleek, shy and rarely seen. In some areas where it competes with the Jaguar it can actually grow to the same size or larger. Unlike its North American cousin which is responsible for many attacks on humans, the South American Puma prefers to avoid humas. The Puma is the most adapatable of all cats and can survive in Amazon Rainforest, Pampas, Pantanal, deserts, Mountains , dry chaco forests and more.

For more information about the incredible wildlife of Bolivia contact us at www.nicksadventuresbolivia.com

** All pics were taken during tours with Nicks Adventures Bolivia