Insight: Amazonian Wildlife

The Amazon is a fragile ecosystem, home to a breathtaking array of wildlife.

The Amazonia region of southern Colombia is a formidable area. It encompasses six departments and covers some 403,000 sq km (155,600 sq miles) of land, mostly blanketed in tropical rainforest and jungle. The area is sandwiched between the Andes to the east and the borders of Venezuela and Brazil to the west. What feeds the incredibly diverse ecosystems here are a number of rivers, all of which drain into that most majestic of waterways, the Amazon River.

Within the main region of Amazonia are five sub-regions occupying various areas. These include the Amazon foothills, which are at the border of the Andes, as well as a number of river plains feeding water into the Amazon. The largest of these is the Caquetá River plains, followed by the Inírida River plains (where the southeastern Guiana Shield Mountains, the Cerros de Mavecure, are located), the Guaviare River plains in the east, and the Putomayo River plains. In the west you have the Serranía de Chiribiquete, which are also mountains of the Guiana Shield. Then there’s the Amazon Trapezium (or Leticia Trapezium), which is a small strip of land that borders the Amazon River and includes the city of Leticia. This is where most visitors to Colombia’s Amazon will arrive at, and it’s a good base of operations for making excursions to visit the abundance of wildlife.

Pink river dolphin.

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Amazonian inhabitants

More than one-third of all animal species in the world live in the Colombian Amazon, making this area one of the most biologically diverse in the world. From Leticia you can make excursions to nearby Puerto Nariño to see some of these remarkable creatures, which include:

Pygmy marmoset

The adorable pygmy marmoset is the smallest monkey on earth. They live in family groups, in single trees and feed on tree sap (and bananas if they are around). You’ll know a pygmy marmoset has been around when you see countless little teeth marks and holes in the tree bark.

Caiman

When you see a pair of glassy reptilian eyes on the surface of the water, you’ll have found this iconic jungle predator.

Pink river dolphin

Born albino white but turning pink over time, these freshwater dolphins are one of the most iconic animals in the Amazon. They are even revered by the indigenous groups here.

Jaguar

The lion may be the king of the jungle in Africa, but here this spotted cat reigns supreme, no doubt due to the fact it possess the strongest bite of any feline on the planet.