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Ecosystem

Llanos

Savanna and Grassland

A tropical grassland plain of about 375,786 square kilometers spanning Colombia and Venezuela east of the Andes, bounded by the Venezuelan Coastal Range to the north and the Guiana Highlands to the southeast. Fed by the Orinoco River system, the Llanos alternates a wet season running April to November with a sharp dry season, producing seasonal wetlands within open grassland and gallery forest. Capybaras, jaguars, giant otters, the endemic Llanos long-nosed armadillo and around 70 species of water birds depend on the flood pulse. Decades of cattle ranching, rice and maize cultivation, introduced grasses, deliberate burning and oil and gas development have reshaped the ecoregion, of which about 28 percent lies within protected areas. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

Facts
Classification
Biogeographic Realm
Neotropic 1
Area (sq km)
375,786 1
Llanos
Filter Results9 entries
Connections

Demonstrates

Source Encyclopaedia Britannica

Hosts

Capybara, Species
Source World Wildlife Fund
Cougar, Species
Source Cougar (Wikipedia)
Source Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology: Procyon cancrivorus (Animal Diversity Web)
Jaguarundi, Species
Source Wikipedia: Jaguarundi
Ocelot, Species
Source Ocelot (Wikipedia)
Source Wikipedia: Orinoco Crocodile
Source Wikidata: Spectacled Caiman
Additional Source Llanos (Wikipedia)Article text
Source Wikidata: Spectacled Caiman
Additional Source Llanos (Wikipedia)Article text
Source White-tailed Deer (Wikipedia)

In Biome

Source World Wildlife Fund
In the Other Atlases

Found In

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Sources
1. Llanos (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia
  • Economy section
    Decades of extensive cattle raising has altered the ecology of the Llanos. Grasslands and savannas are frequently burned to make them more suitable for grazing and eliminate trees and shrubs.
  • Biogeographic realm: neotropic (derived from location stated in entity description)
  • Hosts: Scarlet Ibis (Eudocimus ruber), Article text
    The wetlands support around 70 species of water birds, including the scarlet ibis.
  • Hosts: Spectacled Caiman, Article text
    Native reptiles include the Orinoco crocodile (Crocodylus intermedius), spectacled caiman (Caiman crocodilus), Green anaconda (Eunectes murinus), and Arrau turtle (Podocnemis expansa).
View the Source
World Wildlife Fund
World Wildlife Fund
  • In Biome: Flooded Grassland and Savanna
  • Hosts: Capybara
View the Source
Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.Demonstrates: Water CycleView the Source
White-tailed Deer (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationHosts: White-tailed Deer, Wikipedia intro: "inhabit many different ecosystems, from arid grasslands to the Amazon and Orinoco basins; from the Llanos to the high-elevation terrain of the Andes."View the Source
Cougar (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationHosts: Cougar, Distribution and habitat
Quote, Hosts: Cougar, Distribution and habitat
In Colombia, it was recorded in a palm oil plantation close to a riparian forest in the Llanos Basin, and close to water bodies in the Magdalena River Valley.
View the Source
Ocelot (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationHosts: Ocelot, In Texas
Quote, Hosts: Ocelot, In Texas
In Texas and northeastern Mexico, ocelot populations have reduced drastically; as of 2014, the population in Texas was estimated to be 50-80 individuals.
View the Source
Wikipedia: Orinoco Crocodile
WikipediaHosts: Orinoco Crocodile, Characteristics
Quote, Hosts: Orinoco Crocodile, Characteristics
The Orinoco crocodile can be recognised by its relatively long snout, which is narrower than that of the somewhat similar-looking American crocodile.
View the Source
Wikipedia: Jaguarundi
Hosts: Jaguarundi, Behavior and ecology
Quote, Hosts: Jaguarundi, Behavior and ecology
Population densities are typically low, around 0.01 to 0.05/km2 (0.026 to 0.129/sq mi) in Brazil, though Tamaulipas (Mexico) and the Llanos in Costa Rica and Venezuela have recorded figures as high as 0.2/km2 (0.52/sq mi).
View the Source
Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology: Procyon cancrivorus (Animal Diversity Web)
Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of ZoologyHosts: Crab-eating Raccoon, Geographic Range
Quote, Hosts: Crab-eating Raccoon, Geographic Range
Procyon cancrivorus makes use of habitats ranging from the forest of Ilanos, to the xeric chaco vegetation, and even the Amazon rainforests.
View the Source

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