El Tuparro National Natural Park facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Parque Nacional Natural El Tuparro |
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| El Tuparro National Natural Park | |
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IUCN Category II (National Park)
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 Parque Nacional Natural El Tuparro
Location in Colombia
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| Nearest city | Puerto Carreño, Colombia |
| Area | 5,480 km2 (2,120 sq mi) |
| Established | 1970 |
| Governing body | SINAP |
El Tuparro National Natural Park (which in Spanish is Parque Nacional Natural El Tuparro) is a special national park in Colombia. It's found in the Vichada Department, a region known as the Orinoquía. This park is super important because it's the only protected area in the Eastern Plains, also called the Llanos Orientales, that is part of Colombia's Natural Parks System.
One of the most amazing parts of El Tuparro is a powerful river section called Raudal de Maypures (Maipures Rapids). A famous German explorer named Alexander von Humboldt visited here in the 1800s. He was so impressed that he called it the "Eighth Wonder of the World"!
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Exploring El Tuparro National Park
El Tuparro National Natural Park was created in 1970. It covers a huge area of 548,000 hectares, which is about 5,480 square kilometers. Imagine a space bigger than many cities!
Where is El Tuparro Located?
This flat and wide park has natural borders. To the east, you'll find the mighty Orinoco River. The Tomo River forms its northern edge, and the Tuparro River marks its southern boundary.
Weather and Plant Life in El Tuparro
The park has a warm climate. The average temperature is around 27 °C (80 °F) all year round. It also gets a lot of rain. The western part of the park receives about 2,477 mm of rain each year, while the eastern part gets even more, around 2,939 mm.
The park is mostly covered by two main types of natural areas. About 75% of the park is savanna, which are wide, grassy plains. The rest of the park is covered by gallery forests. These are forests that grow along rivers and streams.
Types of Ecosystems
El Tuparro has both flooded savannas and non-flooded savannas. This means some parts of the grasslands get covered with water during the rainy season. There are also five different kinds of riparian forests. These forests grow right next to rivers and are very important for many animals.
Common Plants in the Park
You'll see many interesting plants here. One common tree is the Moriche Palm, which is very tall and has large leaves. Another important tree is the Caraipa llanorum. In the non-flooded savannas, you'll mostly see different types of grass.
Amazing Animals of El Tuparro
El Tuparro National Park is home to a wide variety of animals. It's a great place for wildlife spotting!
Mammals Living in the Park
The park has 74 different kinds of mammals. On the open savannas, you might spot animals like the white-tailed deer, the huge giant armadillo, or smaller savanna armadillos. You could also see a tapir, which looks a bit like a pig with a short trunk.
In the woodlands, where the trees are thicker, you'll find other animals. These include peccaries (which are like wild pigs), powerful pumas, and the majestic jaguar.
Birds and Other Creatures
El Tuparro is a birdwatcher's paradise with 320 different bird species! Many of these are marine birds, even though the park is inland. You can see birds like guans, curassows, screamers, different types of eagles, and various ducks.
The park also has 17 types of reptiles and 26 kinds of fish. Because there are so many different ecosystems, there's a great variety of amphibians too.
