Neotropic facts for kids
The Neotropic is one of Earth's eight main ecozones. An ecozone is a large area of the world where plants and animals have evolved together. This means they share many similar types of life.
The Neotropic ecozone includes a big part of the Americas. It covers all of South America and Central America. It also includes the lowlands of Mexico, the beautiful Caribbean islands, and even southern Florida in the United States. All these places share many plant and animal groups.
Sometimes, people use "Neotropic" to mean just the tropical parts of South America. But the ecozone is actually bigger. It also includes the cooler, temperate southern parts of South America.
Why is the Neotropic Special?
The Neotropic is very different from the Nearctic ecozone. The Nearctic covers most of North America. For a very long time, North and South America were separate continents. This allowed their plants and animals to evolve differently.
About 2 to 3 million years ago, a land bridge formed. This was the Isthmus of Panama. It finally joined the two continents. This event allowed some animals to move between the continents.
Rainforests and Biodiversity
The Neotropic has more tropical rainforests than any other ecozone on Earth. These amazing forests stretch from southern Mexico, through Central America, and into northern South America. They reach all the way to southern Brazil.
The most famous of these is the Amazon Rainforest. These rainforest areas are incredibly important. They hold a huge amount of the world's biodiversity. Biodiversity means the variety of all living things, like plants, animals, and tiny organisms.
Sadly, a lot of these forests were cut down in the late 20th century. This deforestation has reduced the amazing variety of life in these areas. Protecting these forests is very important for the future of our planet.
See also
In Spanish: Neotrópico para niños
