Flora Fact of the Day

The Cerrado is a massive tropical savannah in Brazil, and is the most biologically rich savannah in the world. It houses over 1600 animal species, including the Maned Wolf, Ocelot, Hyacinth Macaw, and Giant Anteater, and also about 10,000 species of vascular plants. Altogether, the Cerrado holds 5% of life on earth, but due to farming, fires, and other human-based effects, this ecosystem is fading fast. To learn more about the Cerrado and how you can help protect it, go to wwf.org.uk.

Animal Fact of the Day

The Spectacled Bear is the only living bear species native to South America, and is the last remaining short-faced bear alive today. (All others died out during the Pleistocene age.) Their survival is mostly due to the fact that there isn’t a tree around that they can’t climb- even the tallest trees of the Andes. They are extremely docile bears, preferring to run away and hide in a tree than fight with you. They are almost exclusively vegetarian, with meat only making up about 5% of their diet. Basically, Spectacled Bears are adorable, and if you hug one, it probably won’t rip your face off. Probably.

Animal Fact of the Day

The maned wolf is the largest canid in South America. It is also the tallest wild canid in the world, its stilt-like legs a useful adaptation for spying prey over the tall grasslands where it lives. Despite its name, the maned wolf is not a wolf at all, nor is it a fox, coyote, or dog. It is the only member of the Chrysocyon genus, making it a truly unique animal, not closely related to any other living canid. One hypothesis for this is that the maned wolf is the last surviving species of the Pleistocene Extinction, which wiped out all other large canids from the continent.

(Photo taken by Sean Crane in Brazil.)