The Official National Animal of Bolivia
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Loading... - Jose Arias
- 27 Jul 2022
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Not surprisingly, the Llama is the national animal of Bolivia. This distinctive South American draft animal has been used by humanity going clear back to the lost civilizations of the Inca and beyond. Incidentally, the double “L” at the front of the llama’s name is actually a letter of the Spanish alphabet and pronounced as “Y”. Thus we have “yama” and not “lama”.
In addition to the faithful llama, Bolivia also has a national bird species, which is the gigantic Andean Condor, the largest bird species on the planet. So other birds have a slightly larger wingspan than the 11 foot span of the condor, but the condor is a bigger, heavier bird overall.
Where To Find The Top Wild Animals in Bolivia
There is a lot to choose from when it comes to wildlife viewing in the country. Many people interested in tropical species find the combination reserve/rescue operation of the privately-owned Chuchini Ecological Reserve in the rainforest to be worth their time.
The massive 1.7 million acre Eduardo Avaroa Andean Fauna National Reserve is located in the far southwest corner of the country. Filled with erupting volcanoes, vast geothermal attractions and enormous numbers of elegant pink flamingoes, it is one of the country’s most visited wildlife attractions.
For something specific, one might look to the San Miguelito Jaguar Reserve.
The Most Dangerous Animals In Bolivia
Perhaps the most dangerous of all Bolivian wildlife is the Piranha. While people think of this voracious and carnivorous fish as being Brazilian, it is actually Amazonian and the headwaters of the Amazon are up in the high peaks of the Andes.
The infamous Anaconda is also found in the Amazonian basin, along with a small species of crocodile known as the Caiman. Also resident in the lowland rainforest areas of the country is the mysterious Jaguar.
Up in the highlands, there are fewer real risks to humans. The big condor is not really a menace, the sole member of the bear family in South America, the Spectacled Bear is small and rather shy. As for the Maned Wolf, it is not really a wolf per se, but a related species that looks like a wolf but hunts in solitary and is much smaller.
Endangered Animals in Bolivia
Among the endangered animals of Bolivia, the most well-known is probably the Chinchilla, which has some of the softest fur in the world and is thus a target for poachers.
The Jaguar is always threatened with becoming extinct everywhere it still exists. The same goes for the Giant Brazilian Otter. Like virtually all other otters, it seems to be an endangered species throughout the world due to its riverbank habitat which puts it in close proximity to humans.
The Chacoan Guanaco is another animal at risk of becoming extinct due to destruction of its grassland habitat. Read More...
