PERU ADVENTURE

This reserve of barely 58.000 hectares protects the largest concentration of white sand forests or “varillales” known in the Peruvian Amazon Rainforest. Here live numerous one-of-a-kind species of plants and animals. Protected here is also a specimen of forests flooded by the black waters of the Nanay River, unique to the Peruvian Amazon Rainforest.

This reserve contains an enormous and peculiar biological wealth and numerous endemic plant and animal and restricted distribution species stand out, many of them still without scientific classification. Up to now, there have been more than 1780 plant species, 522 butterfly species, 155 species of fish, 83 species of amphibians, 120 reptile species, 476 bird species, and 145 species of mammals registered; the most important ones among them are the equatorial sakis (Pithecia aequatorialis) and the black titi monkey (Callicebus lucifer).

New plant and animal species are continually being discovered. Among the birds, there are two dozens noteworthy species living in the white sand forests, unknown in Peru until just recently. In the last five years, four new bird species have been described by scientists associated with white sand forests. Three are ant eating species (Herpsilochmus gentryi, Percnostola arenarum, and Myrmeciza castanea) and the other eats flies and other insects (Zimmerius villarejoi).

There is a fifth one that now has a scientific description (Polioptila clementsi). To these, we have to add another dozen bird species that were unknown to Peru until recently like the beautiful pompadour cotinga (Xipholena punicea) and the saffron-crested tyrant-manakin (Neopelma chrysocephalum).

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