THE AMAZON RAINFOREST

Last updated Amazon Insects



Over 90% of the animal species in the Amazon are insects.

  • Whereas all of Europe has some 321 butterfly species, the Manu National Park in Peru (4000 hectare-survey) has 1300 species, while Tambopata National Park (5500 hectare-survey) has at least 1231 species.
  • Around 25% of the world's 2 million described animals species are beetles (Coleoptera).
  • The Longhorn Beetle (Titanus giganteus) can have a body length (not including antennae) of over 6.5 inches (16 cm),
  • A single square mile of rainforest often houses more than 50,000 insect species
  • Some scientists estimate that 30% of the animal biomass of the Amazon Basin is made up of ants.

The Amazon rainforest may house as many as 2.5 million species of insects, although only a tiny fraction of this number have been described by scientists.

Rainforest news

Rainforests home

For kids

The Amazon

Deforestation

Rainforest photos

Forest people

Saving rainforests

Animals

Importance

  • what's new
  • rainforests home
  • for kids
  • help
  • madagascar
  • search
  • about
  • languages
  • contact
Copyright Rhett Butler 1994-2015
Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions generated from mongabay.com operations (server, data transfer, travel) are mitigated through an association with Anthrotect, an organization working with Afro-indigenous and Embera communities to protect forests in Colombia's Darien region. Anthrotect is protecting the habitat of mongabay's mascot: the scale-crested pygmy tyrant.
"Rainforest" is used interchangeably with "rain forest" on this site. "Jungle" is generally not used.