Fauna of Venezuela

Venezuela's diverse wildlife includes manatees, Amazon river dolphins, and Orinoco crocodiles, which have been reported to reach up to 6.6 metres (22 ft) in length.

[11] Most birds of Venezuela span various habitats, but a few are specialized to only one area, typically due to extreme location or dependence on a certain resource; species restricted in this way include the Carrizal seedeater, maroon-chested ground dove, point-tailed palmcreeper, Río Orinoco spinetail, white-bearded helmetcrest and the white-plumed antbird.

The Cracidae are typical of the forest but have more diverse habitats, including one species living in Venezuela that has adapted to urban environments; they also are more often found in trees than on the ground.

Gilliard then comments on the different natures of some species, particularly those whose habitats span a range of altitudes, to have indeterminate and/or cyclic breeding periods.

The researchers do note that most of the hummingbirds differed by eating largely soft-bodied arthropods and having a low nectar intake; most of the species ate plenty fruit.

[13] Notable mammals include the giant anteater, jaguar, howler monkey, venezuelan fish-eating rat, and the capybara, the world's largest rodent.

Most of the different habitats across this area showed a large prevalence of the rodents Sigmodon alstoni and Zygodontomys brevicauda, which appear to dominate the region.

[18] The use of wildlife products is widespread in Venezuela, and more than 400 species are known to be used as a source of protein (subsistence hunting) or for trade in domestic and international markets.

[20] Human intervention, particularly oil work, in the Maracaibo Basin threatens the species there, and has changed the ecology of the region significantly since the 19th century.