Kanuku Mountains
Encyclopedia
The Kanuku Mountains are a group of mountains in Guyana
, located in the Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo
region. The name means 'forest' in the Wapishana language, a reference to the rich diversity of wildlife found there. The Eastern Kanuku Mountains and the Western Kanuku Mountains are separated by the Rupununi River.
The lowland forests sustain 60% of all the known bird
species in Guyana. 150 mammal
species, or 80% of all mammals found in Guyana, live in the Kanuku Mountains. Prominent species include the Giant otter
, the Harpy eagle and the Arapaima
. The Kanuku Mountains rise to almost 3,000 ft.
Concern for the fate of the wildlife of the Kanuku Mountains was raised by the recent completion of the road system linking coastal Guyana with the interior and the Brazilian frontier. The road passes close to the Kanukus and is a potential source of unsustainable resource exploitation.
Guyana
Guyana , officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, previously the colony of British Guiana, is a sovereign state on the northern coast of South America that is culturally part of the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyana was a former colony of the Dutch and of the British...
, located in the Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo
Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo
Upper Takutu-Upper Esequibo is a region of Guyana in the Zona de Reclamación by Venezuela, bordering the region of Potaro-Siparuni to the north, the region of East Berbice-Corentyne to the east and Brazil to the south and west. It contains the towns Lethem, Isherton, Good Hope and Surama. It is...
region. The name means 'forest' in the Wapishana language, a reference to the rich diversity of wildlife found there. The Eastern Kanuku Mountains and the Western Kanuku Mountains are separated by the Rupununi River.
The lowland forests sustain 60% of all the known bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
species in Guyana. 150 mammal
Mammal
Mammals are members of a class of air-breathing vertebrate animals characterised by the possession of endothermy, hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands functional in mothers with young...
species, or 80% of all mammals found in Guyana, live in the Kanuku Mountains. Prominent species include the Giant otter
Giant Otter
The giant otter is a South American carnivorous mammal. It is the longest member of the Mustelidae, or weasel family, a globally successful group of predators. Unusually for a mustelid, the giant otter is a social species, with family groups typically supporting three to eight members...
, the Harpy eagle and the Arapaima
Arapaima
The arapaima, pirarucu, or paiche is a South American tropical freshwater fish. It is a living fossil and one of the largest freshwater fishes in the world.-Anatomy and morphology:...
. The Kanuku Mountains rise to almost 3,000 ft.
Concern for the fate of the wildlife of the Kanuku Mountains was raised by the recent completion of the road system linking coastal Guyana with the interior and the Brazilian frontier. The road passes close to the Kanukus and is a potential source of unsustainable resource exploitation.