Papallacta
Encyclopedia
Papallacta is a small village in Ecuador
located at an altitude of 3,300 m in the Andes
just off the Eastern Cordilleras on the road from Quito
which leads into the Amazon
jungle. The scenic drive from Quito to Papallacta passes through several towns and small villages before ascending to a peak of over 4,000 m where views of mountains and glaciers are visible. Descending from the peak to Papallacta, one passes through the portal where the ecosystems transform from alpine to tropical jungle.
The village of Papallacta itself is not known as a tourist destination but houses several hot springs and spas. Many of the local restaurants are known for their steamed trout and a hearty meal can be had for just a few dollars. For lodging, there are several tourist hotels and a resort.
The mammal
s of Papallacta have been studied in detail. The following species have been recorded in the vicinity of the village:
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
located at an altitude of 3,300 m in the Andes
Andes
The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...
just off the Eastern Cordilleras on the road from Quito
Quito
San Francisco de Quito, most often called Quito , is the capital city of Ecuador in northwestern South America. It is located in north-central Ecuador in the Guayllabamba river basin, on the eastern slopes of Pichincha, an active stratovolcano in the Andes mountains...
which leads into the Amazon
Amazon Rainforest
The Amazon Rainforest , also known in English as Amazonia or the Amazon Jungle, is a moist broadleaf forest that covers most of the Amazon Basin of South America...
jungle. The scenic drive from Quito to Papallacta passes through several towns and small villages before ascending to a peak of over 4,000 m where views of mountains and glaciers are visible. Descending from the peak to Papallacta, one passes through the portal where the ecosystems transform from alpine to tropical jungle.
The village of Papallacta itself is not known as a tourist destination but houses several hot springs and spas. Many of the local restaurants are known for their steamed trout and a hearty meal can be had for just a few dollars. For lodging, there are several tourist hotels and a resort.
The 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...
s of Papallacta have been studied in detail. The following species have been recorded in the vicinity of the village:
- Order Paucituberculata (shrew opossums)
- Caenolestes fuliginosus
- Order DidelphimorphiaDidelphimorphiaOpossums make up the largest order of marsupials in the Western Hemisphere, including 103 or more species in 19 genera. They are also commonly called possums, though that term technically refers to Australian fauna of the suborder Phalangeriformes. The Virginia opossum was the first animal to be...
(opossums)- Didelphis pernigra
- Order Eulipotyphla (insectivores)
- Cryptotis cf. montivagus
- Order CarnivoraCarnivoraThe diverse order Carnivora |Latin]] carō "flesh", + vorāre "to devour") includes over 260 species of placental mammals. Its members are formally referred to as carnivorans, while the word "carnivore" can refer to any meat-eating animal...
(carnivorans)- CulpeoCulpeoThe culpeo , sometimes known as the culpeo zorro or Andean fox , is a South American species of wild dog. It is the second largest native canid on the continent after the maned wolf. In its appearance it bears many similarities to the widely recognized red fox...
(Pseudalopex culpaeus) - Pampas CatPampas CatThe Colocolo is a small spotted and striped cat native to the west Andean slope in central and northern Chile. Until recently it included the more widespread Pampas Cat and Pantanal Cat , and some maintain these as subspecies of the Colocolo...
(Leopardus pajeros) - Conepatus cf. semistriatus
- Long-tailed WeaselLong-tailed WeaselThe long-tailed weasel , also known as the bridled weasel or big stoat is a species of mustelid distributed from southern Canada throughout all the United States and Mexico, southward through all of Central America and into northern South America.-Evolution:The long-tailed weasel is the product of...
(Mustela frenata) - Spectacled BearSpectacled BearThe spectacled bear , also known as the Andean bear and locally as ukuko, jukumari or ucumari, is the last remaining short-faced bear and the closest living relative to the Florida spectacled bear and short-faced bears of the Middle Pleistocene to Late Pleistocene age.The spectacled bear is a...
(Tremarctos ornatus)
- Culpeo
- Order CetartiodactylaCetartiodactylaCetartiodactyla is the clade in which whales and even-toed ungulates have currently been placed. The term was coined by merging the name for the two orders, Cetacea and Artiodactyla, into a single word. The term Cetartiodactyla reflects the idea that whales evolved within the artiodactyls...
(even-toed ungulates and whales)- Hippocamelus antisensis
- Odocoileus peruvianus
- Northern Pudu (Pudu mephistophiles)
- Order PerissodactylaOdd-toed ungulateAn odd-toed ungulate is a mammal with hooves that feature an odd number of toes. Odd-toed ungulates comprise the order Perissodactyla . The middle toe on each hoof is usually larger than its neighbours...
(odd-toed ungulates)- Mountain TapirMountain TapirThe Mountain Tapir or Woolly Tapir is the smallest of the four species of tapir and is the only one to live outside of tropical rainforests in the wild...
(Tapirus pinchaque)
- Mountain Tapir
- Order Rodentia (rodents)
- Akodon latebricola
- Akodon mollis
- Anotomys leander
- Chilomys instans
- Microryzomys altissimus
- Microryzomys minutus
- Neusticomys monticolus
- Phyllotis haggardi
- Reithrodontomys mexicanus
- Thomasomys aureus
- Thomasomys baeops
- Thomasomys cinnameus
- Thomasomys erro
- Thomasomys paramorum
- Thomasomys rhoadsi
- Thomasomys silvestris
- Thomasomys ucucha
- Coendou quichua
- Mountain PacaMountain PacaThe Mountain Paca is a small burrow-dwelling rodent whose habitats are high altitude South American forests. Pacas are nocturnal, sedentary, and solitary animals with territorial tendencies. It eats mostly fruits and seeds...
(Cuniculus taczanowskii)
- Order LagomorphaLagomorphaThe lagomorphs are the members of the taxonomic order Lagomorpha, of which there are two living families, the Leporidae , and the Ochotonidae...
(hares, rabbits, and pikas)- TapetiTapetiThe Tapeti , also known as the Brazilian Rabbit or Forest Rabbit, is a cottontail rabbit species found in Central and South America....
(Sylvilagus brasiliensis)
- Tapeti