FLORA AND FAUNA

Iguazu National Park is the perfect spot for the traveler to breathe in the special aroma the green foliage of the Misiones rainforest exudes. It is definitely the best place in the world to fall prey to the magic and beauty of the immense waterfalls, and their surroundings, full of mystery and ecological questionings.

Alongside the waterfalls at Iguazu, the extraordinary variety of species of animals and vegetation competes to be one of the outstanding features of the park. Wherever visitors go, they will be always astonished at the sight of birds, mammals, flowers and lively vegetation.

On the banks of the river and on the islands of the delta formed just before it plunges over the falls, trees have grown that use large amounts of water to develop. Among these, there are two particular types which are unique to this part of Argentina: the woods of cupay, a tree with drooping leaves, copper-colored as buds, and the tufts of Paspalum lilloi, a graminea (grass-type) that grows among the rocks of the river.

In total, there are more than 90 species of tree flora in the park. Some of these trees are stunning when they are flowering. One is the lapacho negro which, at the end of winter and before its leaves emerge, gets absolutely covered with pink blossom. Also to be seen are the lapacho amarillo and the ibir pyt, with their yellow blossom; and a rainforest species of ceibo, with reddish-orange flowers, that is recognized as the Argentine national flower.

In some areas, there is a very special habitat: woods of palmito and palo rosa. The latter is a huge tree that can be over 40 m tall and has a straight trunk of up to 2 m in diameter. In its shade, and in that of other large trees, grow the palmitos, slender palm trees with trunks that end in a much sought-after edible heart (heart of palm), whose extraction causes the termination of the plant.

The birds that are without doubt the most characteristic of the area are the swifts (the symbol of Iguazu National Park) which, with a show of great precision, fly through the gaps between the columns of falling water, to pose on the rock wall where they roost and nest.

Towards noon, on the sunny parts of the paths, the traveller can observe Tropidurus lizards, highly skilled in climbing trunks and rocks and agilely skimming up the walkways and stairs.

And in the area of the paths, it is common to find groups of coati, which have become quite tame, and the great toucan, one of the five species of its family to be found in the park.

Along the trails an unequalled range of butterflies can be observed, many of which are yellowish with black marks and designs. They are seen wherever pools have been formed, because they feed on the salts dissolved in them.

"PARANAENSE" OR MISIONES RAINFOREST

Thanks to its biodiversity treasure, Iguazu National Park attracts researchers from all the world. The weather is that of a subtropical rainforest: humid. In summer, the thermometer accounts for temperatures ranging between 25 and 45 degrees centigrade, average. There is no defined dry season. The winter never gets harsh, and frosts rarely come.
The Misiones rainforest is a continuance of the Paranaense one. At the central point of the 66,148 has Iguazu National Park lies the Waterfalls Area, where it is possible to gaze with marvel at the Iguazu Falls, especially the most wonderful of them all: the Garganta del Diablo (Devil's Throat).

In the heart of the rainforest lie the Mocon Falls: 3 kms of unending falls of up to 20 m in height, with hundreds of falls wafting their spray in the breeze to form an absolutely one of a kind spectacle.

And in the very heart of the Park is "La Selva" (the jungle), a real natural sanctuary. Many elements have joined to create this now protected ecosystem. And along its paths a world can be discovered that remains hidden in everyday life.

The rainforest usually makes the climate more temperate, reducing the extremes of heat, and acting as a shelter against the coldness to maintain the high humidity. In this context it provides the right habitat for the development of a great variety (some 2,000) vegetable species, growing in a variety of forms.

Mammals are dispersed throughout all the strata of the vegetation, and many of them share features determined by their rainforest habitat: their water-friendly nature, and the ease they display while moving through the dense vegetation.

As far as fish are related, there is a marked difference between the upper and lower zones of the river. The falls have made a barrier between the two sectors for thousands of years, and so they have evolved separately.

The fauna of the lower river, consisting of the surub, pac, sbalo and piranha, have never been able to reach the upper river, where chanchitas de colores, tarariras, dientudos and moncholos reign at home.

SPECIES IN DANGER

The park is a space where species in danger of extermination are taken care. It houses a natural legacy that includes:

• More than 2,000 species of plants: leafy ferns, bromelias, orchids, palms and gigantic trees that support a great variety of climbing plants, which provide the fruits needed by monkeys, coatis, deer or toucans.
• 450 species of birds, which fly around naturally without shyness in the early hours of the morning and in the evening. Among them are toucans, urracas (jays), teros, parrots and the amazing swifts, with a species endemic to the area of the Iguazu Falls.
• 80 species of mammals, among them 5 varieties of felines that run, camouflaged, through the xhadows of the rainforest. The ocelot (Felis pardalis), the yacutinga (Aburria jacuntinga) and the macuco (Tinamus solitarius) are also noted.
• Innumerable insects, with a great number of colored butterflies.