Otuquis National Park
| Otuquis National Park | |||
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| Location: | Santa Cruz , Bolivia | ||
| Next city: | Puerto Suarez | ||
| Surface: | 10,059 km² | ||
| Founding: | September 21, 1995 | ||
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The Otuquis National Park (official name: Parque Nacional y Área Natural de Manejo Integrado (ANMI) Pantanal Otuquis ) is located in the southeast of the Santa Cruz Department in Bolivia , in the border triangle Brazil-Bolivia-Paraguay. It was founded in 1997 and with an area of 10,059 km² is the largest national park in the Pantanal , the largest inland wetland in the world.
climate
The climate in the park is subtropical . The annual mean temperature fluctuates between 21 ° C and 31 ° C. In winter the temperature occasionally drops below 2 ° C due to the cold winds from the south. Precipitation varies between 702 mm and 1558 mm.
flora
The vegetation consists of high and low forests that shed only part of their leaves, gallery forests , Chaco bush forest, Copernicia alba , Attalea phalerata palm trees, aquatic plants , Terminalia argentea , Tabebuia aurea , Cedrela fissilis , Gallesia integrifolia , Praecereus saxicola , Astronium urund , Lapacho trees ( Handroanthus impetiginosus ) and yopo ( Anadenanthera colubrina ), which is used as a psychoactive drug.
fauna
59 mammals, 50 fish, 5 reptiles and a large number of bird species have been registered in the national park, including concentrations of large water birds. The outstanding species include the jaguar , puma , tayra , maned wolf , forest dog , swamp deer , South American otter , giant otter , jabiru , caimans and piranhas .
population
The area has a very low population due to frequent flooding. There are 18 estancias and small farms within the national park ; the population is estimated at 400 people. The only road through the national park leads from Puerto Busch to Estancia Santa Elena. The nearest town, Puerto Suárez, can be reached from Santa Cruz by rail and road.
