What animals live in the Amazon? And 8 other Amazon facts

The Amazon is the world's largest rainforest and river system, containing one in 10 known species on Earth and storing between 90 billion and 140 billion metric tons of carbon. It is currently threatened by deforestation driven by cattle ranching, soy farming, and infrastructure, as well as climate change, which has caused rainfall to decline across 69% of the forest since 2000. WWF is implementing conservation strategies such as the Amazon Region Protected Areas program in Brazil to maintain a network of 120 protected areas.

• The Amazon is a critical global biodiversity hotspot, housing one in 10 known species on Earth, including 40,000 plant species, 3,000 freshwater fish species, and over 370 reptile types. Since 1999, more than 2,000 new species of vertebrates and plants have been described.
• The region plays a vital role in climate regulation by storing 90 billion to 140 billion metric tons of carbon and cycling approximately 7 trillion tons of water annually into the atmosphere, with forests recycling 50%-75% of annual rainfall.
• The Amazon faces severe environmental degradation; rainfall has decreased across 69% of the forest since 2000, and WWF projects that 27% of the biome will be treeless by 2030 if current deforestation rates persist.
• Primary drivers of deforestation and ecosystem threat include cattle ranching, agricultural expansion (specifically soy farming), hydropower, illegal logging, unsustainable natural resource extraction, and poorly planned infrastructure.
• WWF has implemented the Amazon Region Protected Areas program in Brazil, utilizing a 'Project Finance for Permanence' approach to raise $215 million for a network of 120 protected areas covering 150 million acres.

APA

WWF International (n.d.). What animals live in the Amazon? And 8 other Amazon facts. https://www.worldwildlife.org/resources/facts/what-animals-live-in-the-amazon-and-8-other-amazon-facts/

Chicago

WWF International. What animals live in the Amazon? And 8 other Amazon facts. n.d. https://www.worldwildlife.org/resources/facts/what-animals-live-in-the-amazon-and-8-other-amazon-facts/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=WWF International |title=What animals live in the Amazon? And 8 other Amazon facts |url=https://www.worldwildlife.org/resources/facts/what-animals-live-in-the-amazon-and-8-other-amazon-facts/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{wwfinternationalndwhat, author = {{WWF International}}, title = {{What animals live in the Amazon? And 8 other Amazon facts}}, institution = {WWF International}, url = {https://www.worldwildlife.org/resources/facts/what-animals-live-in-the-amazon-and-8-other-amazon-facts/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }