The Paria peninsula or is located in the northern end of the eastern coastal range, in the jurisdiction of the municipalities Arismendi, Mariño and Valdez of the current state of Sucre, Venezuela.
Paria Peninsula National Park is located in the East Coast mountain range in the northeast of the country, in the jurisdiction of the Arismendi, Mariño and Valdez municipalities of the Sucre state. It covers from the outskirts of Cabo Tres Puntas to the promontory of Paria, including also Isla de Patos and some small islets located in the strait of the mouth of the Dragon. Protects from coastal landscapes located at sea level such as the coves of Don Pedro and Uquire, to mountain landscapes that include the highest peaks of the Paria peninsula: El Patao and Humo hills. The flora found in its cloudy and humid forests has a great relationship with the flora of Venezuelan Guayana and with the nearby islands of Trinidad and Tobago. It also has a high level of plant endemism. Because its landscape is mainly mountain. the park receives tourists who practice hiking and hiking.
Coastal cloud forests, tropical dry forest and premontane wet forest. The vegetation of its peaks is similar to that found in the Guayana region. The park also has a high level of plant endemism compared to adjacent areas. Humid forests are always green and are between 400 and 800 m altitude. The cloud forests of the Paria peninsula begin at 750 m, at a lower altitude compared to the rest of the country, due to favorable conditions of high rainfall and low temperatures in the area.
Flora
In the islands and mountains near the coasts stand out the glass grass Sesuvium portulacastrum, Batis maritime and cactáceas. In the deciduous forest are the araguaney tabebuia chrysantha while in the coastal cloud forests there are arboreal species such as the saman Pithecelobium saman, along with numerous lianas and epífetas.
Wildlife
The fauna is varied, abundant in bird species, the most outstanding being the tiger-tailed hummingbird Chrysuronia oenone, the seven-spotted parakeet Touta vatavica, the cinnamon-colored guinea pig Synallaxis cinnamomea pariae, the fagao gargantiblaco or pintao Margarornis tatei, the dwarf ponchito Gallaricula nana pariae, the pariae tealita Myoborus pariae, the three striped chivi Basileuterus tristiatus pariae, the gray cap flycatcher Leptogon superciliaris pariae, the golden quetzal Pharomachrus fulgidus. Among the mammals we can highlight the Araguato monkey, Alouatta seniculus, the matacán deer Mazama americana, the machango monkey or Cebus sp. Maicero, the Epi barbara guapan, the prickly rat or curareque Proechimys guayanensis. The reptiles that stand out are the sea turtles, these use the beaches as a nesting site. The typical representative of invertebrates are terrestrial crabs of the genus Pseudothelphusa.
Geology
The Paria peninsula, like the rest of the Cordillera de la Costa, began to rise and erode in the Eocene 45 million years ago and from the Quaternary to the present, erosion led to the accumulation of sediments on the southern slope of the mountainous area where most of the population centers of the peninsula are located. The Carúpano geological formation is the one that is represented in the park and consists mainly of phyllites and graffiti calcareous schists, thin and lenticular layers of recrystallized limestone present at different levels with greater or lesser frequency.
Geomorphology
It forms a mountainous massif with steep slopes and impressive inlets. It contains typical landscapes of mountains, hills, foothills and valleys. In the coastal zone, to the north of the park, landscapes of inlets can be observed.
Vegetation
The vegetation is characteristic of the premontane and tropical dry forest. The peaks of the park enjoy great humidity coming from the waters of the Atlantic, generating a generous and abundant vegetation. Up to 600 meters above sea level the forest is dense and semi-deciduous with heights of up to 25 m. and a dense understory. About 600 meters above sea level. There is a dense evergreen forest of two arboreal strata with heights ranging from 15 to 25 m. represented by the mijao Anacardium excelsum, the jobo Spondias mombin, the jabillo Hura crepitans, the matapalo Ficus sp., the red bucare Erythrina poeppigiana and the red mangrove Rhizophora mangle and the other stratum formed by a sparse understory. In these plant formations there are numerous endemic species such as Asplundia pariensis, Piper parianum and Cestrum pariense, as well as species found for the first time in Venezuela, related to the Guayana region.
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