January 16, 2022
Researchers recently announced that in 2020, wildfires in the Pantanal wetlands in Brazil killed close to 17 million vertebrates, which included reptiles, birds and primates. This has destroyed close to 30% of the world’s largest tropical wetlands. Close to 22,000 separate fires were recorded during that year. During the fires, a large number of snakes were killed. Snakes are usually predators of small mammals and frogs. This impact may result in an unimaginable imbalance in the ecosystem that may take many years to correct itself.
Did You Know?
The Pantanal wetlands are located across Brazil, Paraguay and Bolivia and are among the most biodiverse areas in the world. Thousands of species including jaguars, anteaters and migratory birds live in the wetlands.
