Animal Info - French Guiana

(An Overseas Department of France)

Contents

Threatened Species, Environmental and Social Data (Mammals, Biodiversity/Ecosystems, Population, Area/Land Use), References and Links

Threatened Species

Threatened Species: The following list includes all mammals which occur in French Guiana and are rated as Critically Endangered (CR), Endangered (EN) or Vulnerable (VU) in the 2004 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals. 

• Critically Endangered:
  • Small-footed (Guianan) Water Rat (Nectomys parvipes). (Endemic to French Guiana.)
• Endangered:
  • Giant Armadillo (Priodontes maximus).
  • Giant Otter (Pteronura brasiliensis). 
  • Oyapock's Fish-eating Rat (Neusticomys oyapocki). (Endemic to French Guiana.)
• Vulnerable:
  • American Manatee (Trichechus manatus).
  • Bush Dog (Speothos venaticus).
  • Giant Anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla).
  • Schultz's Round-eared Bat (Tonatia schulzi).
  • Tacarcuna Bat (Lasiurus castaneus).

Environmental and Social Data

Mammals

Total number of species: 150 (Groombridge & Jenkins 1994)
Number of endemic species: 2 (Groombridge & Jenkins 1994)
Number of threatened species: 1996 and 2000: 9 (6 % of total species) (IUCN 1996, IUCN 2000) 

Biodiversity/Ecosystems

French Guiana contains portions of the Guayanan Forests and Orinoco-Amazon Mangroves & Coastal Swamps Global 200 Ecoregions (Olson & Dinerstein 1998, Olson & Dinerstein 1999)

Population

Population in 1995: 147,000 (Natl. Geog. Soc. 1995)
Population density in 1995: 1.6 people/sq km (4.2 people/sq mi) (Natl. Geog. Soc. 1995)
Population in 1998: 162,547 (World Almanac 1999)

Area/Land Use

Area: 90,000 sq km (34,749 sq mi) (Natl. Geog. Soc. 1995)
Percentages of primary world ecosystem types:

• Other Coastal Aquatic: 4 %
• Major Wetland: 11 %
• Crop and Settlements: 7 %
• Major Forests: 78 %

(Groombridge 1992)

References and Links

References: Groombridge 1992, Groombridge & Jenkins 1994, IUCN 1996, IUCN 2000, IUCN 2004, Natl. Geog. Soc. 1995, Olson & Dinerstein 1998, Olson & Dinerstein 1999, World Almanac 1999

General Links (After you get to one of these sites, click on the link for French Guiana): CIA World Factbook, Foreign Embassies of Washington, D.C., Library of Congress - Country Studies, University of Texas - Country Maps, Washington Post - Countries, World Resources Institute - Country Profiles

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By: Paul Massicot; Last modified: August 2, 2006; © 1999 - 2006 Animal Info