Satellite view of the Lara-Falcón dry forests, Venezuela Photograph by USGS   Northern South America: Northern Venezuela Tropical and Subtropical Dry Broadleaf Forests   6,500 square miles (16,900 square kilometers) -- about the size of Hawaii Critical/Endangered

· Dry-Land Survivors
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern
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Dry-Land Survivors

This ecoregion lies in northern Venezuela, south of the Paraguana Peninsula, east of the Gulf of Maracaibo, and north of the Andes. The dense woodlands and thorn forests of this ecoregion are filled with spiny shrubs, cactuses, and mesquite trees, all of which are well-equipped to withstand the dry conditions that persist here during much of the year. The vegetation is dry deciduous thorn forest mixed with deciduous dry forest. Small patches of seasonal evergreen forest are seen along rivers and hilltops.

Special Features

The thorn forests and dry woodlands of this ecoregion occur in a mosaic, or patchwork, across the landscape. During the extended dry season the numerous creeks and streams dry up, forming arroyos or dry gullies--and many trees shed their leaves to conserve precious water. The dry forests of this ecoregion are dominated by acacia, Bulnesia, and guabo querre trees, and are interspersed with small- to medium-sized spiny shrubs such as mesquite. These woodlands are denser along stream beds and areas with semi-permanent water. In the understory, cacti are a dominant feature and are interspersed among other succulent and dry tolerant species. Xeric scrub surrounds this area, making it an "island" of dry forest. It supports several endemic species.

	The grison, or hurón, looks like a small badger. It hunts for reptiles, small birds, and small mammals in the early morning and late afternoon. Grisons find shelter in abandoned armadillo burrows during the day.

Wild Side

Along a dry streambed, a magnificently colored ruby-topaz hummingbird flits among the flowers of a guabo querre tree. On a nearby mesquite bush, a scruffy-tailed bird called the white-whiskered spinetail jumps from branch to branch as it searches for insects. A little-spotted cat, also called an oncilla, moves through the forest with a mouse clamped firmly in her jaws as she returns to her hollow tree den to feed her kittens. Overhead, flocks of pygmy swifts hunt flying insects. In the thick and thorny scrub, vermilion cardinals search for fruit. In the skies above, clouds begin to stack up and darken--marking the end of the dry season--as a king vulture soars in search of carrion and a pearl kite patrols the forest edge for small birds and rodents. In the late afternoon, a long and slender member of the weasel family, called a grison, emerges from its bank-side burrow to hunt for reptiles, small birds, and mammals. As evening falls, the hooting of a black-and-white owl can be heard as a northern lesser long-nosed armadillo buries its snout in the dirt, feasting on worms and insects.

Cause for Concern

The native habitat of this ecoregion is threatened by human conversion to agriculture, grazing, and increasing human population growth. Near settlements, wood is scarce due to collection for fuelwood and construction materials. Because the region is so dry and the soil is poor, large-scale grazing and agriculture place huge demands on scarce water resources. And even seemingly minor uses of the forest, such as the gathering of firewood and hunting, can be devastating to this fragile ecosystem.

For more information on this ecoregion, go to the World Wildlife Fund Scientific Report.