Jungle Ecosystem

This pavilion is a piece of the Amazon, a tropical jungle with a temperature of 28ºC and 80% humidity.  In this ecosystem the most characteristic species of the tropics come together: fish, birds, reptiles and invertebrates. The pavilion has a circular surface area of 2.850 m² and stands 13 metres in height with three levels spiralling downwards, encompassing the flora and fauna found in the tropical rainforest.

         LEVEL 1: The route begins in the treetops. Through the mist and the drizzle, macaws, amazons, toucans, scarlet ibis and trumpeters all appear, together with royal palms, tree ferns, Brazil trunks and climbing plants, amongst others. They all live together in a delicate balance, which is seen in its greatest splendour with the tropical storms that take place every half hour on weekends and every hour from Monday to Friday, lasting five minutes, ensuring that visitors may share, with extraordinary realism, what the animals experience: seeing, hearing and feeling the hot and humid environment of the tropical rainforest.

         LEVEL 2: Upon descending to the second level, enveloped in a hot and dark atmosphere, where the jungle receives just 2% of sunlight, the tropical birds take flight, while the cotton-eared marmosets leap from branch to branch.  To follow is Squirrel Monkey Territory, where amongst the dense vegetation a path can be out which leads into a large shack made from dry branches.  Passage through this territory provides the opportunity for a unique experience: to be in direct contact with the squirrel monkeys and “speak” with the vividly feathered macaws. When leaving this territory, and as we descend to the floor of the tropical jungle, we enjoy the presence of iguanas, coatis, black-headed marmosets, black agoutis, toco toucans, sun parrots, etc.

         LEVEL 3: We follow the bank of the Amazon River, which snakes between the lushest vegetation, flowing into the depths of the mangrove swamps. Along the way, we can see reptiles, amphibians and fish of all sizes and colours: spectacled caiman, green iguanas, mata mata turtles, piranhas (a real show at mealtimes), leaf fish, hatchet fish, cardinal fish, corydoras and discus fish, amongst others. A glass tunnel within the river bed itself permits us to uncover an extraordinary viewpoint: the bottom of the mangrove swamps. In the water, giant tree roots intertwine, giving shelter to catfish, tiger fish, rays, black pacu, red pacu and giant arapaima of more than 2 metres in length.

         Mermaids at Faunia

        Yes, mermaids do exist, they are called manatees and, for the first time in Spain, a whole family of these surprising aquatic mammals can be seen in the Faunia Jungle. This male and female, and their offspring born on the 30^th of July 2009, are in serious danger of extinction, as their estimated population has been reduced to 2.300 specimens the world over. With the arrival of the pair of manatees in 2007 and the birth of their young (named Lluma) two years later, Faunia has once again contributed to the conservation of this animal in serious danger within its natural habitat.

        Since the XVI century, sailors confused these singular specimens with mermaids due, amongst other factors, to the shape of their tails. To this day it is believed that this maritime myth was based on the description of manatees. In fact, this unique species has a very human characteristic, and it is that the females suckle their young holding them with their front legs.  In addition, they communicate under water using the emission of short wave sounds which can be heard by the human ear and which, in their day, the sailors may have confused with “mermaids singing”.