Leticia

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Leticia

Leticia

The capital of the Amazonas department, Leticia is the most southern city in the Republic of Colombia and one of the most important ports on the Amazon River. The jungle village, founded by the Peruvians in 1867 as a military outpost and river port, passed under Colombian control in the 1930s. Despite recent development, with tourism and the introduction of regular flights, Leticia has retained its outpost feel. The town is surrounded by Indians who hunt and gather, and there is almost no industry, the main economic activity being rubber gathering. Leticia's frog fauna extremely species-rich. An intensive survey in the primary rainforest and flooded forest, about 10 km north of the city, has identified 96 species of frogs, and soon two more. Probably the most recognizable of these are the Poison Arrow Frogs. But the true number could be as much as 123 species, based on the number of species expected to occur on the site but not yet documented. Reptiles are similarly diverse in the Amazon, with around 380 species, half of which are found around Leticia. 110 snakes, 60 lizards, 4 caimans and 10 turtles complete the list of reptile species. Leticia is home to around 195 species of mammals. Almost half of this number are bats. Besides the bats, there are 2 species of dolphins, about 16 species of monkeys, numerous rodents, opossums, wild pigs, anteaters, sloths and the mysterious jaguar. As for birds, around 1 000 species of birds have been identified in the Leticia area. Parrots, hummingbirds, hawks, herons and kingfishers are among the species regularly observed.