NEOTROPICAL (SOUTHERN SOUTH AMERICAN)
Valdivian Temperate Rainforest

 The interesting endemic species diversity, the lower temperates, and the lack of dangerous or annoying animals, makes the temperate forests of southern South America very pleasant habitats to explore. This page looks at the Valdivian temperate rainforest. They are restricted to a small area along the central coast of Chile: if you travel further south the forest transitions into the cooler Magellanic Subpolar Forests. 

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One of the most obvious plants in the understory of the forest here, even along the roadsides, is one of the the largest leaves in the world: the 'Nalca' Gunnera tinctoria.

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In spring and summer there are some flowers to be seen in the forest, including:

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The 'Arrayan' or 'Chilean Mrytle', Luma apiculata, has white flowers and distinctive twisty orange tree trunks...

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These southern forests also seem to have a lot of red coloured flowers! These have probably evolved with one of the main pollinators here, the Firecrown, a type of Hummingbird.

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One of the biggest red flowers is one of the symbols of these southern forests, the 'Chilean Bellflower' Lapageria rosea. The family that contains this species only has one other species: both are endemic to the temperate forests of southern South America.

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Even some of the parasites, such as the Mistletoe 'Quintral' Tristerix corymbosus, have red flowers. The fruits of this mistletoe are one of the preferred foods of the tiny local Possum, the 'Monito del monte'. As far as is know, that animal is the only dispersal agent for this plant. 

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While there is not the bustling insect communities that are found in the tropical forests of South America, there are lots of invertebrate critters to note. Below is the largest land snail found in Chile, the 'Chilean Black Snail' Macrocyclis peruvianus. Despite the specific epithet, it is endemic to the forests of Chile and Argentina.

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There is not a huge range of species of birds in these forests compared to those further north in the Neotropics, but many of them are endemic to southern South America. The most famous and sought after of the endemics here are the various species in the Tapaculo family. These are generally shy birds that call while they are rustling around in the undergrowth. I have heard and seen two species (although more in the Magellanic than Valdivian forest), including the Chucao Tapaculo and the Magellanic Tapaculo ....I just haven't photographed them! So you'll have to be happy with this photo of a Green-backed Firecrown, one of the more commonly seen birds of the Valdivian forest (and a seasonal visitor to the Magelllanic forest).

Places to experience the temperate forests of southern South America

The Valdivian forest is centred around the large bay protected by the island of Chiloe. In this region is the Chiloe National Park. North of here, rainforest is protected in various national parks and other reserves such as the coastal Punta Curinanco (below), accessible from Neibla.

For a video slideshow about the nature & wildlife of the
SOUTHERN SOUTH AMERICAN Temperate Forest