‘A dream come true’: Brazil’s blue-and-yellow macaws return to Rio after 200 years (www.theguardian.com)

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Refauna started restoring the rainforest through its “refaunation” programme, introducing the red-rumped agouti – a long-legged rodent the size of a cat – in 2010, followed by other species that exist elsewhere in Brazil but were extinct in the park. These include the brown howler monkey, which was probably last recorded in Rio in Charles Darwin’s Beagle diaries in 1832, and the yellow-footed tortoise.

All the reintroductions have brought excitement and new visitors to the park but none are as beloved as the macaws. The large parrots, almost a metre in length, which can be found in other parts of Brazil and South America, are famously intelligent and mate with their partner for life. The blue-and-yellow macaw adorns artwork, T-shirts and tote bags across the city and beyond, its colours echoing the country’s national flag.

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[-] HumbleBragger@piefed.social 2 points 1 week ago

Arara

this post was submitted on 09 Apr 2026

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Biodiversity

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Biodiversity is a term used to describe the enormous variety of life on Earth. It can be used more specifically to refer to all of the species in one region or ecosystem. Biodiversity refers to every living thing, including plants, bacteria, animals, and humans. Scientists have estimated that there are around 8.7 million species of plants and animals in existence. However, only around 1.2 million species have been identified and described so far, most of which are insects. This means that millions of other organisms remain a complete mystery.

Over generations, all of the species that are currently alive today have evolved unique traits that make them distinct from other species. These differences are what scientists use to tell one species from another. Organisms that have evolved to be so different from one another that they can no longer reproduce with each other are considered different species. All organisms that can reproduce with each other fall into one species. Read more...

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