Amazon Insects

By Rhett Butler   |  Last updated 2017-Jan-26

Over 90% of the animal species in the Amazon are insects.


  • Whereas all of Europe has some 321 butterfly species, the Manu National Park in Peru (4000 hectare-survey) has 1300 species, while Tambopata National Park (5500 hectare-survey) has at least 1231 species.
  • Around 25% of the world's 2 million described animals species are beetles (Coleoptera).
  • The Longhorn Beetle (Titanus giganteus) can have a body length (not including antennae) of over 6.5 inches (16 cm),
  • A single square mile of rainforest often houses more than 50,000 insect species
  • Some scientists estimate that 30% of the animal biomass of the Amazon Basin is made up of ants.

The Amazon rainforest may house as many as 2.5 million species of insects, although only a tiny fraction of this number have been described by scientists.

Pictures of Amazonian Insects and other Invertebrates: