The
only
Protected
Area
in
the
south
of
Ecuador
is
named
after
a
tree
characteristic
of
the
humid
montane
forest,
which
is
also
the
only
native
conifer
in
Ecuador
:
the
romerillo
or
podocarpus
.
This
zone
is
one
of
the
most
outstanding
in
the
world
due
to
the
sheer
quantity
of
bird
species
inhabiting
the
area.
There
are
some
560
identified
species,
accounting
for
around
40
per
cent
of
Ecuador
’s
birdlife.
The
paraguas
bird,
cock
of
the
rock,
parrots,
humming
birds,
toucans
and
tanagers
can
be
spotted
here,
mainly
due
to
the
coexistence
of
various
different
habitats
in
the
Park.
Puyango
Petrified
Forest
The
altitude
here
ranges
from
360-
500
metres
with
temperatures
averaging
22.5
degrees
centigrade.
The
best
time
to
visit
the
area
is
during
the
dry
season
between
May
and
December.
During
the
winter
months
the
area
receives
over
900
mm
of
rainfall,
which
dramatically
changes
the
Park’s
landscape.
Puyango
is
one
of
few
remaining
sectors
of
dry
tropical
forest
in
the
south
east
of
Ecuador
where
steep
slopes
and
ravines
have
helped
conserve
this
ecosystems
natural
vegetation.
Evidence
suggests
that
Puyango
was
once
sea.
The
most
ancient
fossils
found
here
correspond
to
marine
organisms.
The
sea
dried
out
consequently
populating
itself
with
forest
vegetation
and
animals,
which
after
hundreds
of
years
became
fossilised
in
the
earth
due
to
a
series
of
natural
cataclysms.
Eventually,
thanks
to
geological
movements,
these
fossils
found
their
way
to
the
surface,
providing
us
with
invaluable
specimens
of
species
that
previously
inhabited
our
planet.
Fossils
in
Puyango
range
between
60
million
and
500
million
years
old.
The
main
attraction
in
Puyango
Petrified
Forest
is
the
fossilised
tree
trunks
of
the
Araucarioxylon
tree,
which
can
be
found
in
the
ravines
of
Sabalos
and
Chirimoyos.
The
trees
date
back
approximately
100
million
years,
constituting
possibly
the
world’s
best
and
most
ancient
collection
of
fossilised
wood.
The
primary
specimen
has
a
two-metre
diameter
and
measures
fifteen
metres
high.
Fossilised
leaves
originating
from
various
palms
and
ferns
can
also
be
found
here.
According
to
famous
palaeontologist
Shoemaker,
who
carried
out
research
here
between
1975
and
1976,
the
sheer
quantity
of
petrified
tree
trunks
in
this
area
represents
one
of
the
largest
and
most
important
collections
in
the
world,
comparable
only
to
that
of
Arizona
National
Park
in
the
United
States
.
Last
Updated
19th
July
2006
