User:0kty
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Sierra Nevada National Park | |
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IUCN Category II (National Park) | |
Location | Mérida and Barinas, Venezuela |
Nearest city | Merida City |
Coordinates | |
Area | 683,100 acres (2,764 km²) |
Established | May 2, 1952 |
The Cueva del Guácharo National Park surrounds a large cave ("cueva" in Spanish) near Caripe, which is the home of thousands of oil-birds (guácharo in Spanish; scientific name steatornis caripensis). This vegetarian, nocturnal species was made known to science by Alexander von Humboldt and named by him after the town of Caripe.
The cave itself was designated a Natural Monument in 1949 and the National Park was later designated to conserve the cave-system and environment of the birds.