Animais enviados do Grão-Pará para as Quintas Reais de Belém (Portugal) no século XVIII

Abstract

With the changes introduced by the Marquis of Pombal and the influence of the Enlightenment ideals, the Portuguese Crown would renew its interest in its colonies, developing measures to better understand and use their natural products. Such changes, among other aspects, charged the Governors of the Portuguese overseas possessions to send zoological specimens to Lisbon, destined to the “Quintas Reais” in Belém. As revealed by the official documents written by Francisco Xavier de Mendonça Furtado (1753), João Pereira Caldas (1773‑1786) and José de Nápoles Telo de Meneses (1780‑1782), those Governors of the State of Grão‑Pará, in obeyance to the received orders, shipped to the Metropolis around 75 distinct species, between November 1753 and August 1786. Considering the composition of the Brazilian fauna and the interest shown by the Europeans in our animals, it is not surprising that the greatest part of that amount was composed by 51 birds (68%) at least, 22 mammals (29,4%) and only two reptiles (2,6%). Besides the proverbial primates and psittacids, some game animals and notoriously exotic or colourful specimens were also included. Those specimens were not only captured in the neighbourhood of Belém, but even in the Captaincy of Rio Negro and other far away places, as exemplified by the presence of Cocks-of-the-rock, Rupicola rupicola (Passeriformes, Cotingidae) and Nocturnal Curassows, Nothocrax urumutum (Galliformes, Cracidae).