Flora and Fauna
Humidity, low temperature, and high altitude with low atmospheric pressure create an ecosystem that accumulates organic material in the soil that is able to retain water. The high grassland ecosystem (páramo) contains plants suitably adapted to it, 19 of them endemic to Cajas. The dominant plant is straw grass (Calamagrostis intermedia).
Above 3,300 meters the quinua (Polylepis) or "paper tree" forest can be found. It is in forests such as these that a second protected population of the rare Fuchsia campii, in the willowherb family, is predicted to live, as it has also been found in another nearby national park of similar ecological characteristics.
In the lower parts of the park, the cloud forest and perennial high mountain forest are present, primarily in the ravines near the brooks and rivers.
The El Cajas National Park is home to a large variety of animals, some of which are endemic or highly endangered. Among the most prominent are the South American Condor, of which only 80 remain throughout all Ecuador; the Curiquinga, a large black and white raptor, and the largest hummingbird of the world, the Giant Hummingbird (Patagona gigas), which lives only on agave flowers. The Violet-Throated Metaltail (Metalura gorjivioleta) is endemic to Cajas and surrounding valleys. The avifauna consists of 157 bird species, making birdwatching an alluring activity for visitors.
Overall, forty-four mammalian species have been identified in the park. Species include different types of opossums, cats, and bats. Also there are pumas, coatis, weasels, skunks, foxes, porcupines, pacas, shrews, rabbits and other rodents. Endemic are the Cajas Water Mouse (Chibchanomys orcesi) that belongs to the group Ichthyomyini and Tate's Shrew Opossum (Caenolestes tatei).
At least seventeen species of amphibians live around the lagoons of Cajas. This includes those of the genera Atelopus, Telmatobius, Gastrotheca, Eleutherodactylus, and Colostethus. The high variety of amphibians suggest the presence of a diversity of insects, as they are a chief amphibian food source.
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