Resumen:
Traditional knowledge, much like scientific knowledge, is the product of observation and
reflection from the relationship between people and their habitat. This paper documents the
first inventory of native names and ethnozoological information of snakes in the language of
the Shiwiar-Chicham (SC) and Kichwa (KW), for those territories located in the Pastaza and Napo
basins, Amazonia of Ecuador. Additionally, we analyzed the diversity of native names with the
Shannon-Wiener index (D). A total of 50 snake species are inventoried, where 36 species (80%)
and 49 (100%) snakes possessed a name in the SC and KW languages, respectively. The KW
language (D = 4.02) presented a greater diversity of names assigned to snakes, in comparison
to the SC language (D = 3.04). The great cultural and linguistic diversity demonstrates that
there is still a need to document and safeguard the ethnozoological knowledge related to
snakes in the Amazon
