Like many other rainforests the Amazon rainforest is a jungle with most of the world’s species of plants and animals. Not to mention how much of the worlds oxygen it provides. We simply couldn’t live without it. Although this rainforest is very big it used to be even bigger. But, because of deforestation ( or when people cut down trees) it has shrunk drastically. Organizations have been created so that we can help save the Amazon rainforest.
The Amazon Rainforest is located in South America in the Northwest and Southwest hemispheres. Its range is 45 to 75 degrees west latitude and 0 to 15 degrees south longitude. There are 9 different countries that contain part of the Amazon Rainforest: Brazil, Columbia, Peru, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana. The Amazon Rainforest got its name because of the river that flows right through it the Amazon River it is the biggest river in South America. This river is used to transport goods all through the rainforest and provides most of the rainforests specious of fish.
The Amazon Rainforest is a very hot and humid place in fact it is sunny all year because it is close to the Equator. It is in the Tropical . It rains there almost everyday. The average rainfall in a year is 50 to 260 inches of rain. It is really hot there in fact the average temperature in the rainforest is about 79 degrees Farenheit. Sense it is near the equator it is pretty much the same temperature all year long.
There are 4 layers in the rainforest. There is the Forest Floor which is at the very bottom of the rainforest. It is very dark and things decay quickly here. The animals here include Giant ant eaters. The next layer is the Understory layer. The plants here have big leaves so that they can catch the sunlight. The animals here include Jaguars, red-eyed tree frogs, and leopards. The next layer is the canopy layer it is the second to the top layer of the rainforest. The leaves of the trees here form a roof over the other 2 layers blocking out all the sun from the other layers. It is a maze of leaves and branches. The animals here include Snake, Toucans, and Tree frogs. The top layer of the rainforest is the Emergent layer. This layer has the right to say they have the tallest trees in the rainforest, and they do these trees sore above the heads of all the creatures that live there. The animals here include Eagles, Monkeys, Bats, and Butterflies.
The White Trillium is a plant that lives in the forest floor layer. Like other plants it is a producer which means it produces its own food. The White Trillium is in the shape of a star so it is easy to recognize it. It has 3 white petals, 3 leaves, and 3 sepals this plant is very important to the people of the rainforest because it has many uses. The petals of the White Trillium are used to ease childbirth. The sepals help reduce fevers, and the leaves help cure a snake bite. This plant is an important part of the rainforest, and it helps the people of the rainforest.
Unlike other plants the strangler fig is not a producer it is actullay a consumer. In fact it is a Herbivore (something that only eats plants) It gets its energy from rapping itself around another tree and sucking the nutrients out of it. This plant starts out as a seed in the canopy layer but then it grows its roots down to the forest floor where it turns into a vine and the grabs a tree it then it sucks the nutrients out of it until the tree dies. The reason it takes the nutrients out of the tree is because it is not a producer so it does not use photosynthesis .Photosynthesis is the process a plant uses to create its own food, so it has to get its energy from another source. In this case it takes it from a tree. Nothin eats it but they eat off of it. Animals go to the strangler fig because it provides fig fruit for many animals.
The Poison Dart Frog is a extremly small frog that lives in the Canopy layer of the rainforest. It is a consumer which means it eats other organisms for energy.While this frog may be small it is one of the most poisonous frogs in the world. In fact it is the size of a a mans thumbnail. One ounce of its poison can kill a huge dog. Because of the size of it the frog its only prey or food are extremely small insects. Its only known predator (or animal that eats it) is a snake. The snake can ressist the poison but it may cause it to get very very sick. The poison dart frogs habitat or natural enviorment is a place with dense vegetation with high humidity and running water. It maybe found under foilage or leaves on the forest floor. An adaptation or thing that the frog has that lets him survive is that this frog has is that it has bright colors that tell other animals that it is poisonous because of this it don’t have many predators. The poison dart frog uses its bright colors as camoflauge. This helps it blend in with its surrounding. While this frog is very poisonous like other animals it is decomposed by a decomposer.
The Piranha is a carnivore( or an animal who only eats meat) that lives in the Amazon River. The piranha is known to be very dangerous. But if you don’t mess with it then it will not attack you. Piranhas eat young Blacks Caimans and young Herons. The way the piranha catches its is it waits until a baby caiman or heron falls out of a tree when it does the piranha jumps out and grabs the fish. It then eats it and once again it hides in the water. The only predators of the Piranha are adult Caimans and adult Herons. Like other fish the Piranha is scaly, and has gills, the difference between this fish and other fish os that it has big huge eyes and has razor sharp teeth. The piranhas eyes help it see better when it is trying to catch its food while the razor sharp teeth are used to eats its prey and for it to defend itself if it needs to. It is not a Omnivore because it does not eat both plants and animals. It only its meat. The piranha is a interesting animal to learn about.
The Yanomami tribe is one of the most well-known tribes in the Amazon Rainforest. They have little outside influence. Like many tribes who live in the Amazon Rainforest thet get all of their resources from the rainforest. They even make small garden plots so that they can plant and grow some food. They have lived in the rainforest for hundreds of years. Because of this they have devoloped very good hunting skills. They hunt with bows,arrows, and spears. Out of the whole town they only have about one shoygun. They got it by trading with the outsiders. The village of the Yanomami Tribe is divided into Concentric Circles. The first circle has a 5 kilometer radius. The second circle has a 5-10 kilometer radius. The third circle has a 10-20 kilometer radius. They live in grass huts. Because the Yanomami tribe never discovered the wheel they travel by walking, Canoes on the river, and by the trading of ideas.
fThe Machiguenga tribe is one of the most indeginous (or that originated in the area) tribes in the Amazon Rainforest with know outside influence.They live in small scattered villages in grass huts. They cut down trees and use the wood to make bows and arrows. As well as canoes that they ride in the Amazon River. They cut giant clearings which they use to plant crops. As a part of their culture the machiguenga pass down stories. Which Is very important. This is important because they do not have a written language. These stories have been passed down for many generations. They take good care of their rainforest because many plants in the rainforest are used as medicines for the people. One good example is the White Trillium.
One way to save the rainforest is by Ecotourism. Ecotourism is a tour that is designed to contribute to the protection of places in the world. Which means it is a tour that people take that help other people save the rainforest. Another method you can use is called Conservation. Conservation is when you try to conserve something. One thing you can do is planting new trees in areas where the trees have been cleared out. Another thing you can do is help in the expansion of protection areas such as parts of the Amazon Rainforest. The Amazon Ranforest has tons of cancer fighting ingredients. If you destroy the rainforest then you could quite possibly destroy the cure for cancer. So I ask you this, is it worth taking the risk? Because you can make a difference and save the rainforest.
http://www.extremescience.com/zoom/index.php/animal-kingdomrecords/100-piranha
http://www.mongabay.com/faqs_poison_dart_frogs.htmorg/poisonarr ow_frog.htm
http://www.honoluluzoo.org/poisonarrow_frog.htm
http://www.srl.caltech.edu/personnel/krubal/rainforest/Edt560s6/www/whlayers.html http://indian-cultures.com/Culture/yanomami.html www.ypte.org.U/enviormental/rainforest tribe/92
http://www.goallover.org/experience-the-amazonrainforest-with-wwf-sky/8551 http://enviro-map.com/amazon-rainforest http://www.mbarron.net/Amazon/bigmap.htm