Mr. C’s homeroom
M y T r ip into the Amazon Rainfor est pr oject: the final tr ip into the Amazon By: M ax I .
2011
Here are some of the exotic animals you may see
on your adventure in the Amazon.
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Harpy eagles are one of the top predators, along with jaguars and anacondas. Panthers are jaguars without distinctive spots; they are not a different species. This is an example of what the food web is in the Amazon. All life depends on the sun. Without the sun there would be no plants and that means that the herbivores would have nothing to eat. Without herbivores there would be no carnivores, and without carnivores there would be no food web 3
becausethere would be no Amazon.
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Many animals live in the Amazon. Over half of the world’s plant and animal species live there. Without the rainforest we as a race lose a lot of oxygen. You know that we need oxygen to be able to breathe and 5
live. People are destroying an area the size of Pennsylvania every day. How many plants and animals are we killing? How many more will have to suffer these consequences?If you want to stop deforestation help conserve the rainforest. Are on and help conserve then you willing saving the rainforest? I am, not only in the saving of Amazon but, also the rainforest in Africa and the Southeast Asian rainforest. I need you to help. Plant a tree. That’s what everyone can do. By planting a tree you give the earth more oxygen. Without plants we can’t live becausethere wouldn’t be enough oxygen to go around. When we breathe we give off carbon 6
dioxide. Plants breathe carbon dioxide like we breathe oxygen. We are the best of friends. We give the trees and plants carbon dioxide when we breathe out. When the trees and plants breathe out they give off oxygen. So, in turn we help each other get what we need to survive. So, what is your job in helping the rainforest, you ask? Well read this story and then let’s see if you have figured it out!!
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One day my friends and I decided to gather enough money to have a one week trip to the Amazon (round trip).
We planned to
visit the GalapagosIslands and a few other places. We couldn’t stay long anywhere or we would not get to go to the rest of the places or not go home. If we didn’t catch our jet we were stuck there for a while. I am going to tell you everything from the plane ride there to the trip home. I was getting all my friends into my car (there was five of us). 8
It would cost about $1,569U.S. dollars. That would get you a 10 day trip to the Amazon rainforest, Iguanzu, and Rio de Janeiro. You could perhaps get one more expensive or cheaper but we decided to get this one. I personally wanted to go one this one. I can’t believe that I talked them into going on this one with me. I wanted to go to Rio ever since I watched that video about South America. I saw that statue of my personal lord and savior (Jesus Christ). I brought with me my bible, clothes, money, and other things (like shampoo and conditioner, I didn’t know if that was always 9
available). I also told the church that if the preacher wanted to come he could but he said no. I did what he told me to do though. He wanted me to help spread the word. Well the plane ride was a smooth and light flight. We didn’t hit any turbulence (I would say that that flight was the best flight ever). I felt so good. I fell asleep, I slept along time. I woke up when we were two hours from landing. I put on my headphones and listened to Toby Keith and Brooks and Dunn. I decided to call my mom when we touched down. I told her that we were fine and everything was ok. 10
I gathered everyone’s bags. Then we all went to the hotel I rented. I did that in secrecy. They didn’t know where I was taking them when I said I would drive. I didn’t tell them that I rented a hotel until I pulled into the parking lot. Then we all ate some food and washed up. Next, we all took a nice long nap. When we got up for dinner it was 9:30 pm. I couldn’t really eat much I was so tired. After we went to bed we slept forever. We got up at 2:00 pm. Well our first two days in South America were spent in a hotel. I set my alarm for 9:00 am. I made sure that we
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were all up. We went and ate breakfast then left immediately. We were going to get a first account look at the wild creatures of the Amazon. We saw an anaconda, poison strawberry dart frog and a harpy eagle. Our tour guide showed us a Venus fly trap along the way. I was amazed at the fact that it is a producer when young and then a consuming carnivore. I (and my friends) was amazed at that thought. When we went to the GalapagosIslands we saw GIANT TORTOSIES!! They were Huge! I could have ridden one like a horse if I wanted to. 12
Mason told me to bring our R/C air planes. We had a lot of fun with them. We started to fly them through the jungle. I decided to bring my F6FHellcat. Mason brought his JapaneseVal. That was their main bomber of the war. The F6F Hellcat was one of our early fighters of the war. We used the P-40 War hawk (A.K.A. Tomahawk) also. They were the planes that American Volunteers flew in the Flying tigers over china against the Japanese. So as I was saying we flew them through the jungle making make shift run ways whenever they needed to land. They might have run out of fuel or got something 13
caught in their propeller. As the guide took us deeper into the Amazon we were getting closer to the Yanomami tribe. When we got there one of their best hunters showed us a little different part of the jungle. (I almost hit him with my F6F Hellcat when we first got there.) He showed us what plant could be used for medicine and some for water and even other for food. He also showed us that one plants poison could be used to catch fish and then with the leftover plant you could turn into a powdery flower that was ate like crackers. I was amazed that there were so many usesfor each plant in the rainforest. 14
Like the Venus fly trap is used in homes to catch flies. Orchids are bought by many U.S.teenage boys to impress their girl friends. My favorite social studies teacher (a.k.a. Mr. C.) told us that at the beginning of the project. I was going off the trail a little bit and saw another hunting party. It was that if the Ticuna tribe. I told them that what was happening in the forest was called deforestation. They told me that they understood that the rainforest is disappearing and they were not able to do anything to stop it. My friends started to call for me becausethey didn’t know where I had gone. I went to them 15
and I told the tribesmen to come follow. I wanted my friends to meet my new friends (the Tikuna hunting party). I was surprised at the response. They greeted my new friends with great politeness. I think that since I went with the Tikuna tribe it was a good decision. I like the fact that they really only take what they need and care for the environment. They build housesout of the wood cut down for clear space to plant crops. I thought that the fact that the kids get their own land at the age of 7-8 was early, I never would have imagined that I would get my own land at that age. That was pretty 16
cool, I wish I had my own plot of land. That meant that you have to take care of it though. I also helped some of the kid’s farm and learned what it was like farming with the adults. I had the once in a lifetime experience of living with them for a day! That was amazing how they live! I was happy that they also gave me a native name. Tikungu is how I think is how you spell it. It means sacred keeper. That meant even after I was gone I am the keeper of their village. I protect it. When I left the village I said bye and thanked them for their hospitality and knowledge. I could now take that back to the 17
doctors of the United States (and other countries) and tell them that these plants can be used to cure cancer or this one can be used to disinfect an infected cut in a few days and cure it. We already know that certain plants can be used for medicine. That is good especially for a person with an incurable diseasethat has always been incurable until now.
As I was on my way back to the hotel I notice that there is a jaguar on the road. I was 18
scared at first but, then I realize that he is more scared of me. So then I keep walking toward him. He started to come close to me. I felt the fear mounting in my body. I not even 10 feet away from the animal thought “If he wanted to eat me or try a bite he would have done so”. I went on as casually as possible and made it out keeping my body in the shape that it was in without missing appendagesor limbs. I went on to go to our hotel room. I told my friends and they were stunned, then I told them about my trip with the Tikuna. I told them how my name is Tikungu still that’s how I think you spell it. I 19
am still astonished by that story to this day. I know that this was an amazing feat. I was happy that I made it out alive. I am sure that nothing will happen. People of the rainforest are trying to save their native homeland but as they get more and more civilized they cannot keep to their native traditions as easily becauseof the outside world. As we chop down tree after tree we are losing the oxygen. I said it once and I’ll say it again
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The four layers of the rainforest are the emergent, canopy, understory, and forest floor. The emergent is the very top, the canopy is the 200 foot level below the emergent, the understory is the layer where most land animals live, and the forest floor is where the frogs live and other bugs and insects. It is the very bottom layer.
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LANDCOVERMAP
CLIMATEMAP Today many areas the size of Pennsylvania will be destroyed. This is what is happening every day. Now 22
do you want to stop this? Savethe many animals and plants that are being killed every day. That’s what many people are trying to do now but can’t. That is becausethey are not in force. More force means more saved animals. Savethe animals, save the plants! HELPSAVETHEMOSTIMPORTANT SOURCEOFOUROXYGEN!!! By: Max I. SAVETHIS FLOWER.
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CITESOURCES:http://www.indiancultures.com/Cultures/ticuna.html MRS.WEBB/SCIENCECLASS
AND
MR.CONTAFIO/SOCIALSTUDIESCLASS SOCIALSTUDIESVIDEOS SPEACIALTHANKS TO MY TEACHERSAND CLASSMATES
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