contents Guide 6
LIFE ON EARTH 8
RAINFORESTS 12 DECIDUOUS FORESTS 16 TAIGA 20
AMAZONIA 24 BURMA 30 EUROPE 36 EASTERN AUSTRALIA 42 SIBERIA 48 ALASKA 54
Glossary 60 Index 62
guide HOW TO USE THIS BOOK The books in the series The Cycle of Life are divided into two main parts, and each part has chapters. The first part of each book looks at the ecosystems discussed in the volume in question, providing general information and giving an overview, for example about forests. This describes how animals and plants adapt to their habitat, their environment and conservation status, and one of the processes or cycles that happens around them. The second part of the book takes you to different parts of the planet, giving an insight into the world of the rainforests, and deciduous and coniferous forests. Here you can learn about the main features of each habitat and some of the typical animal and plant species found there. Written explanations – fascinating facts, useful data and concise descriptions – together with spectacular large illustrations, colourful clear diagrams and small pictures all aid understanding. The experience and interest is heightened by novel, special means, i.e. “web cameras” and the Internet. Attractive, highly detailed picture
Chapter title
Abbreviations and symbols ˚C = degree Celsius ˚F = degree Fahrenheit cm = centimetre m = metre km = kilometre g = gram kg = kilogram % = per cent e.g. = for example
Species name Map – showing the geographic position of the chosen location Page number General description of the habitat Highlighted text box Who eats who? – food chain What to expect – a taste of the environmental conditions Endangered/rare species Awareness-raising question
Environmental data On-site report about a real event – Picture of the same location and animals – at a different time
YOUR BOOK COMES TO LIFE! – HERE’S HOW How can you make the woodland wildlife come to life?
All you need to make this magic happen is an android or iOS smartphone with a camera or a tablet and an Internet connection. Then:
1. Download and start the Cycle Of Life 1. app on your gadget.
2. Choose a picture in the book marked with a
icon and show it to your gadget.
3. When the picture appears on your screen, turn around with your gadget or draw a circle on the screen.
4. You’ll find more excitement in the picture that has been brought to life by tapping different points. Make sure you find them all!
If you want to bring another picture to life, tap the back arrow in the bottom right corner of the screen.
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quetzal
toucan white-headed capuchin andiroba
amazon
blue-winged macaw
armadillo
bromeliad emperor’s tree
giant anteater
pernambuco tree
Ceratozamia morettii tayuya
blue morpho
plumed basilisk
onia jaguar
tree frog collared peccary
Amazonia N
W
E
Hercules beetle S
SOUTH AMERICA
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amazonia Amazonia is the world’s largest and most famous jungle, covering the Amazon basin and surrounding the river with the largest water flow in the world. The basin is almost the same size as the USA. Full of strange creatures and towering trees, this dark dense jungle has the most diverse flora and fauna, including over 500 mammals such as the jaguar, capybara, tapir, and many types of monkey and a third of all bird species in the world. The lakes of Amazonia are sometimes carpeted with water lilies and it is estimated that there are 3,000 types of edible fruit. The tallest trees are kapok trees, which grow 60 metres tall, and trees between 800 and 1,000 years old can also be found. The Amazon’s vegetation produces 20% of the Earth’s oxygen. In this mysterious realm there are still indigenous tribes living in their jungle homes.
WHO EATS WHO?
jaguar
quetzal
giant anteater
collared peccary
basilisk
Hyacinth macaw toucan andiroba
blue morpho’s caterpillar tree frog
ENDANGERED SPECIES
tamarin golden lion sloth ted pale-throa acaw m th hyacin jaguar frog poison dart
ant
R ARE SPECIES bromeliads kapok tree
Poison dart frog
WHAT TO EXPECT? Here you can watch 10% of all known species, including 2.5 million different insects, 40,000 species of plant and numerous dangerous animals such as the anaconda, the vampire bat and the poison dart frog. If you don’t want to get soaked to the skin, you’ve got ten minutes to find your umbrella – that’s how long it takes for the rain to penetrate the dense, high roof of plants.
» How many insect species can be found in Amazonia? » Which tree grows the tallest? » How tall do kapok trees grow?
It is estimated that over half of all the plant and animal species on Earth live here.
Toucan
WEATHER
Temperature: 71.6 °F
Humidity: high
the dark forest in ow ad sh ed tl ot M a swimming
en the head of m the river and th fro d ar he is light. The big cat t or sn A slight water in the halfe th of ce rfa su e th . As she steps onto jaguar appears on lly full of tapir flesh be r he , ops. nk ba e th sands of water dr scrambles onto at, scattering thou co r ted. It he us ha es ex ak ly sh e ing sh the bank, e forest, seem th of r ve co e th he o int ar tree that r She moves silently e foot of a huge cig th at d wn do s lie e parent. Two spotte is only when sh th milk become ap wi r’s en he oll ot m sw s eir nd th gla d play with mammary d the tree trunk an and hin ilk be m m r’s he fro ot ar m pe of cubs ap s supper tuck into a deliciou belly. tail. Soon the cubs st their mother’s ain ag d rle cu p lee as l fal ey before long th
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QUETZAL Quetzals breed between March and May, laying two light blue eggs in a cavity hollowed out in a rotten tree trunk. The hatchlings emerge after 18 days. Both parents feed their young with fruit, berries and small animals. Once the fledglings have flown, the female soon leaves them to their own devices, while the male continues to feed them for a few more weeks. The males start growing their spectacular tail feathers when they become sexually mature at around three years old.
The Aztecs and Mayans believed that the quetzal was the god of the air and for a long time used its colourful tail feathers as money.
scientific name: Pharomachrus mocinno size: 36–40 cm, 65 cm tail, 210 g range: Central America lifespan: 20–25 years level of threat: near threatened
AECHMEA (BROMELIAD) Aechmea is a bromeliad, one of the more than 3,000 species in the family which also includes the pineapple. Although some species put down roots in the ground, others live on trees in the rainforests. They obtain nutrients from the water that drips down. Their leaves form a rosette and the water collects around the bud in the centre. The mosquito larvae, tadpoles and other tiny organisms in this mini habitat provide nitrogen for the plant. scientific name: Aechmea recurvata size: 40–60 cm range: South America lifespan: 3–5 years level of threat: unknown
A few species of bromeliads are grown for their fruit. Types with long, pointed leaves are planted as fencing.
GIANT ANTEATER Giant anteaters mate throughout the year. During courtship the male escorts the female everywhere for 2 to 3 days. Pregnancy lasts for 6 months and a single pup is born. The baby clutches its mother’s back, where it spends its days. The pup begins to eat solid food after 3 months and becomes independent at the age of 10 months. Giant anteaters are sexually mature in 3 to 4 years.
The giant anteater has a sticky tongue 60 centimetres long, enabling it to catch ants easily.
scientific name: Myrmecophaga tridactyla size: 180–220 cm, 30–40 kg range: Central and South America lifespan: 14–16 years level of threat: vulnerable
amazonia JAGUAR Jaguars do not have a specific breeding season and cubs are usually born at a time when there’s plenty of food – all year round in the tropics. This is typical in the rainforest and tends to happen in spring elsewhere. A female gives birth to 2 to 4 cubs and cares for them for 1 to 2 years. At this age they find new territories and become parents themselves. Adults hunt at night and spend the day resting.
Apart from suffocating their victims like other big cats, jaguars have a unique method of piercing the temporal bones of the skull with their canine teeth, causing a fatal wound to the brain. scientific name: Panthera onca size: 160–180 cm (plus a 70–80 cm tail), 60–90 kg, females are 20% smaller range: Central and South America lifespan: 12–15 years (up to 23 years in captivity) level of threat: potentially threatened
PLUMED BASILISK
Basilisks are excellent swimmers and can remain submerged for up to 30 minutes without coming up for air. They can also run on the surface of the water, hence their nickname “the Jesus Christ lizard”.
The plumed basilisk’s breeding season begins in the second half of the dry season. The males impress the females by raising the crests on their head and back. After mating, females dig a shallow hole where they lay 4 to 14 eggs and then cover them. After the eggs have been warmed by the sun for 8 to 10 weeks, the young emerge. They barely have time to dry before they go in search of food. Basilisks are cold blooded. They hunt and reproduce on hot days and spend the cool nights in their hiding place. scientific name: Basiliscus plumifrons size: 60–75 cm (including their tail), 150–200 g range: Central America lifespan: 10 years level of threat: not threatened
BLUE MORPHO The blue morpho is one of the largest butterflies. It flits between the trees in the shade of tropical forests. When its wings are closed, their brown undersides are revealed with large patches resembling eyes which blend into the surroundings. In flight the blue morpho seems to disappear and then reappear from time to time. Its larvae eat leaves and the adults suck the juice from ripe fruit. scientific name: Morpho peleides size: 6–20 cm (the wings of males are wider and brighter in colour) range: Central and South America lifespan: 115 days level of threat: not known
The sparkling colour of the blue morpho is caused by the reflection of the sun on the tiny scales on the surface of the butterfly’s wings.
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