The Amazing Amazon By Rachel H.

The Amazon rainforest is a beautiful and unknown world. It occupies 6% of the world. It has the most variety in plants and animals than anywhere else, and it is one of the world’s large producers of oxygen. The rainforest contains many organisms, or living things. A rainforest is usually described as a tall dense jungle, but it’s actually so much more than that. It’s Earth’s oldest living ecosystem. It’s a home for thousands of plants and animals, and even people. It’s located in the northern part of South America. It’s in the North, West, and South hemispheres. Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Guyana, and Venezuela contain part of the Amazon. Its points of latitude and longitude are 23 degrees south-12 degrees north and 47 degrees west-79 degrees west. The climate, or average weather over a period of time, is warm temperatures and lots of rain. The average temperature is 79 degrees Fahrenheit, and the average rainfall is 100 inches per year. The people that live in rainforests are tribes, and they are very traditional and cultural.

MovementThe roads aren’t large enough for cars. Roads are only big enough to walk on. They

don’t have cars, they get around in canoes. They also walk to get around. The way they make canoes is hollowing out trees, and it takes some time. However, what they do doesn’t harm the rainforest. They are sure to use little and try and protect it. Once they get the canoes made they can travel through the rivers and fish, get places, and many other things.

Environmental/Human InteractionsThe environment affects us by giving us oxygen. The rainforest produces 20% of the

world’s oxygen. Humans destroy the environment, but it still gives us supplies. We kill plants and animals, and they provide us with cures so we won’t die. It gives us money, and some of us try to conserve it. We interact so much. Sometimes people take, sometimes the environment takes. Sometimes we give, sometimes the environment gives. It is like a web, a food web for a matter of fact. We are all connected.

LayersThere are four layers in the rainforest. They all contain different living environments

for different animals. The layers are the forest floor, understory, canopy, and emergent layer. The forest floor is the bottom layer of the rainforest and very dark. Dead organisms quickly decay, making the soil very fertile down there. Decomposers live on the forest floor, and they get energy by breaking down dead organisms. There are almost no plants, since they need sunlight. There are giant anteaters, and that’s about it for animals down in the forest floor. The understory is the second to bottom layer. There is little sunlight and large leaved plants. The plants have large leaves to catch sunlight and don’t grow larger than 12 feet. The animals are jaguars, red-eyed tree frogs, and leopards. There are a lot of insects. The canopy is the primary layer in the forest, and it’s basically the middle of the four layers. It forms a roof over the remaining layers. It’s a maze of leaves and branches, with many animals since there is so much food. The trees have smooth oval leaves that are pointed. The animals are snakes, toucans, and tree frogs. The emergent layer is the top of the layers.

It’s very tall and above all other layers, making it closest to the sun. It has the tallest trees and, of course, the most amount of sunlight. There are broad-leaved and hardwood evergreens are the plants. The animals are eagles, monkeys, bats, and butterflies.

Ocelot The ocelots have black

spots on their bodies. They have brown fur coats with spots covering their bodies. They have fairly large eyes. The males are

about 4 feet long while the females are usually 2 ½ feet long. Their tails are about 14 inches in length. The ocelot is camouflaged with its spotted coat, allowing it to blend in with the background. The ocelot is a predator; it eats all or part of another animal. They live in scrub or in the tropical rainforest. They like dense cover, and they sleep in either thick vegetation or climb the trees to take a nap. They live in the understory of the rainforest. Their threat is humans. People hunt them for their gorgeous fur coat and for pets. They are carnivores, or organisms that only eat other organisms, and they eat fish, birds, small rodents, rabbits, opossums, and iguanas. The ocelot uses adaptation to survive and reproduce in its environment. Most cats don’t like water, but since the ocelots live in the rainforests they have adapted to enjoy being in the water. Their rough tongues help them to get every last bit of food so that if they can’t get food for a couple of days they still got everything they could. They have also adapted to human habitats and are sometimes found in villages.

Ruby-

Throated HummingbirdThese birds have ruby throats, are very small, and are among the smallest North American hummingbirds. They’re about 3.75 in. from beak to tail, and have an average of 4.75 in. wingspan. They weigh

approximately 1 oz. and males are usually smaller than females. They migrate south each year. They live in forests and meadows, backyards and wooded parks, in the edges of thickets, in second growth forest, and in the canopy. They eat plant nectar, sugar water, pollen, bees, flies, ants, and beetles and they are omnivores, or organisms that eat both plants and animals. The ruby-throated hummingbird is prey to many animals; other organisms kill it and eat it. They’re threatened by hawks, praying

mantis, bullfrogs, and large orb weaving spiders. Habitat destruction is also a cause of their death. They have adapted by making their wings beat really fast so they don’t have to walk, since walking is hard with their short legs. They eat a lot of food so they can beat their wings 53 times per second. They also double their weight to get to the south migration area without stopping for food. Neither the ocelot nor the ruby - throated hummingbirds are herbivores; they don’t eat only plants.

Clavillia The clavillia is a perennial herb, and reaches heights of 50-100 centimeters. They have beautiful flowers that can be white, red, pink,

purple, or multicolored. They usually open up at 4 pm, giving them their nickname, four o’ clocks. They have a sweet fragrance. The clavillia plant uses photosynthesis; it uses sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water to make food. The tropics of South America, Latin America, France, India, Brazil, and Peru are its habitat. It strengthens overall body functions, heals wounds, expels gas, and many others.

Cancerillo The cancerillo is an evergreen perennial, and it grows up to 1 meter. They have dark green leaves that grow to 5-15 centimeters. The cancerillos leaves, or

foliage are lance shaped. They have showy orange and red flowers with brilliant red-purple centers. The cancerillo is a producer; it makes its own food by using sunlight directly. They bloom continuously and are native to South America, Amazon, Central and Southern Florida, and Texas. Their habitat is tropical and sub-tropical pastures. It is used as a poison, for fevers, for headaches, for tumors and cancers, and causes vomiting and is deadly.

KalapaloThe Kalapalo are indigenous to South America. They eat fish, manioc, piqui, and maize, or corn. They grow peppers, beans, sweet manioc and produce salt from water. They don’t believe in hunting, they say its aggressive behavior, and that it’s improper. They fish with nets, basket traps, weirs, fish dams, and by using bait. The modern tools started replacing the old trees when the first contact with whites was made. They live in oval houses in a large clearing. Preparing and exchanging food to them is an important unifying force, and they make shell belts, necklaces, and gourds.

YanomamiThe Yanomami live a very cultural life. They try and use tradition as often as possible but with the amount of goods and culture coming from over sea, they find it hard to live exactly like their ancestors. They are indigenous people of Brazil and Venezuela. Their languages are yanomami proper and sanima. The people are nomadic, meaning they settle in villages, but then move to a new place. They

live in a temporary house called a shabano, which are circular in shape and surround a central, open space. Each family has their own space within the house. The Yanomami are known as fishers, hunters, and horticulturists. They cultivate their main crops, plantains and cassava, in a cleared forest area. Originally, they didn’t wear any clothes and now wear a minimal amount of clothing. Like many tribes, they pluck out the body hair. They live in tribes of 40-350 people. They cremate their dead, then crush up their bones and drink them to keep them with them forever. They conserve everything they use, and are very careful to help keep the rainforest healthy.

Unfortunately, there is such a thing as deforestation. Deforestation is happening to the rainforest, and plants and animals are dying, because their habitat is being destroyed. However, conservation helps. People try to protect the rainforest and sometimes they succeed, and sometimes they don’t. They even use ecotourism, or tourism that’s meant to protect the environment.

Next time someone asks you if you know anything about the Amazon Rainforest you can say you do. And just remember all the people, plants, and animals that live in this magical world. Remember they need help, and you’re the one to provide it.

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