Plants and animals of the Amazon

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:47

The Amazon River can be called one of the wonders of the planet. In terms of fame, she competes with the Nile and the Ganges. The unique ecosystem of the longest water artery on earth attracts lovers of tropical flora and fauna. The plants and animals of the Amazon amaze with their diversity. Here you can meet unique and very dangerous living creatures.

Amazon Pool

The Amazon Basin is the largest lowland on our planet. It covers an area of more than six million square kilometers. Almost all of this territory is covered with tropical rainforests (Amazon jungle). This tropical forest is the largest in the world. The center of the region is the Amazon itself - the most full-flowing river on earth. It's hard to imagine, but its tributaries collect water from nine countries: Colombia, Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, Venezuela, Guyana, Bolivia, French Guyana and Suriname.

Flora and fauna of the Amazon

The region is incredibly important due to the fact that it is a unique ecosystem. Flora and fauna of the Amazonunique. It has so much variety. And many representatives of the local fauna and flora are endemic and are found only in this area.

It is worth noting that the Amazon has the largest variety of plants. Oddly enough, but the region is still little studied, and therefore many animals and plants of the Amazon are still unknown to science. Some researchers believe that the real number of plant varieties in this region is three times more than is known today. Science knows only about 750 species of trees, 400 species of birds, 125 species of mammals and countless invertebrates and insects. The river is home to over two thousand fish and many reptiles.

Amazon flora

Until 2011, the wild forests of the Amazon were subjected to ruthless deforestation. And the reason for this was not only wood. People adapted to clear the liberated lands for agricultural activities. However, it is worth remembering that the most diverse vegetation on the entire planet is concentrated in the river basin. The Amazon forests play a very important role on the globe. They are a huge source of oxygen. In addition, forests maintain the required level of groundwater, preventing the destruction of soil cover. Over 4,000 species of trees grow in the Amazon jungle - this is the fourth part of all known tree species in the world.

Palms, myrtle, laurel, begonias, mangroves grow in the forests. And fromfruit found pineapples, bananas, guava, mango, orange, fig tree. The Amazon rainforest can be considered the world's genetic fund. Even in small areas, the species diversity is striking. So, for example, on ten square kilometers of forest you can find up to 1500 varieties of flowers, 750 species of trees. With all this, as we mentioned earlier, far from all tropical riches have been studied and described by scientists. One can only guess what other plants grow in the depths of the Amazon.

Valuable representatives of the plant world

Many representatives of the plant world are of great value. So, for example, in the forests of the Amazon, giant nuts grow, or rather, Bertolecia walnut trees. They are famous for their amazing taste. Each shell, weighing up to twenty kilograms, contains about twenty nuts. You can collect such fruits only in completely calm weather, since inadvertently plucked nuts by the wind can cause significant harm to the picker.

No less interesting is the dairy tree, which produces a sweet drink that resembles milk. But cocoa is obtained from the fruits of the chocolate tree. In the forests of the Amazon there is a huge number of trees that can be listed for a long time. Among them are rubber tree, balsa. The latter is famous for its lightest wood. On rafts of such trees, the Indians are rafted down the river. Sometimes their dimensions are so large that an entire village can fit on such a raft.

But of course, most everything is in the Amazonpalms. In total, there are more than a hundred species. An interesting fact is that all of them are very valuable for a person. Fiber, wood, nuts, juice and much more are obtained from them. And only rattan palm is disliked by many, and the Indians generally call it the "devil's rope." The fact is that this plant is the longest tree on Earth. It looks more like a liana and sometimes reaches 300 meters in length. The thin trunk of a palm tree is dotted with incredibly sharp thorns. The rattan tree creates impenetrable thickets by braiding the trunks and branches of nearby bushes and trees.

Victoria Regia

The nature and animals of the Amazon are sometimes so amazing that they amaze the imagination. The most famous plant of these places can be considered a water lily with the beautiful name Victoria regia. This is a giant plant, the leaves of which reach several meters in diameter and can withstand up to 50 kilograms of weight.

The largest water lily in the world blooms from March to July. Its flowers exude the most delicate apricot aroma, each of them reaches forty centimeters in diameter. You can see this miracle of nature only at night, since the flower begins to bloom only in the evening. On the first day of flowering, the petals are white, the next day it becomes light pink, and then even dark crimson and even purple.

Amazon wildlife

The Amazon rainforest is full of rare animals, some of which are on the verge of extinction: baker, sloth, spider monkey, armadillo,freshwater dolphin, boa, crocodile. The fauna of the Amazon is so diverse that it is difficult to count all of its representatives.

Near the coast of the river you can meet a stunning creature, reaching 200 kilograms. This is a tapir. It usually moves along the paths along the river, looking for seaweed, twigs, leaves and fruits to eat.

Amazon animals such as the capybara (the largest rodents in the world) live near water bodies. Their weight reaches 50 kilograms. Outwardly, the animals resemble a guinea pig. And along the banks of the river, the anaconda, which is rightly considered an incredibly dangerous creature, is waiting for its victims.

The most dangerous animals of the Amazon

Rainforests are not only incredibly interesting places, but also unsafe. Not all of their inhabitants are distinguished by a meek disposition. The most dangerous animals of the Amazon terrify any person. Yes, this is not surprising, because a meeting with one of them can lead to the most sad consequences. It is not for nothing that some inhabitants of the jungle have long been the heroes of numerous horror films.

Dangerous animals of the Amazon are impressive in size and capable of harming not only their fellows, but also humans. One of their list is the electric eel, which can grow up to three meters and weigh up to forty kilograms. The fish is capable of generating discharges up to 1300 volts. For adults, an electric shock, of course, is not fatal, but very unpleasant.

The largest freshwater fish in the world live in the waters of the Amazon. Themthe length is two meters, and some individuals reach three meters. The weight of the largest fish was 200 kilograms. It is believed that arapaima do not pose a danger to people, but in 2009 there was a case of attack on several men, because of which they died. Therefore, it is worth being wary of such inhabitants. Because they are by no means harmless.

Still, it is worth remembering that the wild animals of the Amazon live in a dangerous world, where every minute of their life is filled with the struggle for survival.

The Brazilian wandering spider, also known as the banana spider, lives in the jungle. It is believed to be incredibly poisonous. In addition, it is included in the list of the largest spiders on the planet (13-15 centimeters). An interesting fact is that the insect does not always inject poison into its prey, it happens only in 30% of cases.

But the spotted poison dart frog is incredibly dangerous for humans. A cute little frog with colorful covers reaches no more than five centimeters. But at the same time, her skin contains so much poison that it can kill 10 people at once.

Five most dangerous creatures

The most dangerous animals in the Amazon are jaguars, caimans, anacondas, piranhas and mosquitoes. These representatives of the fauna are a thunderstorm of the jungle and pose a danger not only to people, but also to forest dwellers.

Jaguars are the largest felines in the Western Hemisphere. Males weigh up to a hundred kilograms on average. The diet of animals includes up to 87 different creatures from mice to deer. Of course they attack people.sharp enough. Basically, this situation can develop if the animal is forced to defend itself. But still, you should understand that a wild predator is not a plush toy or a cute pussy.

Black caimans live in the waters of the Amazon. They grow up to five meters in length. At one time, their merciless extermination led to the fact that they were on the verge of extinction. But in the future, the situation improved as a result of the adoption of the strictest laws. Caimans prefer to hunt at night, and attack from ambush. Animals feed mostly on fish (and even piranhas), as well as aquatic vertebrates. Larger specimens attack jaguars, anacondas, wild cattle and even humans.

An encounter with an anaconda in the jungle is not the most pleasant event. Its weight reaches one hundred kilograms, and the length of the body can reach up to six meters. Anaconda is the longest snake in the world. She spends most of her time in the water, but sometimes she crawls out onto land to bask in the sun. It feeds on reptiles and quadrupeds, attacking them on the shore.

The most famous inhabitants of the Amazon are piranhas. They have incredibly sharp teeth and powerful jaws. Each fish reaches thirty centimeters and weighs about a kilogram. Piranhas are characterized by a flocking lifestyle. In large groups, they swim in search of food, devouring everything that comes their way.

Mosquitoes are an incredible danger to humans. They are the main threat to forests. Amazons. Feeding on blood, they spread incredibly dangerous diseases that afflict livestock and people. From their bite, you can get yellow fever, malaria, filariasis. For this reason, it is mosquitoes that lead the list of the most dangerous inhabitants of the jungle.

Manatees

What else is interesting about the Amazon? The nature and fauna of the jungle is certainly dangerous, but among its inhabitants there are very cute creatures. Like the manatee. Unlike their counterparts, they are more modest in size (2-3 meters) and weigh up to 500 kilograms; animals live in the fresh waters of the Amazon.

They have practically no subcutaneous fat, and therefore they can only live in a warm environment at a temperature of at least fifteen degrees. Manatees feed only on algae, eating up to 18 kilograms a day.

Pink Dolphin

Another charming inhabitant of the river is the pink dolphin. Baby dolphins are born with a bluish-gray coloration, but gradually acquire a stunning pink hue. Adults weigh up to 250 kilograms and grow up to two meters. Dolphins feed mainly on fish, sometimes eating piranhas.

Instead of afterword

Indians in ancient times called the Amazon "parana-tago", which means "queen of the rivers". It is difficult to disagree with them, because this unique river with its amazingly diverse flora and fauna, dangerous in some ways, and mysterious in some ways, deserves such a title.