PR-6422UK Literacy and Geography Themes - Rainforests

Plants and animals of the
Amazon – 1
The Amazon rainforest
The Amazon rainforest, a very special place, is home to the Earth’s greatest number of different
species of animals and plants. Although covering only 2% of the Earth, it has 30 million species of
plants, animals and insects.
Excessive rainfall has washed away the minerals in the soil, making it acidic and infertile. Despite
this, there have been 75 000 types of trees and 150 000 species of plants recorded in one square
kilometre.
Only the top five centimetres of the soil is rich in nutrients from the rapid, ongoing decomposition of
plants and animals on the forest floor. It is unsuitable for sustained agriculture and farmers constantly
need to move on and clear more new land. This efficient ecosystem can be dramatically affected
by the destruction of just one of its parts. The famous botanist, Charles Darwin (1809–1882), was
fascinated by this area and aware of its importance. He wrote,
‘The Amazon basin is a living thing. It lives in balance — consuming what it
produces. If the balance is lost, it may die’.
Today, the land is being cleared for logging, mining, cattle ranches and agriculture and about 20%
of the Amazon rainforest has been destroyed. This is of particular concern because many of the
plants from this region have been found to be useful in the treatment of diseases and others have
been destroyed before they could be tested. The main layer of the forest is the canopy, which is very
dense, filtering out 80% of the sunlight. This is where many flowers and fruits grow.
The Amazon rainforest is home to 2.5 million insect species (including 6 000 butterflies), 2 000
mammals, fish (more than in the entire Atlantic Ocean) and birds (representing one-fifth of all the
birds found on our planet).
Red-belly Piranha
Viewing Sample
Piranhas are flesh-eating fish, native to the Amazon
Basin. Their prey includes fish, insects, birds,
lizards, rodents and dead flesh (carrion).
The danger of piranhas has been exaggerated,
although people who have put their hands into an
aquarium full of piranhas have been bitten. Perhaps
the fish were underfed!
Piranhas range in colour from yellow, grey, blue,
partly red to almost black and are from 15—60 cm
long. They have a large lower jaw with lots of very
sharp teeth. When one is broken off, a new one
grows!
Predators include water snakes, turtles, otters,
birds, other piranhas and people, because piranhas
apparently taste so good!
Thousands of species of orchid
grow in the Amazon rainforest.
They are considered by many
to symbolise the beauty of the
rainforest. However, they are not
easy to see because they grow
in the upper canopy and some of
them bloom only rarely.
Orchids are surprisingly tough
plants and are able to survive the
intense heat of the upper canopy
and even drying out.
Prim-Ed Publishing
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RAINFORESTS
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