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Amazon Rainforest
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The next stop is the
Amazon Rainforest. Covering 2.3 million square miles of 7 countries, it’s the
largest tropical rainforest in the world! Within this South American rainforest,
lives 5 million different types of animals, plants, and insects, as well as
3,000 different species of tree. Just a few are the otters, water lilies,
carnivorous plants, piranhas, turtles, and fresh water dolphins. It also has the
second longest river flowing through it: the Amazon River. It has about 1,000
tributaries, runs 4,000 miles, and carries 5 trillion gallons of water,
producing 1/5 of all the fresh water in the world. Now, imagine the forest 50
feet underwater from the rain. Yes, fish and other aquatic creatures swimming
among the trees, including the 10-foot pirarucu, the largest fish in the world.
Flooding isn’t an uncommon occurrence, and some animals have even adapted to it.
Piranhas eat some nuts in the forest, while the freshwater dolphins eat other
smaller fish.
Any rainforest has 3
different levels. The one at the very top is the canopy. Most of the animals
live here, including monkeys, frogs, and birds. The treetops also block out most
of the sunlight. The next level down is the understory, which is located in the
lower half of the trees. There are smaller trees growing down here because it
only receives 1% of the sunlight, the canopy blocks out the other 99%. Here, you
will find many insects and flowers. The ground level of the rainforest is the
forest floor. Mostly, you’ll see reptiles, scorpions, beetles, ants, and other
insects. Helpful bacteria and fungi grow here as well.
The Amazon Rainforest
is bountiful with many recourses, which is why it is ‘disappearing’. There are
many fruits and nuts to eat, and plants that are used in medicines. Ingredients
used in soaps, cosmetics, and perfumes also grow in the rainforest. People have
also found gold, diamonds, oil and ebony. The rich soil is good for farming.
Sadly, all of these things attract oil companies, farmers, and others to mine,
cut down the trees, and destroy the land.
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