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Insects

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There are thousands and thousands of insect species in tropical rainforests. For example there are 900 types of wasp, and they are each designed to pollinate a different type of fig tree. The most hated insects in the tropics and anywhere else are mosquitos. They are just the same as anywhere else, except they come in swarms of about 1,000! Not even "OFF!" could keep them away! It's not just the mosquito that are in the rainforest, (but there are so many it seems like it!) there are insects the size of small mammals! People may hate them, but they are a very important resource. Some insects contain stuff used in medicines, (mostly used by the natives) and they keep other things alive too! Like, if we didn't have the Amazonian Leaf-cutter Ant the vegetation in the Amazon would be too high and the Giant Anteater would have no food. Whatever eats the anteater would have no food and whatever eats that… and so on. You get the picture. Every single species anywhere is important.

There are so many insects you couldn't even count them all. Scientists haven't even discovered them all yet. And will they ever with all this destruction and deforestation of the rainforest? One of the insect category favorites are the butterflies. The Amazon alone holds 148,000 species of them! They are so beautiful and graceful and pretty much everybody loves them. Spiders on the other hand are also one of the top hated insects, but they are so important. One of the most common spiders in Amazonia is the Goliath Bird-Eating Spider. Like its name it does eat birds, but also insects. It is active mostly at night. Most people say "Ewwwww!" to this spider, (I know I would!) but without spiders the Earth would be overcome with insects that this 8 legged arachnid would have eaten. It is like that with most animals.

The insects of this natural sprinkler are not just the obvious, unwanted, or beautiful ones you think of first. Each creature has its own special way of living. For example, the Leaf-Mimicking Katydid, who is active during the day, are hard to see because they "mimick" leaves. That is also how they survive when the night creatures who may eat them, such as the owl, won't be able to see them. This leaf look-alike eats leaves, and is only one specie out of about 1,350. Another one that has its own way of living is the Longhorn Beetle. It doesn't really have horns; it has unusually long antannae- which can get up to five times the beetles own length! Its' interesting way of life is that it varies in color. Some use poison, and some use camouflage. The poisonous ones are brightly colored and the predators instinctavly know to stay away. The more unlucky ones who have to hide most of their life, look like the bark of a tree and when predators are near they too instinctivly know to stay still.

Some other species of insects in the Amazon are the Cockroach, Horsefly, Tarantula, Honeybee, Grasshopper, Stinkbug, Praying Mantis, and the Wolf Spider, are just a few of thew millions of species of insects. All of these insects are an importance part of the circle of life in the rainforest!