July 3, 2011

Recycle Recycle Recycle!

One of the biggest problems in the rain forest is deforestation. Deforestation is chopping down trees from the rain forest. The trees are often used to make the paper. Deforestation causes many many animals to lose their homes, and will also make the forest grow smaller and smaller. There is one simple way to decrease deforestation. It is recycling paper. That way after you are done using the paper, it will just be used again some day. If your home and/or school doesn't have any recycling bins, try to get one. Recycling will stop the amount of deforestation because we'll have enough recycled paper to lower the need for more deforestation. The Amazon needs your help.
Recycle!

May 13, 2011

Fun Facts


The Amazon rainforest is located in 8 countries: Brazil, which has about 60% of the rainforest in it, Peru, Columbia, Ecuador, Bolivia, Guyana, Suriname, and Venezuela. There are 20-40 million species inhabiting it, and there are about 7,500,000,000,000 trees in the Amazon (7.5 trillion), or at least used to be. Every day a part of the rainforest the size of a baseball field is being demolished, and some scientists predict the rainforest will be gone by 2030. Last but not least, the size of the rainforest is astonishing. It is estimated to be an incredible 1.2 billion acres or 7 million square kilometers!

March 15, 2011

Capybaras

Get ready for the strangest yet most interesting animal yet...

The capybara!

Capybaras are rodents; the largest rodents in the world actually. They are about four feet long, two feet tall, and can sometimes weigh around 150 pounds! That is the size of some dogs! These animals are active in day and night. They are also excellent swimmers. This species can be underwater for a few minutes without coming up for air and can sleep in the water if they have to. The capybaras just have to stick their nose out of the water when dozing off. The diet they eat is mostly grass, and I mean a lot of grass. An adult capybara can eat as much as six to eight pounds of grass! The mating season of the capybara is almost any time, and a female capybara can have up to six babies a year. Sadly, farmers hunt down these animals for their meat and hyde, because it helps protect some of their plants. Indians hunt them down to use their teeth as ornaments, and capybara sightings are less often now. Lets hope just like other animals, plants, and the rain forest itself won't come to extinction. The capybara is definitely too unique to lose.


October 28, 2010

Some Rainforest Photos

The landscape of the Amazon is a fascinating scene. This post is just to admire the natural beauty of the rainforest. Enjoy!








October 15, 2010

Giant Anteater


The giant anteater is a very interesting animal. It has a long snout that it's tongue can go 2 feet out of. The distinct animal is covered in straw-like fur. These animals also have backwards claws to dig into ant and termite nests. You could call it giant because the creature is 4 to 6 feet long and can weigh up to 85 pounds. The anteater's body temperature is always low unless it eats, so it eats 1000 ants each feeding. It eats about 30,000 ants each day! It is the only anteater out of the 3 in the amazon that spends it's entire life on the forest floor. It is very slow like a sloth. Just like all the other rain forest animals, the anteater is a splendid animal

October 9, 2010

Clues to the Past

Deep in the amazon, in 2004, scientists found the first clue that dinosaurs may have lived in the rain forests of South America. the amazonsaurus maranhensis! It is a plant eater that is in the diplodocus family, that weighs 10 tons and is 10 meters long. Finding a fossil of a dinosaur in the amazon is a big deal because the rain forest is so humid that most fossils decay. There is no conclusion that dinosaurs lived there in the past yet, because the scientists had too little evidence for them to decide. Another piece of evidence was a dinosaur tooth found in the amazon, but it still wasn't enough information. The amazonsaurus gave ideas for another theory too. The fossil the paleontologists found was similar to one found in Africa giving more information that South America and Africa were once connected. So, did dinosaurs once live in the rain forest?

You decide.

August 2, 2010

Edible Trees Of The Jungle




THE CHONTA TREE

YOU CAN EAT THE SHOOT




THE ORCHID TREE

YOU CAN EAT THE PODS ( VANILLA)




THE HOG PLUM TREE

YOU CAN EAT THE SHOOT.



THE POKENOBOY TREE

YOU CAN EAT THE FRUIT



THE JIPPI JAPPA PALM

YOU CAN EAT THE SHOOT AND THE FLOWER



THE WAREE PALM

YOU CAN EAT THE FRUIT,HEART,NUTS, SHOOT, AND FLOWER.



THE COHUNE PALM

YOU CAN EAT THE NUTS,FRUIT, AND HEART.

June 20, 2010

theToucan


There are countless animals in the amazon and probably the most recognizable animal is the toucan. There are about 40 types of toucan species. These animals live in tree holes of the rain forest and travel in small groups. The beak is very important because the bright colors attract a mate. They also use the sharp edges of their beak to tear off chunks of fruit. This is one talented bird.

June 5, 2010

the Clavilla


a clavilla is an herb that can be used for medical problems and other things. This herb can kill viruses, fungi, bacteria, and parasites. The plant also has some proteins to protect itself from viruses. If you are stuck in the amazon with no bug spray, I suggest you use this plant.

June 3, 2010

the Curare Plant

The Curare is a long poisonous vine that can stretch up to the canopy. The vine is is used for an arrow poison mixed with other poisonous plants and animal venom. This plant contains alkaloid. Alkaloid is a medicine that can relax the muscles, treat bruises, treat swelling, and treats kidney stones.