2. Background:
A moist broadleaf forest
(in the Amazon Basin of South America)
Total area of Amazon Basin :
7 million square km²
( the forest itself occupies 5.5 million km²)
located within 9 nations: Brazil (with 60% of the
rainforest), Colombia, Peru, Venezuela, Ecuador,
Bolivia, Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana.
The Amazon represents over half of the planet's
remaining rainforests and comprises the largest
and most species-rich tract of tropical rainforest
in the world.
3. A map showing the location of the Amazon Rainforest
( yellow line enclosed )
9. Angel Falls
Highest waterfall in
the world
Located in
Venezuela
More than a half
mile long at 3,212
10. Andes Mountains
• Longest mountain chain
(4,200 miles) in the
world and one of the
highest
• Runs along the west
coast of South America
• Some of these
mountains are still
active volcanoes
• People live in these
mountains raising
sheep, llamas and
alpacas
11. Atacama Desert
• Known as the driest
place on earth
• There are some
places that rain as
never been recorded
• Located along the
coast of South
America in Chile
• Is considered “moon-
like” because it is so
barren looking
12.
13.
14. Blue Poison Dart Frog
Found in the understory layer
Extremely poisonous
skin
Eat insects (insectivore)
Amphibian
Bright colors warn
predators that it is
poison
Its’ poison is used by
South American Indians
on the tips of their
hunting arrows
15. Piranha
Found in the Amazon River
Fresh water fish
Found in lakes and
streams
Carnivore (meat eater)
Teeth will be replaced
if broken
Predators include
caimans, turtles,
snakes, birds and
people
16. Electric Eel
Found on the forest floor
Fish
Generates
electricity- will shock
its’ prey
Grows to eight feet
long
Surfaces to gulp air
Electric shock will
get stronger as this
fish gets older
17.
18. Deforestation in the Amazon:
Deforestation :
forested areas converse to non-forested areas.
The main sources of deforestation in the
Amazon are human settlement and
development of the land
Between 1991 and 2000, the total area of
forest lost in the Amazon rose from 415,000 to
587,000 km² twice the size of Portugal
with most of the lost forest becoming pasture
for cattle.
19. Today
The land is being cleared for cattle ranches,
mining operations, logging, and subsistence
agriculture. Some forests are being burned to make
charcoal to power industrial plants.
Native peoples of the Amazon rainforest have used
different plants for centuries as cures and potions for
their health and survival.
20. According to
Brazilian National
Institute of Space
Research(INPE),
the original
Amazon
rainforest biome
in Brazil of
4,100,000 km²
was reduced to
3,403,000 km² by
2005
Sales
Remaining
Forest
Deforest
22. Consequences of deforestation in
the Amazon
http://www.voice-online.co.uk/content.php?show=9770
AMAZON DEFORESTATION CAUSES HURRICANE
The Caribbean could be vulnerable to increased hurricane activity if deforestation of the
Amazon rainforest is not stopped
Working with religious leaders, scientists and politicians, Lelei LeLaulu, the president of
Counterpart International, spoke on the effects that deforestation of the Amazon could
have in the Caribbean, and the gulf states of America and Mexico.
He said: “The scientists are telling us forest deforestation of the Amazon leads to a
failure if forest transpiration, the forest pumps, leaving heat in the southern north
Atlantic which in turn gives birth to more extreme hurricanes in the Caribbean.”
Currently, more than one fifth of the Amazon rainforest has been destroyed and,
according to a Brazilian congressional committee, the Amazon is vanishing at a rate of
52,000 square kilometres per year(20,000 miles per year). With these figures, the
rainforest would be completely destroyed by the year 2050.
LeLaulu said: “ We are now able to explain why the sea temperature of the southern
north Atlantic has been rising, giving birth to more extreme hurricanes which ravage the
Caribbean and north America.”
Editor's Notes
Angel Falls located in Venezuela is the tallest waterfall in the world. It is 3,212 feet. You would have to stack 64 Ferryway Schools on top of each other to be as tall as this waterfall.
Let’s take a hike through the Andes Mountains! This is the longest mountain chain in the world. What do I mean by that? A mountain chain has many mountains next to each other in a long line. This mountain chain runs along the west coast of South America from the top all the way to the bottom of Chile. Some of the mountains located in this mountain chain are volcanoes that are still active. As we are hiking through these mountains, we may see people living here in these mountains. We may also see llamas, alpacas and even sheep that these mountain people raise and take care of. We might even see a spectacled bear in our travels during our hike in these mountains, so let’s stay together and not wander off!
We have now come to the Atacama Desert in our adventure through South America. This landmark is known as the driest place on earth with some areas of the desert not getting any rainfall at all! This desert is located in Chile, the long, skinny country on the west coast of South America. Look for Chile on the map in the library. Some people think this desert looks like the moon because there are no trees or grasses, just rocks and sand. Wouldn’t want to get lost out here! Let’s continue on our journey. The next place we are going to visit is full of animals, plants, rain and trees. Can you guess where we are headed?
Look up in that tree! It is a blue poison dart frog. Beautiful color, isn’t it? Beautiful, but very poisonous. The bright colors of the poison dart frog will warn predators not to eat it because the predator will become very sick. The poison dart frog is considered an insectivore (eats insects). A cool fact about this amphibian is that the poison is used by the Indians of South America. They put it on the end of their hunting arrows to help them in their hunting.
Look at those sharp teeth! This is a piranha fish. Keep your hands inside the boat so they don’t attract these fish. These fish have very sharp teeth and could eat a human hand if they really wanted to, but they won’t. These fish are carnivores (meat eaters) that eat fish, frogs and insects.
Check out this animal. It is a long, snake-like fish that generates electricity just like a wall plug does. One shock will not kill an animal, but many shocks can. This fish lives in the Amazon River. It has very tiny scales all over its’ body. It will kill its’ prey by shocking it with 600 volts of electricity-this can stun a man or take down a cow. It eats fish, clams, shrimp and insects. As this fish gets older, the electric shocks get stronger, yet its’ eyesight gets weaker. Even though the electric eel is a fish, it needs to come to the surface and gulp some air every few minutes.