Amazon Rainforest
Amazonia, or the Amazon rainforest as it’s also known, is a forest found in the basin of the Amazon river, in South America. It occupies a huge area, of around 1.7 billion acres (around 7 million sq. km), out of which the rainforest occupies over eighty percent (5.5 million sq. km.). All in all, there are nine different countries that have parts of the Amazon rainforest on their territory. Most of it can be found on Brazil’s territory (around 60% of the rainforest), the second biggest one being Peru with 13%. The other countries are Venezuela, Colombia, Bolivia, Suriname, Guyana, Ecuador and French Guiana. Four of these countries have some departments or states that contain the Amazonas name because they’re located in that area. As far as Earth’s rainforests go, the Amazon rainforest represents over fifty percent of all that remains.
The foundation that tried to find the world’s new seven wonders put the Amazon rainforest first in the list that contained national parks, reserves and forests. It was short listed in 2008 for this title.
Out of all the types of forests, the wet tropical ones will have the highest number of animal species. Generally, the South American wet forests will have more species than those located in Asia or in Africa. The Amazon rainforest is so rich in animal species that around 10% of all species on this Earth can be found there. Both in the animal species and types of plants, this is the area to visit if you want to see the best of the animal world.
There are around over 2.5 million species of insects in the Amazon rainforest, plus tens of thousands of species of plants, and a couple of thousands of species of mammals and birds. So far, scientists have identified over 3000 species of fish, over 40,000 species of plants, 428 amphibians, 378 reptiles, 1294 types of birds and 427 mammals. Practically around twenty percent of all types of birds will be found here. Just in Brazil, scientists have found around 100,000 different species of invertebrates.
Some statistics say that in a single sq. km. of rainforest of the Amazon you can find 150,000 species of plants and 75,000 tree types. Over 90,000 tons of plants can be obtained from a single sq. km. of the Amazon rainforest. Per hectare, you will find around 350 tons of biomass.
Since they change during the seasons, the area of green leafs from the trees and plants will vary by around 25%. When it’s the dry season, the leaves will expand, as the sun gives the most sunlight. When the season changes and it rains, the leaves go back.
There are many species in the Amazon rainforest that can be dangerous. Some of these big predatory species are the Jaguar, the Anaconda and the Black Caiman. If you get inside the water of the Amazon, you risk being stunned with electric shocks by an electric eel, which can also kill you. Another threat is the Piranha, which is responsible for plenty of injuries to humans. Another danger in the Amazon is the poison dart frog, which secretes toxins, released through the flesh. You can also run into vampire bats. Another danger from a medical point of view is the yellow fever, malaria or the Dengue fever.