Animals
The poisonous dart frog:
Most animals in the rainforest use camouflage to protect themselves, but not this frog. It uses its brightly colored skin to warn other predators that it is unfit to eat. The frogs skin secretes a very dangerous poison that can paralyze and even kill predators trying to eat it. There is more than 100 different dart frog species also found in the amazon.
Amazonian manatees:
live in freshwater and are found in the Amazon River and its tributaries. They are herbivores and eat prodigious amounts of aquatic plants, consuming up to 8% of their own body weight every day. In the dry season, when manatees are forced to leave smaller watercourses as they shrink, they may fast for several weeks, surviving on fat reserves.
Red-bellied piranha:
Red-bellied piranhas have a reputation as killers. This reputation comes from their powerful jaws and deadly razor-sharp triangular teeth that lock onto food. During frenzied attacks, they can strip flesh from the bones of a large animal in minutes. But beyond their media image, these predators of the rivers and flooded forests are in fact timid scavengers, most likely to feed on other fish, insects invertebrates they're also omnivores so they even plants.
Glass Frog:
The glass frog’s flesh is entirely transparent, allowing you to see the internal organs, including the heart pumping away. The flesh thus takes on the hue of surrounding vegetation, making it hard to see.
Potoo:
During the day, the potoo rests at the top of a branch, perfectly still, blending in with its surroundings. It is nocturnal and preys on flying insects. So its statue-like behavior during the day serves to hide it from predators. Their chicks also freeze in position, but instead resembling fungi.
Kinkajou:
This relative of the raccoon has golden fur and a tail that can grip branches. Also called the honey bear, it lives in trees and mainly eats fruit. It uses its five inch-long tongue to grasp hanging fruit and also to lick nectar from flowers.
Most animals in the rainforest use camouflage to protect themselves, but not this frog. It uses its brightly colored skin to warn other predators that it is unfit to eat. The frogs skin secretes a very dangerous poison that can paralyze and even kill predators trying to eat it. There is more than 100 different dart frog species also found in the amazon.
Amazonian manatees:
live in freshwater and are found in the Amazon River and its tributaries. They are herbivores and eat prodigious amounts of aquatic plants, consuming up to 8% of their own body weight every day. In the dry season, when manatees are forced to leave smaller watercourses as they shrink, they may fast for several weeks, surviving on fat reserves.
Red-bellied piranha:
Red-bellied piranhas have a reputation as killers. This reputation comes from their powerful jaws and deadly razor-sharp triangular teeth that lock onto food. During frenzied attacks, they can strip flesh from the bones of a large animal in minutes. But beyond their media image, these predators of the rivers and flooded forests are in fact timid scavengers, most likely to feed on other fish, insects invertebrates they're also omnivores so they even plants.
Glass Frog:
The glass frog’s flesh is entirely transparent, allowing you to see the internal organs, including the heart pumping away. The flesh thus takes on the hue of surrounding vegetation, making it hard to see.
Potoo:
During the day, the potoo rests at the top of a branch, perfectly still, blending in with its surroundings. It is nocturnal and preys on flying insects. So its statue-like behavior during the day serves to hide it from predators. Their chicks also freeze in position, but instead resembling fungi.
Kinkajou:
This relative of the raccoon has golden fur and a tail that can grip branches. Also called the honey bear, it lives in trees and mainly eats fruit. It uses its five inch-long tongue to grasp hanging fruit and also to lick nectar from flowers.
Amazon Plants
Brazilian Nut Tree: Towering over many trees in the rainforest at 160 feet tall. It's known for its Brazilian nut which is around the size of a baseball and weighs up to 5 pounds. It is cased with a very hard shell so only a large rodent with very sharp teeth is able to open it.
Sapodilla: This tree is famous for its extensive root system and bark that is made of a gummy sap called chicle. It also produces a yellow fruit that has a similar taste to a pear. Fun fact, the first chewing gum was created using the Sapodilla by the Mayans and Aztecs!
Bromeliad: This flower has 2,700 related species, in colors ranging from reds, oranges, purples and blues. This keystone species provide homes for tree frogs, salamanders and other small creatures where they will live for their entire life.
Acai Palm: This slender palm muti-stemmed reaches about 50-100 feet tall with 4-8 stems in one root system. It's beautiful green feather like palms produce nutritious berries, called the aqui berry. They emerge in green and darken to a dark purple color when ripe in July through December.
Mahogany Tree: Reaching heights of 200 feet tall and 350 years old it is a very important part of the rainforest. It's leaves reach lengths of 20 feet and holds a gray brown fruit and small white flowers.
Teak: A tree well known for with standing the elements and its resistants to decay and termites.
Sapodilla: This tree is famous for its extensive root system and bark that is made of a gummy sap called chicle. It also produces a yellow fruit that has a similar taste to a pear. Fun fact, the first chewing gum was created using the Sapodilla by the Mayans and Aztecs!
Bromeliad: This flower has 2,700 related species, in colors ranging from reds, oranges, purples and blues. This keystone species provide homes for tree frogs, salamanders and other small creatures where they will live for their entire life.
Acai Palm: This slender palm muti-stemmed reaches about 50-100 feet tall with 4-8 stems in one root system. It's beautiful green feather like palms produce nutritious berries, called the aqui berry. They emerge in green and darken to a dark purple color when ripe in July through December.
Mahogany Tree: Reaching heights of 200 feet tall and 350 years old it is a very important part of the rainforest. It's leaves reach lengths of 20 feet and holds a gray brown fruit and small white flowers.
Teak: A tree well known for with standing the elements and its resistants to decay and termites.
Symbiotic Relationships
Mutualism: The Capuchin Monkeys and Flowering Trees of the Amazon Rainforest are a good example of mutualism. When the Capuchin Monkey feeds on nectar in the Flowering Tree, pollen from the tree's flowers gets on its face. As the monkey goes from flower to flower, the pollen is spread. The Flowering Trees provide the Capuchin Monkey with its source of food and the Capuchin Monkey pollinates the flowers of the tree.
Predator and Prey: Red Poison Dart Frogs and Mosquitos have a predator and prey relationship. Like most frogs, the poison dart frog preys on mosquitos as a main source of food. The frog catches the mosquitos using its long and sticky tongue. Only the frog benefits from this relationship.
Predator and Prey: Red Poison Dart Frogs and Mosquitos have a predator and prey relationship. Like most frogs, the poison dart frog preys on mosquitos as a main source of food. The frog catches the mosquitos using its long and sticky tongue. Only the frog benefits from this relationship.