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The biodiversity in these wet tropical forests is mind-blowing. It is home to the largest collection of living plant and animal species in the world. One in ten known species�
on this planet lives in the Amazon Rainforest. Amazonia is home to around 2.5 million insect species, tens of thousands of plants, and more than 2,000 birds and mammals.
So far, at least 40,000 plant species, 2,200 fishes, 1,294 birds, 427 mammals, 428 amphibians, and 378 reptiles have been scientifically classified within this region.�One in five of all bird and fish species live here. The Scarlet Macaws above are indigenous to the American tropics.
The San Rafael Falls and Quijos River are located at the foot of the highly active Reventador Volcano which rises out of the Amazon jungle east of the Andes.
Based on archaeological evidence, it is believed that humans first inhabited this Amazon paradise at least 11,200 years ago.�
Streams of light in the Amazonian mist. Inside this rainforest, you never quite know what you might see . . .
You might see a Tupi ˜red bird,™ also known as the scarlet ibis, one of the most beautiful Brazilian birds, because of the color of their plumage.�
Or you might see an Amazonian ˜Godzilla.™�
In Amazonia, you might even stumble upon an Emerald Boa.
Amazon rainforest jaguar. Bet you won™t bump into one of these beautiful beasties in an urban jungle?�
Star of the water “ In the rivers of the Amazon. The photographer noted, œThe water lily (Victoria regia), an aquatic plant is typical of the Amazon region. Its leaves are large and circular,�with folded edges, forming a sort of basin. They can reach 2 meters in diameter. The leaves of the lily pad can withstand the weight of a small child in the water without sinking.
� According to an Indian legend about the lilypad, œAs its flowers open at night, the Indians liken to the moon and stars. They say that once in the Amazon, there lived an Indian girl�that she wanted to become a star. At night, she liked to look at the sky to admire the stars. She thought that the moon could come pick her up on Earth and take it to heaven.�One night, a beautiful Indian girl leaned over the side of the river, where the moon was reflected. She was mesmerized by the image of the moon, fell into the river
and disappeared into the water. The moon then turned into a lilypad. So the flower of the lily pad is called ˜star of the waters™.�
A typical house in the Amazon. Photo #9 by Francisco Chaves from Buenos Aires, Argentina
Looking down at the ˜lungs of the planet.™
Looking up in Amazon rainforest “ Ã�rvore Mogno.�
Monkeys hanging out in the tropical jungle.�
Brown Woolly Monkey in the Amazon.
Amazon rainforest “ ˜inside of kills™.�
The photographer wrote of the ˜Wild Boy™, œHis eyes reflects the nostalgia of an almost extinct World. Wearing an Amazon Toucan, traditionally used only for the sacred dances
and very special moments, this boy is learning from the Shamans the traditional dances of the Kotococha culture, a knowledge which is only transmitted from the shaman�to the few chosen by word of mouth. Origin: Ecuadorian Amazon rainforest, Kotococha tribe.��
Comunity Nova Esperança, Baré people. Cuieiras river, tributary of the Rio Negro, Amazonia, Brazil.�
Folklore of Amazonas is nourished from legends and stories in which mystery and inexplicable things are always present. One example on Wikipedia includes
œif you ask people about the lagoon of Cochaconga, they will say that it is enchanted. They say it has the ˜form of a neck™ and that with the smallest noise provoked by an animal�or the scream of a person, there will be a tremendous thunderstorm in which an enormous monster will appear in the shape of cow. This monster will become mad with the strangers.�That™s why, whoever passes by this remote place, does it with maximum precautions for not altering the local silence.��
Aerial roots of Red Mangrove on an Amazonian river.
Amazon Poison Dartfrog, also known as the Reticulated Poison Frog, can be found at the inflows of the Amazon River in Peru live high up in the rainforest.
The photographer also noted that these very little beauties are only about 15-20 mm in size.�
Iracema Waterfalls.
A great of deal of travel along Amazônia is by water. That may be due to the abundance of waterways.
Or perhaps travel by river may simply be easier than the adventure of trying to travel muddy Amazonia roads? Here you don™t get stuck in traffic,�you just get stuck.
Amazon Rainforest, seen from the Alto Madre de Dios river, in Peru. Before 1960, access to the forest™s interior was restricted and the Amazon jungle remained mostly intact.
During the 1960s, farms were established based on crop cultivation and the slash and burn method. Deforestation was so considerable that the areas which were cleared of forest
were visible to the naked eye from outer space.
Strong drought in the Amazon rainforest. In 2005, parts of the Amazon basin experienced the worst drought in one hundred years.
In 2010 the Amazon rainforest experienced another horrific drought, in some ways more extreme than in 2005.
In a typical year the Amazon absorbs 1.5 gigatons of carbon dioxide; during 2005 instead 5 gigatons were released and�in 2010 8 gigatons were released.
Just as there can be droughts, the rivers of Amazon suffer flooding for 4 or 5 months of the year. The photographer said that on a hot day,�they went ˜rock jumping.™�
Amazonas floating village, Iquitos in the Amazon Basin. It™s the part of South America drained by the Amazon River;�its tributaries drains an area of about 2,670,000 square miles (6,915,000 sq km), or roughly 40% of South America.
An Amazon Chestnut Sunrise.
Amazon rainforest, near Manaus, Brazil. Image taken from top of a 50 m tower for meteorological observations, and the top of vegetation canopy is typically 35 m.
The image was taken within 30 minutes of a rain event, and a few white ˜clouds™ above the canopy are indicative of rapid evaporation from wet leaves after the rain.
Much of the Amazon is still unexplored, many of its indigenous plants and animals are unknown . . . perhaps even plants yet to be discovered that could cure diseases
that plague the people on our planet. The leaves and branches of the rainforest are so dense that it creates a œroof� that does not allow the sunlight to reach the ground.
The ground remains dark, damp and waiting for discovery.
A Yagua (Yahua) tribeman demonstrating the use of blowgun (blow dart), at one of the Amazonian ˜islands™.
Another folklore of Amazona from Peru are attributed to certain animals. For example: The mochuelo that œfreezes the soul�,or the œquien-quien� that makes fun of the travelers in the roads. When the singing crickets sounds like bells,�it is supposedly foretelling of a œbig evil.��
Amazonian Forest and Renato River.
Monkey Island, Peru, is a part of Amazonia.
Amazonian rainforest, upper Amazon basin, Loreto region, Peru.
Balbina Dam in Amazon, Brazil.
Stormy clouds cover the Amazonian jungle.
The photographer explained, œOn the Tambopata River in the Peruivan Amazon Rainforest, a group of kids play football on a tiny sand island in the middle of the river.
Bamboo and ferns in the rainforest.
Native village of Chipitiere, in the Cultural Zone of Manu National Park, Peru.
Toucan, the earl of Amazonia.
Waterfall flowing from the Andes down in the Amazon Basin.
Three-Toed Sloth in the Amazon. The photographer noted a local superstition: ˜don™t look at him if you™re pregnant¦or your baby may look like him.
Walking through paths in the Amazonian rainforest.
San Rafael Falls in the Amazon jungle.
The photographer wrote, œYacumana and Chullachaqui are two demons of the local legends. Yacumana is a demon of the water (boa man);
Chullachaqui can transform itself to mimic any person¦is it your mum coming to you? No, look at his feet, that™s how you recognize him,�he always has a big one!
Brazilian Amazon.
