9781422286463

14

South America: Facts and Figures

Brazilian Amazon, near Manaus, scientists found 1,652 different plants of 107 species in an area of only 1,900 square feet (177 square meters)—a small example of the great biodiversity of the Amazon, home to as many as 50,000 plant species. These range from the tiniest mushrooms to exotic orchids to the trees of the forest canopy, which reach 300 feet (92 meters) tall. Animal life is amazingly diverse, too. By some estimates there are 30 million insect species—4,000 different kinds of butterflies alone live in the Amazon. Vertebrate life is also rich. Almost one-third of all the bird species in the world live here (85 percent are endemic ), as do over 2,000 species of fish, about 600 reptile and amphibian species, and a similar number of mammals. Reptiles include various species of the crocodile family and the anacon- da, the world’s heaviest snake. Bird life includes toucans, parrots, and the harpy eagle, one of the world’s largest birds of prey, with a seven-foot (two- meter) wingspan. Mammals include the pink freshwater dolphin, jaguar, sloth, and some dozen species of monkeys. The South American rain forests have medicinal value, too. About one- quarter of modern pharmaceuticals come from their plants. Scientists think many other plants with healing properties have yet to be discovered. But rain forests are disappearing because of logging and slash-and-burn clearings for agriculture or ranching. According to one study, since 1978 Brazil’s Amazon rain forest has shrunk by more than 205,000 square miles (530,745 sq km), more than 10 percent of its original size. Environmentalists are working to stop deforestation in the Amazon, the Orinoco, and along the strip of Atlantic forest on Brazil’s southern coast. Another well-known South American ecosystem is the Andes. It is home

Made with FlippingBook HTML5