The name Amazon Tropical Rainforest comes from the Spanish and Portuguese phrase "Rio Amazonas," which translates to "Amazon River" in English. On the other hand, the term "Amazonas" came from Greek mythology about a warrior tribe of women. The largest rainforest, the Amazon, is home to millions of living organisms, many of which have not ►
The name Amazon Tropical Rainforest comes from the Spanish and Portuguese phrase "Rio Amazonas," which translates to "Amazon River" in English. On the other hand, the term "Amazonas" came from Greek mythology about a warrior tribe of women. The largest rainforest, the Amazon, is home to millions of living organisms, many of which have not yet been identified. In addition, it is home to the world's most prolonged and extensive river system. It is estimated that its size is two-thirds that of America's size. The thriving forest spans around 1.4 billion acres and is located in nine countries: Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Bolivia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, and Suriname. Venezuela is also a part of this expansive forest. The basin encompasses around 35.5 percent of the total land area of the South American continent.
On the other hand, the river is 4,179 miles long and flows at approximately 200,000 cubic meters per second. According to several studies, there is a connection between the state of the Amazon rainforest and the state of the planet. It is confronted with severe problems such as climate change, deforestation, inadequate infrastructure, and the exploitation of natural resources. Deforestation has reached a very alarming state and continues to spread yearly. According to the WWF, the first 6 months of 2020 saw 3 times higher deforestation than the first 6 months of 2017. Continued inaction will leave irreversible devastating consequences. As a direct response to these dangers, several non-governmental environmental organizations, like the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization, came into being with the goals of defending, maintaining, and restoring the health of the rainforest's diverse ecosystem. The largest rainforest on Earth is home to an estimated 30 million people, most of whom belong to indigenous and ethnic communities. Nature plays a significant role in the daily life of these people.
The Amazon rainforest is home to around 30 percent of the world's plant and animal species due to its high biodiversity. There are approximately 40,000 different plant species here, in addition to an astounding 400 billion different kinds of trees. About 629 million hectares of rainforest are covered with trees, and 526 million hectares of primary forest. Some of the tropical plants that one can find in the Amazon are the Kapok Tree, Orchid, Giant Water Lily, Coffee Plant, Monkey Brush Vines, Rubber Tree, Heliconia, Cacao, Passion Flower, Bromeliad, Banana, Poinsettia, Murumuru Palm Tree, Sapodilla, Acai Palm, Pitcher Plant, Mahogany, and Brazilian Nut Tree. Aside from prominent natural resources that people benefit from the rainforest, such as water, medicine, food, and log, Amazon stabilizes the world's climate by storing billions of carbon. For this reason, people dubbed Amazon the "lungs of the world."
The Amazon provides a haven for a wide variety of avian species, including but not limited to harpy eagles, toucans with channeled bills, hummingbirds, parrots, macaws, hoatzins, and many more. There are 1,300 bird species, 427 species of mammals, 378 reptile species, and over 400 species of amphibians across the jungle. The most known bird species in the Amazon is the Hyacinth Macaw, the largest parrot species. Its azure color and size can grow up to 3 feet long, making it alluring. The douroucouli, red howler monkeys, black spider monkeys, yellow sapajou, and lion monkeys are all species of monkeys that may be found here. However, the golden lion tamarin is the rarest and probably the most beautiful. There are only about 3000 tamarins found in the world, a disturbing number indicating an endangered status. Their golden orange color and cute face distinguish them from the rest of the monkeys in the rainforest. In addition, the rainforest is also home to a wide variety of feline species, including pumas, margay cats, ocelots, margay cats, and jaguars. Among them, the enormous Amazonian jaguar is taking a spot as one of the most endangered species in all of the Amazon.
It is also home to wild rodents that are not domesticated, including capybaras, pacas, agoutis, and wooly opossums. Coral snakes, morpho butterflies, caiman, dendrobatid frogs, mygale, green iguana, boa constrictors, and the herculean dynasty beetle are some of the elusive reptiles and amphibians that can be found in this area. There are 423 recorded species of frogs in the Amazon, and in this number, the poison dart frog is the most well-known due to its highly venomous trait. Its enormous river system suggests that there may be other aquatic animal species that have not yet been identified, but among the ones that have been documented are the pink river dolphins, the manatees, and the anaconda water snake. Amazon dolphins, piranhas, peacock, kissing prochilodus, pirarucu, electric eels, and rays are only a few of the recognized kinds of fish that one may find in the Amazon. For some, hearing pink dolphins exist might be unbelievable at first, but they live and have a population of approximately ten thousand. A relative of rhinoceroses, South American tapirs, are famous for their long snouts that look like the elephants'. It is rare nowadays due to habitat loss in the rainforest and is close to becoming extinct. Apart from tapirs, collared peccaries, red deer, sloths, armadillos, and giant anteaters, the Amazon is home to various other animals native to tropical rainforests.
Experts say that every 3 days, an average discovery of new species happens in the rainforest. Because the area it encompasses is so vast, scientists believe many species are waiting to be discovered. However, this may not be possible because the rainforest experiences an increasing rate of endangered species yearly. The rare existence of some species in the Amazon is more pronounced due to the destruction of habitats, illegal poaching, forest fires, and other forms of human exploitation.
It is insufficient to recognize the global benefits and beauty of the Amazon when it is convenient; we should attend to the urgency to act on these threatening incidents immediately for humanity's sake and the survival of the endangered species living in its vastness.
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