The Amazon Tropical Rainforest

Also known as: Amazonia or the Amazon Basin

Katrina Conley- 3rd Social Studies

The Amazon spreads across much of South America. Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil and Venezuela, Suriname, and French Guiana all have Amazonian regions.

The Amazon has an average annual rainfall of 80 inches.Lubbock has an average annual rainfall of 18.65 inches.

Average annual temperature:Amazon: 77FLubbock: 60F

There are four layers that make up a rainforest, they are: Emergent layer, Canopy layer, Understory layer, and the Forest floor.

It’s the highest layer of the rainforest and has tall trees that are spread out. This layer has high temperatures and strong winds.

Trees here can grow up to 200 ft. tall with trunks measuring up to 16ft.

Emergent Layer

Canopy Layer

It's a maze of leaves and branches where many animals live since food here is abundant.

A quarter of all insect species are believed to exist in the rainforest’s canopy.

Leaves in the canopy are very dense and filter about 80 percent of the sunlight.

Understory Layer

Only about 2- 5 percent of the sunlight reaches this shadowy layer, which limits growth here. Many of the plants in the understory have large, broad leaves to collect as much sunlight as possible.

This region receives only 2% of the rainforest's sunlight. It also contains decaying plant and animal matter, which disappears quickly due to the warm, humid conditions that promote rapid decay.

Forest Floor

Anaconda

Giant Anteater

CapybaraThe largest rodent in the world!

Capybara’s are around two feet tall and weigh around 100 pounds.

Coatimundi

AMAZONIAN MANATEE

Howler Monkey

Freshwater Stingray

Pink Dolphin

Pink river dolphins grow to over 8 feet long, and can weigh over 450 pounds. They are the largest of all dolphins.

Pygmy The smallest monkey species in the Amazon. Adults are about five inches long with an eight-inch tail.

SlothThey are nocturnal, mostly

active at night. Some sloths have green algae in their fur, making them appear greenish. They sleep about 15 to 18 hours every day. They’re the slowest mammals on Earth.

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