The Amazon Teacher’s Guide
The Amazon Forest: Where Life Overflows
As
the Amazon River flows to the sea,
it also rises to the sky, becoming clouds.
Everyday it rains, bringing life to
the forest. In every available space, something
grows; ferns, vines, mosses, shrubs, orchids and fungi, tiny
trees and forest giants that are home
to hundreds more clingers, creepers and climbers. The forest is
so wet that the trees themselves rain. It smells
like life. This is the tropical rain forest.
Warmth
(from the tropical sun) + Wetness (from
equatorial rains ) = Rain forest.
Tropical
rain forests form a broken, green band
around the equator, between the Tropic
of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn.
By definition, they receive more than 80 inches of rain a year,
with some areas regularly getting more than 200 inches and a few
getting more than 400! The average temperature
is around 77 F. Moist, hot conditions
over millions of years have created the perfect conditions for the
explosion of life; and indeed the tropical
forests of the world represent the greatest show
of plant and animal diversity on Earth!
Though they cover less than 7% of earth's land surface, scientists
think they may hold more than 50% of all species.
The Amazon rain forest is the largest expanse
of tropical rain forest, nearly as large as the continental
United States. Together, the river and forest are home to
over one million species; more than are found any place else on
Earth. Although it is famous, the Amazon
forest probably has more unexplored territory
than any area in the world. Most of the forest grows on dry land,
called terra firma rain forest. The
other main type is called igapo. This
is forest near the rivers that is flooded during the wet season.
