Unlike temperate frogs which are mostly limited to habitats near water, tropical frogs are most abundant in the trees and relatively few are found near bodies of water on the forest floor. More than 1,000 species of amphibians swim and are found in the Amazon. Live animals are the fourth largest commodity in the smuggling industry after drugs, diamonds, and weapons. Also the basilisk lizard lives in the Amazon basin. Many reptiles species are illegally collected and exported for the international pet trade. The anaconda inhabits the shallow waters of the Amazon and the Emerald tree boa and boa constrictor live in the Amazonian tree tops. In the western Amazon hundreds of macaws and other parrots descend to exposed river banks to consume clay on an almost daily basis, the exception being rainy days. Macaws are famous for gathering by the hundreds along the clay cliffs of the Amazon River. Birds such as toucans, and hummingbirds are also found here. An example of such would be the cotinga family, to which the Guianan cock-of-the-rock belong. The biodiversity of the Amazon and the sheer number of diverse bird species is given by the number of different bird families that reside in these humid forests. (see photos links above)Ībout 1500 bird species inhabit the Amazon Basin. Its larger mammals include the jaguar, ocelot, capybara and tapir. More than 1,400 species of mammals are found in the Amazon, the majority of which are species of bats and rodents. This constitutes the largest collection of animal species in the world. One in ten known species in the world lives in the Amazon rainforest. As the largest tract of tropical rainforest in the Americas, the Amazonian rainforests have unparalleled biodiversity. Wet tropical forests are the most species-rich biome, and tropical forests in the Americas are consistently more species rich than the wet forests in Africa and Asia. How many different species are there in the Amazon? You can easily make a donation HERE Thank You! If anyone would like to make a small contribution toward the ongoing running costs of this website and the Ascent Of The Amazon expedition via Paypal I would greatly appreciate your support.
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