Plants and animals of The Amazon
Rainforest plants
The Amazon rainforest has nearly 40,000 plant species, ranging from tiny mosses to huge trees.
Many of the Amazon’s trees have great commercial value. These include:
- Luxury woods such as mahogany.
- Brazil nut trees, which produce edible nuts, as well as oils used in cooking and beauty products.
- kapok trees, which produce a cotton-like fibre often used as a stuffing for cushions.
- murumuru palms, which produce oil rich in vitamin A.
The kapok tree, pictured above, can grow up to 60m (200 feet)
Invertebrates
Scientists know of more than 100,000 invertebrate species in the Amazon rainforest, but believe the actual number to be significantly higher. A 250 hectare area of forest can host up to 50,000 insect species.
The Amazon’s largest invertebrates include the longhorn beetle, which measures 16cm, the 20cm flatworm and the Amazonian centipede, which is 30cm long.
The Manu National Park in Peru has 1,300 butterfly species – Europe has just 321
Fish
The Amazon River and its hundreds of tributaries are home to thousands of different kinds of fish. Some of these feed on the plankton of flooded forests, others have adapted to a diet of fruit and seeds. Carnivorous fish species include the electric eel, which can reach 1.8m in length and deliver shocks of up to 650 volts
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