Awesome Amazon

"Nature has enough for everyone's need but not anyone's greed"

                                                                        - Mahatma Gandhi

The above quote by Mahatma Gandhi  could not be more true. Mother Nature has indeed blessed us with abundant bounty.  The Earth is a home not only to 8 billion human beings but also to uncountable species of  wildlife, flora and fauna.  The trees, animals, birds and all other creatures are our fellow-beings and are in fact the original inhabitants of the planet.

The planet Earth which shelters us is indeed a compassionate mother and very much a living entity.

Trees and Forests are the life-line of this Earth. If there were no trees, all life on this Earth would perish as the life-giving oxygen would be absent. Also several animals and birds lose their homes and may vanish from Earth(Extinction)  creating severe ecological imbalance.

The Amazon  Forest is the lungs of this Earth.  The Amazon basin  consists of the countries Bolivia, Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, Guyana, Surinam and Venezuela and is drained by the Amazon river.

Most of the basin is covered with the tropical rainforest of Amazon, also called the Amazonia. 

The Amazon Forest has unparalleled biodiversity. It is home to 2.5 million insect species, tens of thousands of plants and  2,000  birds and mammals. This constitutes the largest collection of living plants and animal species in the world.

Let us have a look at 5 of the most exotic species that we can find in Amazon:-

1.Golden Lion Tamarin 

The Golden Lion Tamrin is indeed a monkey that gets it's name from the amazing orange shade and a furry body with a tiny mane around his face. They are devoted tree climbers and build their nest in the opening of trees. Human encroachment has led to  make the movement of these creatures difficult through the rainforest due to which they are unable to mate. This has also lead to produciong a lower quality of these species. Trees being their natural home,  deforestation takes away their place to live and breed.

2.South American Tapir

This lovable animal is a hoofed vertebrate that is extremely agile and lives near marshy places which  have salt and water. Unfortunatesly the Tapirs are in a danger of getting extinct due to lack of environments such as logging and consuming. Since, they do not have a great reproduction speed and spend a large chunk of their day trying to mate and consume, it makes them all the more vulnerable. Deforestation and hunting for meat are two predominant stressors.

3. Giant Otter

The giant otters/ Goliath otters are the sweetest creatures of Amazon . They are extremely friendly creatures and also very evolved. They are semi-sea going which means they need land and water, both to survive. Fish is their staple diet. Thus obliteration of their natural habitat due to deforestation, fishing activities and hunting are 3 major threats. These gentle creatures are now being wiped out from Peru.

4.Hyacinth Maccaw:-

Hyacinth Maccaws, also known as blue parrots are the largest parrot species in this world. They are mostly found in the eastern region of South America. A red version of this  species known as  the red macaw is a new addition to this species. They fly with sluggish windbeats and survive on fruits and berries growing in the wilderness. Deforestation and Trade of these birds are the two major threats.

5.Pink Amazon Dolphins

Pink Amazon Dolphins are found in freshwater rivers of Amazon forest, specially river Orinoko. 

They are also called Botto and are adorable creatures.

The pink dolphins are however endangered species due to building of dams and contamination of fresh water. Also fishing and illegal trading is a lurking threat.

The biodiversity of Amazon is a reserve of precious treasures that Mother Nature has in store for us. It is indeed unfortunate that we human beings in our greed are destroying such beauty and abundance.  

 Fortunately various conservation efforts such as rehabilitation of species, enforcement of various conservation laws and  various land reform policies are being implemented.

However the real cure to such destruction is the change in attitude of People alone.