Amazon rainforestAMAZONIts really beautiful! The biodiversity in these wet tropical forests is mind-blowing. It is home to the largest collection of living plant and animal species in the world. One in ten known species on this planet lives in the Amazon Rainforest. Amazonia is home to around 2.5 million insect species, tens of thousands of plants, and more than 2,000 birds and mammals. So far, at least 40,000 plant species, 2,200 fishes, 1,294 birds, 427 mammals, 428 amphibians, and 378 reptiles have been scientifically classified within this region. One in five of all bird and fish species live here. The Scarlet Macaws above are indigenous to the American tropics. The photographer wrote, “Red-and-Green Macaws DO grow on trees in the Amazon.” Photo #1 by BilltacularThe San Rafael Falls and Quijos River are located at the foot of the highly active Reventador Volcano which rises out of the Amazon jungle east of the Andes. Based on archaeological evidence, it is believed that humans first inhabited this Amazon paradise at least 11,200 years ago. Photo #2 by ImagesunionStreams of light in the Amazonian mist. Inside this rainforest, you never quite know what you might see . . . Photo #3 by Jon RawlinsonYou might see a Tupi red bird, also known as the scarlet ibis, one of the most beautiful Brazilian birds, because of the color of their plumage. Photo #4 by J.Gil PhotographyOr you might see an Amazonian Godzilla. Photo #5 by LaurentIn Amazonia, you might even stumble upon an Emerald Boa. Eek! Photo #6 by Free Pet WallpapersAmazon rainforest jaguar. Bet you wont bump into one of these beautiful beasties in an urban jungle? Photo #7 by By Land Rover Our PlanetStar of the water In the rivers of the Amazon. The photographer noted, “The water lily (Victoria regia), an aquatic plant is typical of the Amazon region. Its leaves are large and circular, with folded edges, forming a sort of basin. They can reach 2 meters in diameter. The leaves of the lily pad can withstand the weight of a small child in the water without sinking.” According to an Indian legend about the lilypad, “As its flowers open at night, the Indians liken to the moon and stars. They say that once in the Amazon, there lived an Indian girl that he wanted to become a star. At night, she liked to look at the sky to admire the stars. She thought that the moon could come pick her up on Earth and take it to heaven. One night, a beautiful Indian girl leaned over the side of the river, where the moon was reflected. She was mesmerized by the image of the moon, fell into the river and disappeared into the water. The moon then turned into a lilypad. So the flower of the lily pad is called star of the waters.” Photo #8 by Miriam C de SouzaA typical house in the Amazon. Photo #9 by Francisco Chaves from Buenos Aires, ArgentinaLooking down at the lungs of the planet. Photo #10 by Wallpapers DiqLooking up in Amazon rainforest rvore Mogno. Photo #11 by SigneyMonkeys hanging out in the tropical jungle. Photo #12 by Worldwide Happy MediaBrown Woolly Monkey in the Amazon. Photo #13 by Evgenia KononovaAmazon rainforest inside of kills. Photo #14 by Hudson AlvesThe photographer wrote of the Wild Boy, “His eyes reflects the nostalgia of an almost extinct World. Wearing an Amazon Toucan, traditionally used only for the sacred dances and very special moments, this boy is learning from the Shamans the traditional dances of the Kotococha culture, a knowledge which is only transmitted from the shaman to the few chosen by word of mouth. Origin: Ecuadorian Amazon rainforest, Kotococha tribe.” Photo #15 by Gustavo MorejnComunity Nova Esperana, Bar people. Cuieiras river, tributary of the Rio Negro, Amazonia, Brazil. Photo #16 by Daniel Zanini H.Folklore of Amazonas is nourished from legends and stories in which mystery and inexplicable things are always present. One example on Wikipedia includes “if you ask people about the lagoon of Cochaconga, they will say that it is enchanted. They say it has the form of a neck and that with the smallest noise provoked by an animal or the scream of a person, there will be a tremendous thunderstorm in which an enormous monster will appear in the shape of cow. This monster will become mad with the strangers. Thats why, whoever passes by this remote place, does it with maximum precautions for not altering the local silence.” Photo #17 by NewWorldReviewAerial roots of Red Mangrove on an Amazonian river. Photo #18 by Cesar Paes BarretoAmazon Poison Dartfrog, also known as the Reticulated Poison Frog, can be found at the inflows of the Amazon River in Peru live high up in the rainforest. The photographer also noted that these very little beauties are only about 15-20 mm in size. Photo #19 by Dominik HoferIracema Waterfalls. Photo #20 by Hudson AlvesA great of deal of travel along Amaznia is by water. That may be due to the