Project Peru 2: Week 1
What is your favorite animal in the rainforest? Submitted by Dunne Elementary
Picking a favorite animal is very difficult. The number of plants and animals, or biodiversity, in the rainforest makes for some very interesting critters. Here's what the team thinks when pressured to answer this difficult question:
Dave - Sloth
Patrick - Pink River Dolphin
Anna - Giant Anteater
Ruben - Macaw
Warren - any kind of fish
What is the food like in Peru? Where do people in Peru eat? Submitted by Dunne Elementary
The food in Peru is very good. People in Peru eat some foods we are used, and also eat things that we normally don't think of. Much of the food in the Peruvian Amazon comes from the rainforest. Yucca, bananas, and other plants make up a significant part of the average rainforest dweller. Meat comes from animals hunted in the rainforest or fished in the river or waterways.
Most of the people who live in Peru eat at places similar to where we eat. Most of the rainforest dwellers eat at home, while people in the cities can eat at home or at restaurants.
What is the tallest tree in the rainforest? Submitted by Dunne Elementary
This is a hard question to answer. However, most people agree that the tallest tree in the South American rainforest is the Kapok tree. It can grow to a height of over 150 feet. Many plants and animals grow and live in the branches of the kapok tree. Birds nest in it, and mammals use the huge branches as highways.
The kapok tree towers over the emergent layer of the rainforest. It's giant branches offer shade to plants and animals below. The sun near the equator is very intense and many plants cannot survive direct contact with the sun.
In many places the straight trunks of the kapok tree are used to make dugout canoes. The kapok tree's seed coverings are used in bed mattresses, life jackets, pillows, and other padding materials.
How does the deforestation affect the nomadic people living in the Amazon Rainforest? submitted by Mr. Williams
Deforestation plays a significant role in the lives and traditions of
indigineous Amazon cultures. Most cultures in the Amazon are less nomadic than
other indigenous cultures on other continents. This is because the rainforest
is a great provider, and simply people don't have to travel as far for
subsistance. Amazon cultures don't have to follow animal migration, but they do
use the waterways for travel and trade with other villages.
Some cultures are still very far removed from the modern world and are fiercly
protective of their occupied land. There may even be cultures that have yet to
be "discovered." However, roads, logging, and other invasive practices are too
overwhelming for many native peoples and villages. This causes two cultures to
clash (modern and indigenous). When this happens, the results can be very
catastrophic to the native culture affecting all facets of life: traditional
practices, economies, hunting and fishing, and beliefs. To shift from a
subsistant hunter-gather culture to a culture that produces items for convience
can have long lasting impacts, and the knowledge and lifestyles of the natives
usually gets lost during the assmiliation process.
How many trips have you gone on? Submitted by Hibbard School
Project Peru 2 will be The Wilderness Classroom's 8th online learning adventure.
We've traveled to northern Manitoba by dogsled twice, Peru by canoe, explored
Costa Rica, canoed the length of the Mississippi River, and canoed the Minnesota
-Ontario border to Winnipeg, Manitoba in Canada.
To learn more about our previous adventures, visit the Previous Adventures
section of our website. You can see all of the photos, journals, and videos.
Is it fun figuring out all of the facts about the animals and the rainforest? submitted by Amboy Junior High
I love to learn about the rainforest. I've been learning about the rainforest
since I was very young. Animals and plants and people living in the
rainforest have always been interesting to me.
There are many people who have helped me learn along the way. I've had
teachers, scientists, and people who live in the rainforest teach me so much
about the forest's plants and animals. I've also read many books and done
research on the internet to find out more information.
Are you afraid of any animals in the rainforest? submitted by Amboy Junior High
We have to be very careful of animals when we're in the rainforest. Most
animals are harmless, and they are more afraid of us than we are of them. The
animals we are most afraid of are the animals we can barely see. Insects,
some spiders, and micro-organisms are the most dangerous animals, because you
might not always be able to see them. We don't worry about jaguars,
anacondas, or other predators, because they are very rare and don't bother
people too much.
Are you afraid of spiders in the rainforest? Submitted by Amboy Junior High
Spiders are a very important part of the rainforest. They eat insects,
mosquitoes, and other bugs that could cause us harm. There are some spiders
that we need to stay away from. But, if you leave them alone, they leave you
alone.
Where do you sleep at night? In a house or out in the wilderness? Submitted by Amboy Junior High
At night we sleep in hammocks tied between two trees in the rainforest. The
towns located in the rainforest are very far apart from each other, so we
mostly sleep in the forest.
Why do you have to take so many shots. Do you have to take them every day? Submitted by Amboy Junior High
We take shots before we leave for the rainforest to keep us healthy during the
adventure. The shots are immunizations against diseases that are common in the rainforest. To learn more about immunizations watch the video "Shot In the Arm" from Update 1.
How do you protect yourself? Submitted by Dunne Elementary School
The best way to protect ourselves in the rainforest is through knowledge. We have spent years researching and discovering things about the plants, animals, and people of the Amazon rainforest. When you learn about a plant or animal, you can also learn which plants and animals to avoid. Some plants and animals can make people sick or pack a strong bite. It's very important that we remember that we are guests in the forest, and we are entering an animal or plant's habitat. So we are careful what we touch, where we set up camp, how we paddle our canoes, and where we walk.