Amazon River Islands, the Floating Forest - Wildest Islands - Go Wild

Deep in the heart of the Amazon rain

forest

lies the largest collection of

river

islands

in the world. Thousands of kilometers from the nearest ocean. These are some of the most unusual habitats on Earth. Stranded in the mighty and royal Black, the

islands

are engulfed by seasonal floods that change their landscape completely everything that lives here is forced to adapt or die this is life in the

floating

forest

s of the foreign Amazon The forest covers four million kilometers squares of our planet and extends across almost half of the South American continent, it is fed by the powerful Amazon River and in its heart or a group of islands known as the Anabayanas and Mariwa archipelagos, more than a thousand islands extend throughout of the Río Negro arm of the Amazon River and make up the largest collection of

river

islands in the world.

Thousands of kilometers from the nearest ocean, these river islands are unique, surrounded not by coral reefs and crystal clear waters, but by flooded forests and hidden dangers. This is home to some of the most unusual creatures in the world. Flooded for six months a year. The islands are a mass of submerged trees and wandering vines. It's a world like no other The forest floor becomes the riverbed The fish feed in the treetops and the treetop dwellers are stalked by creatures that lurk below It's May and the waters of the flood are beginning to increase the lives of the animals that call the island home take a dramatic turn.

Only two primates live here: the red howler monkeys and the more common squirrel monkeys, which dominate the canopy. Thank you because you spend much of the year isolated from the continent. They have learned to adapt to life on the water. It's early in the morning. and a large group heads out on a foraging expedition. The monkeys make the most of the daylight hours as they move through the canopy thanks. They are looking for fruits, flowers and insects that make up their diet. The strange tails provide them with excellent With the help of agile hands and feet, they can investigate any opportunity, but the canopy offers scarce prey surrounded by water.

The archipelagos do not support the abundance of food that is available to monkeys in other parts of the Amazon. Some of the young males are not. They are not impressed with what they are offered, so they decide to venture deeper into the flooded forest. The rewards are worth it. Young monkeys have incredibly good eyesight and are able to spot food among dense vegetation with ease. They found a favorite, the sweet clitoria flowers. The nectar is irresistible after a frantic morning searching for food. One of the young men is desperate for a drink, but it's risky business.

A black alligator lurks beneath an alarm call alerting him to danger, but he's not out of trouble, but the slightest slip could be fatal for Valiente. primate finally returns to the canopy where he is safe for now the giant reptiles are not the only predators patrolling these canals Don has a scarier reputation than the piranha blood in the water will whip them into a feeding frenzy thanks to these red-bellied Piranhas could strip a monkey to the bone in a matter of seconds. Jaws full of sharp teeth are designed to cut bite-sized pieces of meat. As the waters continue to rise, many animals are cut off.

A three-toed sloth is obligatory. To brave the treacherous waters in search of a new home despite the dangers, he has no choice. Built to live in the treetops, sloths are surprisingly good swimmers, row efficiently with their long arms, and can move much faster than on land, but not fast enough to go unnoticed. Green anacondas are always looking for an easy meal. This is an opportunity too good to miss for one of the forest's deadliest predators. Chemoreceptors on the snake's tongue help it track its praising movements through the water. Finally, the sloth makes a suitable tree but it is a long way to the top time is against once trapped the sloth has no chance of escape after such a large meal the giant reptile will last weeks or even months until it has The river islands are constantly changing as water levels continue to rise, flood waters originate hundreds of kilometers away atop the Andean peaks in December, as the Temperatures begin to rise, meltwater from the mountains begins to flow down the numerous tributaries of the Amazon, flowing eastward and accumulating.

These forces are joined by rainwater as the rainy season begins in earnest on the Rio Negro, rainfall is not measured in centimeters, meters, the river overflows and overflows, flooding the River Islands. Surprisingly, the rainforest creates almost half of the annual rainfall, while the other half. blows from the Atlantic Ocean the islands of the Anova Yanus and Marina archipelagos are transformed the water penetrates a distance of up to 20 kilometers on each side of the main channels entire islands disappear under water and in some places only the tops of the trees remain In June the flood waters have risen up to 10 metres, but there is still more to come Curtains of green hide the island's mysterious inner world Trees and plants have developed a number of techniques to survive their months underwater Some They choose to hibernate, others lose all their leaves and some even continue photosynthesis while submerged.

Along the River Islands, the animals are adapting to the new challenges of the water. More than 200 species of birds live on the islands of the Anilyanas archipelago while some search for food, others search for love by living out of reach of flood waters. Birds are capable of putting all their energy into courtship. A male hummingbird uses its charming song and simple display to attract potential mates, although the flash of tail feathers is impressive. Generally it is the best song that wins the heart of the female deep in the forest. Another bird. goes to even greater lengths to find a foreign partner the wire-tailed mannequin there are more than 50 species of mannequin in the world and most of them are found in the forests of South America the stiff tail feathers give their name to The birds a male surveys the forest from his private display position, he is ready to strut at the first sign of a female, it doesn't take long to arrive, but unlike most mannequins who display their own tailed mannequins wire dance in pairs while trying to win the woman's affection.

The couple takes the stage It is a dance and they are both desperate to impress the female sizes They are pursuers from a distance closely monitoring the proceedings The dance comes to an end with a display of dominance and the woman makes her choice the entire time What The loser can do is watch while Victor is taken away. The mannequins are not the only island inhabitants concerned about passing their genes to all the islands. The largest, most established trees have been waiting all year for the flood waters to arrive. Strange trees use the waters. to distribute its seeds everywhere the PODS of a manguba tree have spent the dry season maturing now they open and reveal a spectacular style revealing seeds hidden among the giant balls of fluff the seeds spread with the wind each one is attached to a parachutes to transport On their way, the seeds will be transported throughout the islands, hopefully they will germinate where they land and help maintain the forest, but the munguba trees must be fresh and fast food that will not go unnoticed for long with these irons.

Tui parakeets make the most of the newly opened seed pods. They use their beaks to extract the seeds from their fluffy cocoons. The hungry birds are quick to split up. At this time of year there is more food they could ever want and they quickly move on to the next. The parakeets. Tree dwellers are not the only animals that take advantage of fruit trees. Some seeds escape in search of freedom and float towards the forest, where more hungry mouths lurk as the trees adapt to life in the water. Fish adapt to life among trees. South American trout or American trout jump out of the water to be the first to reach the falling seeds.

They can jump up to four times their body length. Every bite is an invaluable source of protein for hungry fish, although the seeds of the manguba tree do not. For a long time, some trees have learned to use fish to their advantage. The flooded forests of the Amazon are the only place in the world where fish act as the main seed dispersers. Trees may depend on more than 200 species of fish to distribute their seeds. Thank you, many eat. the fleshy fruit before spitting out the unpleasant seed and in doing so help the trees deposit their seeds throughout the archipelagos.

The flooded islands are inundated with aquatic visitors of all different shapes and sizes, but despite the wealth of food, the islands are not always the best. easier place for fish to live the amount of decaying leaves in the water means oxygen levels are low, bacteria and other microorganisms consume supplies by breaking down the leaves as more and more oxygen is consumed from the river, There is very little left for the animals that live here. The electric eel is a deadly predator but without a regular supply of oxygen it will not be able to hunt like many fish in the black waters.

It is forced to rise to the surface to swallow air. Its mouth acts as a lung. absorbing oxygen from the Another air breather is the gigantic, pike-like piraruku, one of the largest freshwater fish in the world. Full-grown adults can weigh up to 200 kilograms. They eat monsters. They come to the surface every 10 to 15 minutes to breathe. This armored giant. has survived for almost 100 million years the archipelagos of Anova Yanus and Maria still provide a safe haven for them and many other foreign creatures these ancient islands were formed during a time of change in the Amazon more than 1500 years ago, then the black waters The Negro River did not flow as freely into the powerful Amazon River.

Conditions were much calmer. The sediments arriving from the Branco River to the north began to settle, joined by the waters of the upper reaches of the Negros River. Pockets of forest began to form. They developed into the islands we see today. At that time, the rionegra accelerated again and began to flow back into the Amazon. The aliens survived to this day, but they would not exist at all if it were not for the white waters of the Bronco River, where even to this moment. daytime life not only survives flourishes, one of the Bronco River's most charismatic creatures is the giant river otter.

Otters spend most of their time hunting moving as a pack, they may fish in a pen before being picked off one by one. foreign otters for breakfast. They need to fuel their energetic lifestyle and can chew up to four kilograms of fish a day, hatching the fish with their mouths, then supporting them with their four legs while they devour their prey. They climb up to Laurel, but these deadly predators have a softer side and when breakfast is over, it's time to play. Giant river otters live in large family groups and it will be some time before last year's Cubs leave to start families of their own. dents dotted their territory the Moon family regularly in search of fish and to avoid unwanted attention from predators only a few months old, the Cubs must be taken as they are still too young to swim the head of the family upstream in their next meeting At the den, the first priority is to get the Cubs inside where it is safe, the father watches while his family settles into their new home, the males sent Mark the entrance to warn the others that they are now in Residence , is a spicy concoction that will keep even the most nosy of us. neighbors far away thanks along Rio Branco life flourishes in the sediments rich waters the river banks are dotted with foreign

wild

life the world's largest rodents closely related to the guinea pig Cappy Barras are equally comfortable inside or out from the water, but the wealth of animals attracts unwanted attention a jaguar lurks on the river bank Capybaras are a tasty meal the Amazon's top predator is rarely found far from the river and the abundance of food in the Rio Branco makes it an ideal hunting ground to escape danger the giant rodents can dive and remain underwater for up to five minutes abroad the Jaguar silently moves away to continue its search for food in the River Islands the mid-morning piece shatters red howler monkeys can be heard on all the islandsThese secretive primates don't just use their Carbones roar to deter predators.

They also use them to mark their territory. Unlike their island neighbors, squirrel monkeys tend to travel in smaller groups and stay at the top of the canopy. Excellent acrobats. Monkeys rarely go down to the ground and during floods. We are even more reluctant, well aware of the dangers that live below. It is the end of July and water levels are at their peak. The forest floor has sunk under 15 meters of water. The flood waters cause a change in everyone's lives. Foreigners have been forced. freed from their underground home by rising water levels providing an easy meal despite their painful sting this tree will provide a safe haven until the waters recede and they can return to the forest floor hardy ants move quickly towards an empty crevice in the bark some Animals not only survive, but thrive in the new conditions.

Leafcutter ants swarm the trees, capable of carrying pieces of leaves weighing 20 times their body weight. They are born to work. These are no ordinary ants. They are believed to be a separate species. For those that nest underground and have developed a unique behavior, they have exchanged the forest floor with the treetops by building their nests in the canopy, they avoid annual flooding, so despite the rising waters they continue without Undisturbed, colonies can contain up to 8 million individuals, making it one of the most dominant creatures in South America and one of the most hardy residents of the river island.

Worker ants are sent out to gather supplies searching for food everywhere they can find. They make their way home by leaving a trail of pheromones. The pheromone is so powerful that one gram of descent would be enough to leave an entrail all over the world. They select the freshest, juiciest leaves Powerful jaws cut through cellulose with ease once loaded Then, the ants begin their journey back to the nest. Thank you. The ends of the leaf cutter grow a special fungus. A garden deep in the nest. It depends on the fungus for food. Maintaining the garden is crucial to the survival of the colony.

Only the queen can produce offspring. It is capable of laying thousands of eggs per day, most of which are destined to become workers. The ants are true forestry specialists and outside the reach of flood waters they continue to dominate other insects that have not fully adapted to them. your new aquatic home. So well, some are forced to venture across the surface of the water in search of dry land, it is a crossing full of dangers. Arowana lurk beneath the fish. They patrol near the surface looking for prey. No insect is safe as flood waters rise ever higher. arriving is a time for the arowana to fatten up before the long dry season returns some of the waterways more unusual creatures are also taking advantage of the new food available pipefish are found just below the surface their slender profile helps them avoid being detected they hunt with their sight and are ready to take advantage of any stragglers, okay, the unfortunate spiders are easily eliminated.

Carnivorous fish are not the only underwater animals that enjoy an excess of food. One of the largest animals in South America lurks in these waters. The Amazonian manatee is an iconic symbol of the Anavalyanas. and mariwa, hidden in the quiet backwaters, gorge themselves on the food that comes with the flood waters for the manatees. This is a time of abundance and also of raising their young. These shy mammals give birth to a single offspring once every two years. The mother will spend time teaching the youngster the best roots through the labyrinth of river channels. The calf will need all the knowledge and support of its mother as the dry season is quickly approaching.

It is now August and the rainy season is coming to an end. Water levels are finally starting. Cutting down the animals and plants that have survived the floods and hoping for drier times ahead, eking out a living on the ever-changing islands can be a challenge, but there are always ways and means to do so as the waters recede. of the floods begin to fall dramatically. Fish begin to appear in the shallow waters of the forest. Cardinal tetras are found deep in the palm forests along the black waters of the Río Negra. The stranger makes the eight-hour round trip from his village each day to collect the small fish he catches destined for exotic fish tanks around the world and provides the family with a vital source of income.

When noon arrives, it is time to return to the village. Fish are sorted quickly. The highly prized Cardinal Tetris are separated and stacked in boxes. A thousand fish. It sells for about five dollars, thank you, a decent income, but the family supplements by hunting and fishing once the morning work is done, the pace of village life slows at the end of September, the heavy rains stop and the water surrounding the River Islands has decreased by almost a third as levels drop beaches reappear for many life begins to become easier butterflies feed on the newly exposed learn migratory birds return to their nests newly exposed plants Coming to life with a surge of green Squirrel monkeys are less afraid of the world below as receding flood waters push dangers away, which is also good news for the lazy foreign visitors of the rainy season.

It's time to move The mother manatee and her calf have feasted for the past four months, now they must prepare to return to the main channels and begin their dry season first and the fish are also forced to leave the island's flooded forest and return to the deepest channels of the rivers. The Janus and Mariwa animal archipelagos, spread across a 1,000 kilometer stretch of the Black River, provide a home for some of the world's hardiest animals. world As floods engulf the islands each year, those who live here are forced to endure incredible extremes, but animals have developed ways to cope and have learned to master their ever-changing environment.

Here in the

floating

forests of the Amazon, they will sink or swim. you