Emperor Tamarin | Number one
Barriers of Air
Within the Amazon, trees often reach heights of 100 feet or more. For the rainforest’ s many arboreal( tree-dwelling) species these trees are home and the forest floor is a place to be avoided. Although they could walk on the ground, many never will. This group includes the squirrel-sized monkeys known as tamarins, which can be found across Central and South America. Several tamarin species make their home in the Amazon where they have evolved for a life high among the trees.
Where the canopy is unbroken by roads or fields, tamarins leap and climb from tree to tree with ease. But when those trees are cleared for roads, cattle pasture, or other uses, tamarins and other arboreal species can find themselves essentially fenced in by open air. Unwilling to walk on the ground and unable to leap across the gap, the monkeys may be isolated from essential food sources, habitat, or breeding partners. Canopy-level bridges can help span existing gaps, but the better solution is to protect the trees before they are cut or burned to the ground.
Red-handed Tamarin | Milan Vachal
Indicators of Forest Health
With claws the size of a grizzly bear’ s and legs the diameter of a human arm, Harpy Eagles are impressive and intimidating birds. They are the largest bird of prey within the Amazon rainforest, with a wingspan reaching up to 6.5 feet, and have no natural predators. In keeping with their size, Harpy Eagles build massive nests that can measure several feet thick and five or more feet across. They are selective with where they build their nests, preferring the tallest trees with stout and well-spaced branches that allow a clear flight path to and from the nest.
Their reliance on the tallest trees makes Harpy Eagles especially vulnerable to deforestation because many of their preferred species of nesting trees are highly sought after for logging. Even when tall trees remain, the species is threatened by the habitat fragmentation that often accompanies tree clearing for agriculture and human development. Because the birds require large areas of intact forest— they rarely remain if more than half of the forest has been cleared— their presence is widely believed to be an indicator that the local ecosystem is healthy.
Harpy Eagle perched on a tree in the Amazon | Brumino
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