Common Monkey Lizard - Venezuela

Angel Falls is located in the Guiana highlands of Southeastern Venezuela. It has the longest single drop of any waterfall in the world, but it is not the tallest waterfall, a distinction belonging to Tugela Falls in South Africa. Angel Falls is named for aviator Jimmie Angel, the first person to fly over the site. 

- - - - -

Polychrus marmoratus - The common monkey lizard, also called the many-colored bush anole, can be found in the lower rainforests of Northern South America to as far south as Brazil. They are arboreal lizards able to use their strong claws for moving from branch to branch, with the long tail adding balance. The genus Polychrus translates as “many colors” and is a reference to the lizard’s ability to alter colors as a means of providing camouflage. They are diurnal, a term describing an animal active during daylight hours.

Keel-billed Toucan - Venezuela

Ramphastos sulfuratus - The keel-billed toucan is native to the tropical rainforests of South America. Both sexes have the same coloration and same sized beaks. Although the beak may look cumbersome, it is made of a lightweight keratin material and serves as a handy tool when reaching for fruit in the high canopy of the rainforest. Toucans prefer hopping from branch to branch and only take short flights when moving to another tree; perhaps longer flights are hindered by their large beaks.

- - - - -

The Orinoco River is the 3rd longest river in South America. It rises in the Parima Mountains, a small range forming a natural border between Brazil and Venezuela. The river empties in the Atlantic Ocean after flowing for a distance of 2,140 kilometers. The drainage basin of the Orinoco is 880,000 square kilometers, produces a discharge of 33,000 cubic meters per second, and makes the Orinoco the world’s 4th largest river in discharge volume despite ranking as the 58th longest river in the world.

Heliconias of South America

 

 

The Heliconiaceae family contains about 200 species of perennial plants mostly found in the tropical forests of South America; a few species are native to islands in the Western Pacific. Depending on species, heliconias range from .5 to 4.5 meters in height. The plant is commonly referred to as lobster-claws or parrot-beaks; the waxy bracts of Heliconia plants resemble a lobster’s claw or a parrot’s beak. The colorful and uniquely shaped flowers are green, orange, red, or yellow and produce ample amounts of nectar to attract humming birds as their primary pollinators. The mature fruit of a heliconia plant is blue in color and covered with a fleshy outer layer; birds serve as the most important distributer of these seeds. The illustrations above are ,from left to right, Heliconia bihai of Northern Brazil, Heliconia dasyantha of Suriname, and Heliconia villosa of Venezuela.