Wildlife Tour of the Amazon Rainforest | (Tropical Ecology) (Zoology)

The Amazon Rainforest is famous for its vast array of spectacular tropical fauna. In this installment of the Wildlife Tour series (no required sequence), we will learn about creatures who make their home in the rainforest as well as the ecology of the rainforest and why we should value and protect it.

Topics covered include (minor changes may occur based on student interest):
1) The geography and ecology of the Amazon Rainforest
2) Ecosystem services provided by the rainforest
3) Biodiversity, conservation efforts, and threats
4) Case studies on several native species such as the giant river otter, capybara, collared anteater, pink river dolphin, tapirs, spangled cotinga (pictured above), toucans, poison dart frogs, leaf cutter ants, piranhas, pink-toed tarantula and urodid moths.

This class will be an interactive lecture using slides, photos, and videos, as well as discussions throughout the class.