Amazon Animals: Decomposers
Decomposers eat dead organic matter. Termites, earthworms, and fungi are some of the decomposers that live in the Amazon Rain Forest.
Termites
Termites make nests in the rainforest trees.
They eat wood.
They are eaten by frogs, birds, and giant anteaters.
They eat wood.
They are eaten by frogs, birds, and giant anteaters.
Leaf Beetles
Found in the canopy of the Tropical Rainforest on
the leaves of broad leafed trees.
Worms
Oyster Mushrooms (Fungi)
This mushroom is edible but local Amazonian people do not eat it.
Cup Fungus
Velvet Worm
Lives on forest floor in leaf litter, earthen tunnels and foliage, under stones, and in fallen trunks.
Velvet Worms date back 400 millions years and may be a missing link between the Arthropods (Insects and Crustaceans) and Annelids (soft bodied segmented worms, including earthworms).
They eat small invertebrates, isopods, termites and small mollusks.
They are eaten by spiders, centipedes, rodents, and birds. The Hemprichi Coral Snake feeds almost exclusively on velvet worms.
Velvet Worms date back 400 millions years and may be a missing link between the Arthropods (Insects and Crustaceans) and Annelids (soft bodied segmented worms, including earthworms).
They eat small invertebrates, isopods, termites and small mollusks.
They are eaten by spiders, centipedes, rodents, and birds. The Hemprichi Coral Snake feeds almost exclusively on velvet worms.
Vermilion Waxcap Mushrooms (NOT an animal)
Grows on forest floor and on fallen trees.
Partula Snail
Lives in wet broad leafed forests. They spend the
day on the under side of broad leafs.
Fungi
Fungi break down dead plant matter (leaf litter on the forest floor), releasing the nutrients for use by live plants.
Ants
Ants eat almost anything, from other insects to decaying animal flesh to fungi (funguses) that they grow themselves in their own underground gardens!
Being at the bottom of the food chain, ant are eaten by many animals including frogs, spiders, birds, snakes and other. And any ant that falls into a stream, river or pond is likely to get eaten by a fish.
Being at the bottom of the food chain, ant are eaten by many animals including frogs, spiders, birds, snakes and other. And any ant that falls into a stream, river or pond is likely to get eaten by a fish.
