Download ARF 2012 Volunteer Specific Training

Anatomy of a Rainforest
Volunteer Training Manual 2012
Program Summary
The Amazon represents 1/3 of the world’s tropical rainforest and harbours the
oldest forest on Earth. It is fed and drained by the greatest river system in the
world-the Amazon River. Plants and animals living in the forest are occupying
specialized niches; their life histories are intricately linked with their habitats. The
Amazon is one of the most complex ecosystems on Earth, with the greatest diversity
of plants and animals.
The “ARF” program
This program is a wonderful and unique opportunity for students in grades 4 to 7 to
explore a tropical rainforest, right here in Vancouver! With you as a guide, students
will enter our Graham Amazon Gallery to observe various species of animals and
plants, and discover how these species interact with each other and their
environment. Together, you’ll be exploring the wonders of 6 different Amazon
biological groups: insects, plants, herptiles (reptiles and amphibians), birds, fish,
and mammals.
Learning objectives:
 To introduce concepts of biological diversity and adaptation;
 To develop knowledge of the complexity and fragility of the Amazonian
ecosystem;
 To inspire students with an appreciation of the world’s rainforests and
an understanding of the importance of conservation on a global scale.
 To compare a tropical rainforest with our local temperate rainforest.
Friday (March-April)
School program times: 10 – 11.30am & 12.30 – 2.00pm
Volunteer times: 9.30 – 11.45 & 12.15 – 2.30pm
Classroom: Aquatic Planet (the one with the sink)
Coordinator:
Wade Janzen
604.659.34500
[email protected]
Scheduling shifts and communication with coordinator:
The program coordinator will be in contact with all the volunteers on a weekly basis
(normally via e-mail) regarding program bookings, updates, and scheduling. Please
do your best to respond to these e-mails promptly and remain in contact with your
coordinator. You will be expected to volunteer on a weekly basis with the program.
*** If you are unable to make a shift for ANY reason, please give your
coordinator at least 24 hours notice so she can find a replacement***
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Materials
All prop boxes and loose props for ARF are stored in the lower centre cupboards in
the Water Wonders classroom as of September 2010.
- 6 x boxes: Herptiles, Birds, Mammals, Plants, Fishes and Insects
- Loose props: Caiman Skin, 2x tree trunks, anaconda skin
From Props room:
- 3 x carts, sloth pelt
Q. Where do our props come from? Confiscates, donations, model skulls are
purchased, some animals that pass away at the aquarium are preserved
Program Overview
Set-up: Volunteers arrive at 9.30am and/or 12pm to meet Coordinator in
AquaQuest and receive station rotation cards and details of class. Prop boxes in
Water Wonders classroom, carts and pelt from props room are collected and
placed in their appropriate locations in the Graham Amazon Gallery. Check to see
where the animals are hiding in the free flight gallery. All spraying of plants and
work by aquarists in the gallery should be completed by 9.30am so it is ok to
leave the carts where they need to be for the program.
Introduction: In the classroom, the program coordinator presents introduction on
the plan for the day and the diversity of flora and fauna found in the Amazon
rainforest.
Stations: Volunteer educators (that’s you!) guide small groups of 5-8 students
through 6 interactive learning stations in the Graham Amazon Gallery. Each
station is 10 minutes long and incorporates a variety of gallery displays and
hands-on artefacts. Please ensure all your props are returned to their box at the
end of your station time. The stations are: Plants, Herptiles (Reptiles and
Amphibians), Birds, Fish, Mammals and Insects.
At each station try to include:
What is it?
What makes it a ………………?
Where does it live/is it found?
How does it survive/how has it adapted to its environment?
What if it were gone? – Conservation issues
Wrap up: Back in the classroom, students share their experiences about what
they have learned and seen, and consider ways to play a role in helping to
conserve the rainforests.
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Anatomy of a Rainforest Outline
(Friday)
Time
10.00 – 10.10
12.30 – 12.40
10.10 – 10.15
12.40 – 12.45
10 minutes
Activity
Goals
Classroom
Welcome. Introduce the program & major
concepts. Introduce volunteers. Health and
safety issues. Talk to teacher and parents
Break into groups
Lead groups to the Amazon Gallery
Mammal Station
10 minutes
10 minutes
10 minutes
Insect Station
Fish Station
Key characteristics. Diversity and Ecological
roles (food for other animals, decomposers,
and pollinators), Survival strategies.
Conservation issues. Look and touch
What makes a fish a fish? Diversity,
ecological roles and survival adaptations such
as air breathing and electricity, flooded forest
connection. Conservation
Bird Station
Key characteristics. Adaptations (feet, beaks
and feathers). Camouflage. Role in
ecosystem. Conservation. Look, listen
Plant Station
Structure of the rainforest, Interrelations with
animals, Human uses, Diversity, Adaptations,
Sustainability of crops in the rainforest
Herptile Station
Key characteristics, Diversity and
adaptations, Roles they play in the ecosystem
Conservation issues
Classroom
Return to classroom
Wrap Up
Students share their experiences & consider
ways to play a role in helping to conserve the
rainforests
10 minutes
10 minutes
11.15 – 11.20
1.45 – 1.50
11.20 – 11.30
1.50 – 2.00
Key characteristics. Adaptations of sloth and
bats and their roles in the ecology of the
rainforest. Main mammal habitats: aquatic,
terrestrial, arboreal
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Program and Gallery Background Information
-
The Amazon – Overview
Also read ‘The Amazon’ AquaFacts at www.vanaqua.org/education/aquafacts
The Amazon Basin accounts for 1/3 of the tropical rainforest belt and contains the
oldest forest on Earth. It is located in Brazil for the greatest part, but also spreads
into Venezuela, Columbia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Guyana, Suriname and French
Guiana.
It is fed and drained by the Amazon River. It is believed that,
a smaller Amazon River flowed westward toward the Pacific
America broke off from Africa and moved westward where
eastward moving Pacific Ocean floor (thus creating the Andes,
western part of S.A., and reversing the flow of the Amazon R.).
for millions of years,
Ocean. Then, South
it collided with the
flooding much of the
Today, the Amazon River begins in Peru’s Andes (fed by glaciers) and grows until it
reaches the east coast of S.A., more than 6,400km from its origins, pouring 20
billion litres of freshwater/day into the Atlantic Ocean. During the raining season,
the Amazon River can rise 16m.
The astonishing diversity of the Amazon’s vegetation creates innumerable
specialized niches, thus allowing for the incomparable richness of animal species
that can be found in this tropical rainforest. The Amazon forest is not only the
richest ecosystems on Earth; it is also one of the most complex, with millions of
different interrelationships.
For a long time, the scientific community agreed that there were most likely an
estimated 2 million species of animals on Earth. In 1982, that belief was challenged
by the work of Terry Erwins, a biologist doing research in the Amazon. For 5 years,
he studied the insects of the Amazon rainforest: what he found revolutionized what
was then conceived as the world’s biodiversity. Everyday, he would pick one tree
and count and identify all the insects in that one tree. Every time, he would find
close to 20,000 individuals, representing between 1,500 and 2,000 species, 80% of
which were new species! Today, scientists estimate that there could be up to 10
million species of animals on this planet, and possibly even a multiple of that
number…
The Amazon’s biodiversity:
 It has been estimated that 2 ½ acres of forest may support 125 different species
of mammals, 400 kinds of birds, 100 reptile species, 60 amphibians, and 750
species of plants.
 The Amazon is also home to more than 1,800 species of freshwater fish (10 Xs
more species than in all of Canada).
 You can find up to 50,000 KNOWN species of plants (researchers believe that
there could be as many undiscovered species);
 1/5 of the world’s bird species (at least 2,700).
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Home to some of the largest animals on Earth:
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Freshwater fish:
Snake:
Eagle:
Rodent:
Otter:
Arapaima (a-r-a-pie-ma)
Anaconda
Harpy eagle
Capybara (cap-i-baa-ra)
River otter
Structure of the rainforest: There are 4 main layers, each with specific
communities of animals and plants.
1) Forest floor: In many places, only 7% of sunlight reaches the floor. Shrubs,
dwarf trees and small plants that need little light, ferns and mushrooms. The
decaying litter is quickly recycled by decomposers (like cockroaches).
Animals such as deer, hoofed tapirs, tinamous (partridge-like birds), rabbits
and jaguars. And, of course this layer includes all aquatic life, such as fishes,
caimans, river otters, manatees and dolphins.
2) Under-storey:
Small palms, woody shrubs and young canopy trees,
interwoven with vines are found in this layer. Plants often have immense
leaves and long narrow treetops (believed to be an adaptation to absorb the
most sunlight). Ocelots, anacondas, and coatis can be found here.
3) Canopy: Rising 20 to 40m from the ground, forming a ‘green umbrella’
shading the rest of the forest. Direct sunlight and wind cause the ambient
temperature and humidity to vary throughout the day. Sunlight is converted
into energy, producing lots of leaves, fruits and nuts. Animals found here
include: Parrots, toucans, insects, frogs and lizards and monkeys, and many
nocturnal animals, like anteaters, kinkajous, bats and sloths. Adaptations:
prehensile tails (that can grasp), sharp claws, or skin flaps that enable some
species to glide without wings. Plants have leaves that can shed the excess
water with their ‘drip tips’ (preventing algae and mould growth). Many plants
(bromeliads, ferns, orchids and vines) live on the emergent tree trunks.
4) Emergent layer: Can reach up to 50m. Tall, slender trunks often supported
by buttress or stilt roots to hold against winds and floods. Leaves are thick
and waxy (to resist drying from wind and sunlight). Home for butterflies,
some species of birds and the majestic harpy eagles.
The endangered Amazon: Many of these plants and animals are endemic to very
particular areas. Many animals and plants are in danger of becoming extinct, mainly
because of deforestation (logging or burning of large areas) for the purpose of cattle
ranching and crop cultivation.
The forest provides food and shelter to animals. It also affects the fish: no trees =
no fruits and nuts = no food and no shelter (also increases current speed) for the
fish. No trees means the soil gets washed away with the rain (up to 1,000cm/year),
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leading to important erosion and sedimentation of rivers = lower oxygen. Also
changes the climate locally.
Why should we care? Not only because this ecosystem is a rich and unique one,
of incredible beauty, but also because it plays an important role in our own
existence:
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Recycles carbon dioxide and produces oxygen;
Source of everyday products such as rubber, coffee and cocoa
(chocolate!);
Important source of medicinal products (4/5 medicines), and potential
source for undiscovered cures.
The Graham Amazon Gallery (opened 1987)
Why a rainforest exhibit at the Aquarium? The Aquarium has been presenting
animals from the Amazon (reptiles and fish) for a long time. Because there is such
a strong interdependence between the aquatic and terrestrial animals and plants in
this ecosystem, it only made sense to show both habitats, so that visitors can enjoy
and appreciate the bigger picture.
Temperature is maintained at 27 degrees by day and 22 degrees at night. Spray
misters keep humidity at 75 - 80%. Lights are turned on and off gradually to
simulate dawn and dusk.
Free Range Concept:
Fun place because
a) Can see live plants and animals without a glass in between, and
b) Always changing. Challenging place because the animals move!
That’s why good to come early for a look: more enjoyable and
exciting for students. Most animals have favourite spots.
Familiarize yourself with the way this habitat is built, from the floor to the ceiling.
 Look at the different layers of vegetation: at the shapes of the
leaves, the root systems if you can see it, the flowers and fruits, if
any.
 Then listen and look for animals you can find (on or close to: plants,
water, ground, and ceiling).
 Try to identify the animals (search for the info panels).
 Try to observe them a little while: what are they doing?
Where do the animals in the exhibits come from?
 Purchased from local tropical fish dealers (who bred them);
 Obtained from conservation-oriented groups;
 Many are bred at the Aquarium, or at other aquariums and
 Donations from hobbyists (fishes).
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Station Background Information
Some things to be mindful of:
- There are a lot of props in each box – you do not need to refer to/use all of
them! Definitely let the students guide you here... if they are more interested
in the live animals and habitats then focus on these, and use props to
augment your teaching where appropriate. Do connect with their prior
knowledge.
- Look for the ‘touch’, ‘think’, ‘do’, ‘discuss’ clues to give you some quick ideas
- Timing is very important and tight. Please wear a watch and keep your eye on
the time. If you run out of time to cover all your points, then move-on and
recap later if appropriate or accept that there simply isn’t the time and aim to
condense your content and cover it with the next ARF program. It’s all about
practise and depends largely on the group at hand.
- If you are asked a question that you are unsure of, then please ask students
to remember to ask the coordinator during our wrap up
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6
4
3
1
2
1. Mammals: floor, under body art poster.
2. Insect and Fish Station: Floor/Stand - Next to bat enclosure and across by aripaima
3. Birds: cart, near the bird pond.
4. Plants: cart, across from the Kapoc tree.
5. Herptiles: cart/floor, in front of the anaconda.
6. N/A
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FISH
Props:
- Red Tail Catfish
Dorsal Plate
- Arapaima Tongue
& Scales
-
Piranha Skull
Red Tail Catfish
Pectoral Spines
Piranha
-
Freshwater
Stingray Barb
Native Jewellery
Piranha Poster
Key Topics:
What makes a fish a fish?
Flooded forest habitat
Ecological roles and survival adaptations
Conservation including pet trade and jewellery
Ideas:
Look & Discuss: Flooded forest inhabitants, Electric eel habitat and discuss all their
adaptations
Look: Piranha habitat, discuss myth: wet vs dry season, show piranha skull
Look: Stingrays in habitats and touch freshwater stingray barb
Touch: Arapaima scales, what are they? Why are there holes? Jewellery
Arapaima tongue. What do they eat? Human uses of arapaima tongue.
Jewellery made from red tailed catfish scutes - discuss
More Ideas:
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Fish Station Background Information:
The Amazon is home to more than 1,800 freshwater species.
Piranha
 Famous or infamous carnivore of the Amazon - It is important to demystify
these creatures
 Only 4 are carnivores out of 20 species: the others eat mainly plants, fruit
and nuts
 Usually eat fish, but stories say they will attack anything – even so they can’t
eat an entire animal by themselves and instead nip off scales and bits of flesh.
 Typically will attack struggling or bleeding
mammals in the water or during times where food is
scarce such as the dry season when they are herded
together by low waters
 Teeth are sharper than most fish of similar size,
and jaws are powerful
 Largest can be 30 cm
Arapaima
 Reports of up to 4.5m – disputed largest freshwater fish (some say the
Mekong Catfish gets bigger)
 Can live up to 15 years, the ones we have are about 10 years old
 Adults are obligate air breathers – breathe every 10-20 minutes
 Eat other fish, small birds, and insects. At the aquarium, they’re fed rainbow
trout.
 Has no teeth but a bony tongue
 Mouth-brooder - The father guarding the eggs is known to take them in his
mouth and move them to another location. The young are led by the male in
a group once they are able to swim.
 Is endangered from over-fishing and habitat destruction
Tambaqui
 Very powerful jaws and strong teeth - Has large molar-like teeth used for
crushing food.
 Eats fruits and nuts that fall from the trees, live off their fat during the dry
season
 Largest ones can be 1m and 30kg in body mass
 Young tambaquis have a red belly and resemble piranhas
 Tambaqui are also a popular food item for people in the Amazon area –
concern of overfishing
Red-Tail Catfish
 Grows as big as 130cm
 Eats fish and crayfish
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Live up to 15 years in captivity
Often have spines on their fins, in many cases poisonous
Has whiskers or barbells for finding its way around in low visibility and for
finding food
Babies are often sold as pets; people don’t always know they will grow to
such large sizes when they buy them
Electric Eel
 Not a true eel
 Uses electricity for three main things: deterring predators, immobilizing prey,
detecting its surroundings
 Long eels can kill by discharging between 400 and 600 volts of electricity –
the longer they are the more power they have
 Poor water visibility likely lead to the evolution of electricity for detecting
surroundings
 Has breathing organs in its mouth and breaths air
 Human deaths from electric eels are extremely rare. However, multiple
shocks can cause respiratory or heart failure and people have been known to
drown in shallow water after a stunning jolt.
Ghost Knife-fish
 Cousin to the electric eel
 Only weak electric superpowers - possess a weakly discharging neurogenic
electric organ and ampullary electro receptors that are distributed from head
to tail… this helps them hunt and to communicate.
 Nocturnal and blind!
 Can regenerate their spinal cord
 Eats insect larvae
Sting Rays
 The only freshwater stingrays in the world are found in the Amazon
 They have a venomous serrated barb on their whip-like tail – do not ‘attack’
people, but can cause serious injury to anyone who steps on them in the often
murky waters of the Amazon
 protruding eyes of a freshwater stingray allow them to see what is going on in
the water column above while they are buried in the riverbed
 Like sharks, rays can detect bioelectricity, which is useful for finding prey.
 Give birth to live young (just like many other types of sharks, rays, and
skates)
 Notice holes behind their eyes? These are spiracles and allow them to breathe
more easily while they are hiding in the substrate.
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MAMMALS
Props:
- Jaguar Hat
- Sloth Skull
- Sea Otter Skull
- River Otter Skull
- Fruit Bat Skull
- Vampire Bat
Skull
- Bat Puppet
- Jaguar Beanie
-
-
Plastic animals
inc. Jaguar
models,
Manatee, Otter,
Bat
Otter Paw Print
Posters: Sloth &
Golden Tamarin
Ocelot
-
-
Endangered
Species
Mammal
Characteristics
Cards
Monkeys
Habitat Cards
Photo of Amazon
River dolphin
Key Topics:
What makes a mammal a mammal (5 criteria)?
Interesting facts about sloths and bats
Three main habitats for Amazonian mammals: terrestrial, arboreal and aquatic.
Conservation
Ideas:
Think: Would you wear a hat made from a Jaguar?
What happens to the large mammals in the Amazon during flooded season?
Look and touch: Sloth pelt – direction of hair growth, look for animals in habitat,
sloth skull and claws
Listen: story of sloth faeces and moth life cycle
Look: Vampire bat skull. Don’t suck blood but rather nick skin and lick dripping
blood – media created fear
Look & Discus: Fruit bats in bat habitat. Mammal or bird?
Compare: Otter skulls: River vs Sea Otter
More Ideas:
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Mammal Station Background Information:
-
Warm Blooded
Fur/Hair
Feed young milk through mammary glands
Give birth to live young
Have lungs to breath air
All mammals have a back bone
Arboreal - Terrestrial – Aquatic
Two-toed Sloth
 Nocturnal
 Only come down to forest floor once a week to
defecate
 Sloths grow algae in their fur, it helps them blend in
 Generally have 18 teeth
 Sleeps for around 15 hours a day, low rate of metabolism enables them to live
on relatively little food.
 Eat leaves and buds but also eat twigs, fruits, and small prey.
 Do not have incisors and crop leaves with their hard lips. Teeth grow
continuously, as they are worn down by the grinding of their food.
 Don't drink but get their water from eating juicy leaves & licking dewdrops.
 Main predators are harpy eagles, large snakes, less often large cats
(ocelots/jaguars) or caiman - defend themselves with sharp claws, but their
main form of protection is their camouflage.
 Extremely slowly movers on ground but surprisingly good swimmers
 Do most things upside down: eat, sleep, mate, and give birth. Because of
their upside down life, many of their internal organs (liver, stomach, spleen,
pancreas) are in different positions from other mammals
 Sometimes let out a cry or hissing sound.
 Lifespan is 30-40 years (less in the wild, possibly about 20yrs)
...Our Two-toed Sloths
 Each have 2 names, a staff name and a contest winning name chosen by the
public...(staff/official): Sally/Mazo, Hurricane/Sulis, Havoc/Yambya.
 At the Aquarium, they eat a mixture of steamed root vegetables (carrots,
yams, sweet potato, several potato types) as well as tofu or hard-boiled egg
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and fruit (banana/apple/grapes) and mixed "watery" greens like romaine,
green leaf lettuce, and endive
Sloth Pelt:
 Long gray or brown hair that blends in well with the surrounding environment,
making it difficult for predators, such as the jaguar, to see them
 Hair curves in the opposite direction of most other mammals: from the
stomach to the back, often covered with a coat of blue-green algae during the
rainy season. This algae provides camouflage
 Their ancestor, the Giant Ground Sloth, lived before the last ice age and
reached the size of the modern elephant.
Amazon Giant River otter
 The largest otter in the world – 1.8m long
 Eat fish and crabs but have been known to eat anacondas and caimans
 Hunted extensively and are now among the rarest otters in the world—only a
few thousand are believed to survive in the wild.
Jamaican Fruit Bats – flying mammals
 Native to central and South America
 Pointier ears than most bats
 Grow to 9cm
 Is known to build a tent for shelter from Araceae and Palmae plants. Also lives
in hollow trees, caves and forest foliage
 Processes food in 15 minutes therefore seeds are passed quickly
Jaguar
 Strongest bite of all cats, second strongest mammal bite (Tasmanian devil is
first) - Can bite through animal skulls
 Only enemy is the anaconda
 Jaguars do not avoid water; in fact, they are quite good swimmers. Rivers
provide prey in the form of fish, turtles, or caimans
 Jaguars also eat larger animals such as deer, peccaries, capybaras, and
tapirs. They sometimes climb trees to prepare an ambush
 Size: Head and body 1.5 to 1.8 m; Tail, 70 to 91 cm. Weight: 45 to 113 kg
 Protection status: Endangered
Common Marmoset – Cindy, female
 On average, males weigh 256 grams and females weigh 236 grams
 Claw-like nails allow them to cling vertically to trees, run across branches and
leap from tree to tree also to gouge tree bark, then they suck out the gum or
sap with their teeth
 Sharp, chisel-like incisors and specialized intestines allow them to use things
like gum, sap, latex and resin more than other species
 Also like to eat insects, fruits, seeds, fungi, flowers, nectar and snails
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Pygmy Marmosets – Sesame, male
 Both males and females weigh about 119 grams—this species is the smallest
true monkey in the world
 Squirrel-like locomotion allows them to run up and down tree trunks, but they
can also leap up to five metres
 Pygmy marmosets also have sharp teeth and primarily eat gums, saps and
resins from trees, but they also eat insects, butterflies, moths, fruit, flowers,
nectars, and occasionally small lizards
Vampire Bat
 Nocturnal.
 Drink the blood of other animals for survival - Do not suck blood, they make
a small cut with their teeth and then lick the blood as it trickles.
 Anti-coagulants in the saliva stop clotting. Feed on blood from cows, pigs,
horses and birds. Blood sucking does not hurt the animal.
 Vampire bats are the only known mammal to survive solely on blood.
 Have fewer teeth than other bat species.
 Wingspan is about 8inches. Body is about the size of a human thumb.
 Locate prey using echolocation.
 Each night they drink about half their body weight in blood.
Pink Amazon River Dolphin (Boto)
 Largest of the freshwater dolphin. Length averages about 1.8m in males and
females. Weight is up to 350lbs.
 Starts life dark grey in colour. Becomes pink with age and eventually turns a
white/bluish grey colour.
 Have stiff hairs on upper and lower beak which provide a sense of touch when
foraging in the mud for food.
 Neck vertebrae are not fused so that it can bend its neck at 90 degrees to its
body, downwards and sideways.
 Feed on catfish, heavily scaled fish, piranhas and bottom dwelling crustaceans.
Manatee
 The average adult manatee is about three meters long and weighs between
362-544 kilograms.
 Manatees can be found in shallow, slow-moving rivers, estuaries, saltwater
bays, canals and coastal areas. Manatees are a migratory species.
 Most of their time is spent eating, resting, and in travel. Manatees are
completely herbivorous. They eat aquatic plants.
 Can live 60 years or more.
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BIRDS
(box on cart)
Props:
-
Assorted
Feathers
Assorted Beaks
Eagle Skull
Bird Skeleton
-
Seeds X2
Binoculars
Birds of the
Amazon
Challenge Cards
-
Pictures and
Picture Board
Key Topics:
What makes a bird a bird?
Observation and deductive skills by examining feet, beaks
and feathers of live birds
Camouflage of floor birds, colours of canopy birds
Feeding habits
Role in ecosystem
Conservation
Ideas:
Find: Scarlet ibis
Think: Why are they this colour? Diet of krill!
Think: Why are some birds brightly coloured and others dull?
What do we do with bird feathers?
Listen: Story of guest releasing budgies into gallery. Good idea?
Sounds of birds in gallery – close your eyes. Macaws may be very noisy!
Look & touch: Skulls and beaks (do not open beaks please)
Let’s have a guess about what types of things these birds might eat?
At home: Look with binoculars for birds at home and listen
Identify: Can you tell apart Gus and Olley the Hyacinth Macaws?
Sidetrack: Find the two-toed sloth…
Find the iguana…
More Ideas:
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Birds Station Background Information:
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Double yellow head parrot
Scarlet Ibis
Hyacinth Macaws
Tinamou
Tanager
Seedeater
In order to fly…
 Birds need wings, strong muscles, light weight, many hollow bones
Birds moult once a year to replace lost, old or damaged feathers
 Primary – long ones on wing’s end used for propelling forward
 Secondary, and tertiary flight feathers – used for generating lift
 Underlying feathers for warmth
Brazilian Duck/Teal
 The beak is paddle-shaped
 The feet are placed further back on the body and are webbed for swimming
Scarlet Ibis
 Related to herons and flamingos (distantly)
 Closely related to spoonbills
 In the wild eat Crabs, shrimp, insects, amphibians and crabs
 In the aquarium eat krill
 Bright color due to the pigment carotene found in their food
 Their reason for color? They may need to maintain visual contact with others
of the same species, Brilliant plumage may help individuals find breeding
partners, Protection
 Coloured leg bands are for aquarists ID of the birds, so we can tell who's who
from a distance (ie. without chasing them down and catching them all the
time)
 Closed metal bands are only put on by a licensed bander and just give the
birds a worldwide official number so that they can be tracked later on
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Hyacinth Macaw
 Gus is the slimmer of the two animals, has slightly protruding eyes and a
wider lower mandible. Estimated age of 47 years. He shows signs of being old
(wrinkly eye and cheek skin, more heavily grooved feet)
 Olley is heavier set. He is handfed and 9 yrs old.
 Hyacinth Macaws are the World’s largest Parrot (contrary to some opinion that
it is the Kakapo which is a heavier, 3kg flightless parrot, but not larger) at
100cm long and 1.7kg
 Native to South America, and is classified as an endangered and protected
species - decline is attributable to illegal trade in exotic animals, hunters
seeking its flesh and plumage, and deforestation, as the large trees where it
nests are disappearing
 Native diet includes nuts, berries and palm fruits
Harpy Eagle
 one of the largest species of eagles: half the length
of an average-sized human and up to 9 kgs
 Can reach speeds above 80 kmh in flight.
Double yellow head parrot
 is an endangered Amazon parrot
 prefers to live in mangrove forests or forests near
rivers
 popular pet and an excellent talker
Tinamou
 shy and secretive – often heard but not seen
 Most species can fly, but relatively poorly. Find on
forest floor
 Eat a variety of food including insects and berries.
Humming Bird
 Smallest: Bee Hummingbird weighs about 2.2 grams
 Largest: Giant Hummingbird weighs about 20 grams
 Can rotate its wings in a circle - can fly both forwards
and backwards. They can also fly up, down,
sideways, hover in one spot, or fly upside down for
short distances!
 During normal flight their wings beat about 60-80
times per second.
Beak Adaptations
 Birds' diets are varied and often include nectar, fruit,
plants, seeds, carrion, and various small animals,
including other birds
 Their beaks give us a clue about their diet – see
picture.
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PLANTS
(box on cart)
Props:
- Assortment of
Pressed Leaves
- Cocoa Pod X2
- Cocoa Pod Seeds
- Brazil Nuts
- Tapioca
- Vitamin C Tablets
- Coffee Beans
- Ground Coffee
-
Mahogany Seeds
Vanilla Beans &
flavoring
Allspice
Assorted
Rainforest Nuts
Cocoa Powder
Cinnamon Sticks
Cocoa Stick
-
Coconut Shells
Natural Gum
Assorted Food
Packaging
Douglas Fir and
Balsa Trunks
Cecropia Tree
Key Topics:
Structure of the rainforest, diversity of plants
Interrelations with animals
Human uses
Adaptations to lack of light, shallow soil, lack of nutrients, flood
Sustainability of crops in the rainforest – deforestation, etc.
Ideas:
Discuss: there are still plant species to be discovered in the Amazon – how might
these discoveries help us? Medicinal uses, etc.
Guess: Which label is not from the Amazon? Wheat product.
Think: Where does chocolate come from? Cocoa tree pods, seeds ground to cocoa
powder.
Look & Smell: Cocoa tree, pods and seeds
Discuss, look & smell: Medicines and supplements, coffee (new breed growing on
forest floor), Chiclets, coconut shells, spices, tapioca (have you tried bubble tea with
tapioca pearls?)
Look: Which way do the leaves point on our trees? Down. Why? Rainfall
Can you identify different layers of plants in the gallery? Which animals are
using each layer?
Stanley Park destroyed every 7 minutes – deforestation for cattle ranching and
agriculture, lumber -wood industry, population growth
Do at home: buy a bit of the Amazon! Buy fair trade South American chocolate –
that way you ensure the long term supply of chocolate for us and healthy homes for
Amazonian animals.
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Compare: weight of two trunks – Douglas fir and Balsa wood. Why different? Who
has made balsa wood models? How do you age a tree?
More Ideas:
Plants Station Background Information:
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Plants recycle carbon dioxide and produce oxygen.
Important source of medicinal products (4/5 medicines) and potential source
for undiscovered cures.
Stanley Park contains 8 tree species; the same area in the Amazon could
contain 300 species.
Structure of the rainforest - See page 6 volunteer manual
Adaptations
 The soil of the tropical rainforests is thin and very low in nutrients
 Many trees have buttress and prop roots for extra support in the thin
rainforest soil.
 Plant leaves have drip tips and grooves or waxy coatings to shed water. This
allows the water to fall straight down to the plant’s own roots.
 To absorb as much sunlight as possible in the shady understory, most leaves
are very large
 Flexible stems/stalks that allow them to bend and follow the sunlight so they
can carry out photosynthesis all day.
 Some plants – epiphytes - grow in the upper canopy on larger trees. This
helps them get closer to the sunlight eg. Orchids and bromeliads
Wood densities (comparison of Douglas fir to Amazon hardwood)
 Trees that grow in warmer climates usually have “lighter” or less dense wood
 Trees that grow in tropical rainforests do not have growth rings because they
are always growing at the same rate throughout the year due to climate.
 Trees from temperate rainforests such as the Douglas fir have growth rings
due to slow growing rate during cold winter seasons.
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Cacao Tree (empty pods) pronounced (ka-kay-oh)
 Chocolate comes from cacao pods
 Scientifically classified as a drupe, not a pod
 Inside the pod there are 20-40 seeds; these seeds are cleaned and fermented
to make cocoa
 Seeds are covered in a white pulp – the pulp must be removed; the seeds are
a pinkish colour, and must be fermented before they have that nice chocolaty
brown colour and deep flavourful aroma which we love so much
Rubber tree
 Natural rubber is the sap from Rubber trees
 Sap is like blood for a tree
 Cuts are made in the tree, and the sap is collected in buckets
 Harvesting rubber must be done carefully, because if you take too much sap
from a tree, what will happen?
 Only “natural” rubber comes from trees; some types of rubber come from oil
Vanilla Orchid
 Vanilla comes from a flower
 Vanilla bean is actually a capsule
 Most orchids live in the canopy
Medicines and Supplements
 The Amazon rainforest yields a great bounty of plants, herbs and trees used
for medicinal purposes: ‘nature's pharmacy’
 About one-quarter of all the medicines we use come from rainforest plants.
o Curare comes from a tropical vine. It is used as an anaesthetic and to
relax muscles during heart surgery.
o Quinine, from the cinchona tree, is used to treat malaria.
o A person with leukemia has a 99% chance that the disease will go into
remission because of the rosy periwinkle.
o More than 1,400 varieties of tropical plants might be potential cures for
cancer.
Kapok Tree (model)
 Emergent tree species that can grow to a height of 150 feet or more, towering
over other trees in the rainforest.
 Large spines protrude from the trunk to discourage damage to the trunk.
 Thin, plank type buttresses stabilize the giant and can extend to 30 feet.
 Many plants and animals grow and live in the branches of the kapok tree.
Birds nest in it, and mammals use the huge branches as highways. Frogs
breed in the pools of water that collect in the bromeliads.
 In many places the straight trunks of the kapok tree are used to make dugout
canoes. The white, fluffy seed covering is used in pillows and mattresses.
Since it is buoyant and water resistant it is often used in flotation devices and
padding.
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INSECTS & Arachnids
Props:
- Crab Moult
- Longhorn Beetle
- Tarantula Molt
- Dragonfly
- Insect Candy
- Huntsman Molt
- Giant Cockroach
Nymph
- Leaf Insect Molt
-
Dung Beetles
Giant Water Bug
American
Cockroach
Australian Leaf
Insect Eggs
Wood Borer
Dung Beetle
Scorpion Molt
-
Assorted Plastic
Bugs
Magnifying
Glasses
Assorted
Butterfly Objects
Posters: Assorted
Butterfly and
Moths
Key Topics:
What makes an insect an insect?
Diversity and Ecological roles (food for other animals, decomposers, and pollinators)
Survival strategies
Conservation issues
Ideas:
Think: moults. What are these?
Look: beetles and insects, dung beetle
Discuss: different roles they play in ecosystem
Touch/Hold: live insects! Discuss adaptations
More Ideas:
Insect Station Background Information:
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Insect vs. Arachnid:
The adult body of insects is split into three parts with six legs
1) Head- location of sensory organs
2) Thorax- location of locomotory ability
3) Abdomen- main location of digestive, reproductive and respiratory systems
The adult body of an arachnid (spider) is split into two parts and they have 8 legs
1) Cephalothorax
2) Abdomen
Madagascar hissing cockroaches
 Largest cockroach in the world
 Live around 5 years in captivity
 Eat fallen fruit and decomposing plant and animal matter from forest floor
– Important decomposers in an ecosystem
 Make hissing sounds via forcing air from spiracles (modified breathing holes
on abdomen), when disturbed, during courtship, to determine if familiar male
or stranger, conveys information on size of male
 Food for many animals so the energy in the rainforest continues to remain in
the food chain: predators include mammals, reptiles, amphibians and birds
 Nocturnally active, why they like dark places
 Males – larger horns and hairy antennae
 Females – smaller horns, antennae with no hair
 Life span is 2-5 years having 6 molts before maturity
 Bear live young (oviparous) 40-50 young
Vietnamese Stick insect
 Eat leaves, special mouth parts for chewing plant matter
 “Sticky” feet – tiny hairs help it stick to smooth surfaces, small hooks on end
of six feet help it grip branches
 Mimics the movement of branches swaying in the wind, Brown or green color
able to camouflage well in forests
 Have no bones only an outer shell called an exoskeleton – often eat their
moult! Can re-grow lost limbs
 Males – wings, females – no wings
 Asexual
 Grow 4-5 inches
 We feed Raspberry brambles
 Drop 100s of eggs on forest floor which hatch in months with the right
conditions
 Life span 5-7 months to one year, 6molts before sexually maturity
 Predators are birds and mammals
Huntsman spider
 Grow up to 15cm
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Lays up to 200 eggs
Brown color
Eats insects and invertebrates
Goliath Bird eater tarantula
 Have venom in their fangs
 Not dangerous to humans but feels like a bee sting
 Can shoot out its bristles (hair) at enemies
 Makes a hissing noise that can be heard from 4.5m away
 Known to eat young birds stolen from nests
Chilean rose tarantula
 Brown body with pink bristles
 Eat insects and mice
 Can grow up to 7.5 cm
Volunteer Insect Handling Protocol - Updated May 2010
General Considerations
 The following handling protocols have been implemented to ensure the health
of the animals, to prevent an insect infestation and to comply with permit
regulations. It is imperative that you follow them.
 Remember that handling insects is a privilege and a responsibility. Only
trained volunteers are allowed to handle these animals. If protocols are not
followed, an individual may be revoked to handle the animals.
 When handling the bugs, they are to remain at the critter corner cart at all
times. Do not walk the bug around the Amazon!
 After touching the insects, all visitors should take a pump of the isagel.
Handling Cockroaches
 The cockroaches are located in a pal pen habitat with a black lid, inside the
Amazon Critter Cart. Key can be signed out from the interpreter’s office.
 Cockroaches are only to be handled twice per day. Check the sign out sheet,
on the clipboard, to determine how many times they have already been
handled today.
 Wash hands before and after handling with isagel, the no-rinse alcohol
sanitizer. The isagel is stored in a small pump inside the cart.
 HANDLING TECHNIQUES: 1) If the cockroach is on the soil in the bottom,
gently pick it up with one hand and place it in the open palm of your other
hand. 2) If the cockroach is attached to the side of the pal pen, it is a bit
tricky to pick up. Place an open palm in front of the cockroach. With your
other hand coax the cockroach on to the open palmed hand.
 Visitors can touch, but not hold cockroaches. Use pinky rule.
 Females cannot be handled in the galleries. Therefore, only males are
available in the pal pen. It is always safe to check for the horns on the head
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before picking it up to ensure that it is male. Call an Amazon care staff
immediately on channel 1 if you notice that it is a female.
When holding the cockroach, your hand must be over the pal pen at all times,
to prevent an escape.
Return the cockroach to its habitat. Ensure that the lid is on tight.
Record on the sign out sheet your name, date, animals handled, and
comments regarding the animals behaviour or anything unusual that
happened during the handling session.
Wash your hands with isagel. You can properly wash your hands in the
washroom as well.
If a cockroach escapes, there are two options.
1) Retrieve the cockroach as soon as possible.
2) If the cockroach cannot be caught safely, it must be stepped on.
Handling Stick Insects
 Stick insects are located in the Amazon Critter Corner Cart, inside the display
case on the LEFT (when you are looking through the back of the cart)
 Stick insects are only to be handled once per day. Check the sign out sheet
to determine how many times they have already been handled today.
 Wash hands before and after handling with isagel, the no-rinse alcohol
sanitizer. The isagel is stored in a small pump beside the insects.
 HANDLING TECHNIQUE: Place one hand flat in front of the stick insect.
Coax the stick insect onto your hand by gently nudging it from behind. Do
NOT pull the stick insect off any substrate—this might pull off its legs.
 Using the handling techniques, carefully place a stick insect in a pal pen. The
pal pens are stored underneath the insect habitats.
 Do not take stick insects with missing appendages.
 Be extremely careful to ensure that the juveniles do NOT escape.
They are small and fast and are often around the doorway to the
exhibit.
 If the stick insect happens to poop while you are holding it or while it is in the
pal pen it is EXTREMELY important that you return that poop to the stick
insects habitat. Poop and eggs look the same and we don’t want a stick bug
infestation.
 In the gallery, the stick insects can crawl on your bare hands and arms.
 Do not let the stick insects crawl on clothes. The small hairs on their legs can
easily get caught on clothing. This makes it difficult to remove the stick
insects from clothing.
 Visitors can hold the stick insect on their bare hand. Because their legs are so
fragile, we don’t encourage touching so as not to put pressure on the legs.
Use your discretion and the following tips when allowing guests to handling
the stick insects:
 Ask the visitor to hold their hand out flat, beside yours but a little bit
higher. Stick bugs like to climb and they will use their front limbs to
locate the visitors hand and climb up.
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 Make sure visitor holds their hand still and doesn’t suddenly pull away.
This could harm the stick insects’ legs.
 If a visitor seems nervous about handling the stick insect, say no.
 Don’t let young children handle the stick insects.
 You can place a hand underneath theirs when they are handling as a
precaution in case they drop the animal.
 Always make sure that you hold the pal-pen underneath the stick insect
to catch any eggs or droppings that she may produce.
If a stick insect is very active, return it to its habitat and replace it with
another stick insect.
Empty any contents from the pal pens into the stick insect habitat.
Return it to its home in the critter corner cart. Ensure the door and latch of
the habitat are firmly closed.
Record on the sign out sheet your name, date, animals handled, and
comments regarding the animals behaviour or anything unusual that
happened during the handling session.
Wash your hands with isagel. You can properly wash your hands in the
washroom as well.
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HERPTILES
(box on cart)
Props:
- Crocodile Skin
Shoe
- Snakeskin Shoe
- Snake Shed
Pieces
- Boa Skin
- Stuffed Caiman
- Gecko Fan
- Anaconda Skull
-
Tortoise Shell
Baby Anaconda
Iguana Skull
Stuffed Cane
Toad
Anaconda Rope
Length & Skin
Poison Dart
Holder
-
Iguana Jaw
Poison Arrow
Frog
Tortoise Egg
Laminated
Snakeskin X2
Variety of Plastic
Frogs and Snake
Key Topics:
What is a herptile? Amphibians and Reptiles. What makes them a ____?
Diversity and adaptations to fill a variety of niches
Roles they play in the ecosystem
Conservation issues
Ideas:
Discuss: What’s the difference between a crocodile and an
alligator? Where do caimans fit in? (See Aqua Facts:
Crocodilians in your volunteer folder or online)
Think: Counter shading of caiman skin. How does this help
them to survive?
Look & Discuss: Shoe and Caiman skin while looking at live caimans - Illegal
poaching is their biggest threat, skin is used to make shoes amongst other things.
Some countries have ranching programs to farm caimans.
Do: Stretch out anaconda skin to see how big it is!
Feel: Snake shed pieces
Think: Anaconda skull – look at teeth, which way do they point? Why? Is it
poisonous?
Discuss: Land turtle= tortoise, look at tortoise shell
Look: at live frogs and poison dart holder – put frogs near fire to exude poison.
Think: medicinal use of frog poison?
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Discuss: What’s the difference between a crocodile and an alligator? Where do
caimans fit in? (See Aqua Facts: Crocodilians in your volunteer folder or online)
More Ideas:
Herptiles Station Background Information:
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Includes reptiles and amphibians
Amphibians: soft eggs (in water)  tadpoles  developed form
Reptiles: hard shelled eggs  developed form
Amphibians breath with their skin and lungs – cutaneous respiration; sensitive
skin
Reptiles just use lungs – allows stronger/thicker skin
Caiman Exhibit
 As babies they eat various invertebrates (snails, insects, crustaceans)
 As adults, their diet switches – they eat more fish, water birds, snakes and
other reptiles
 As big as 3 metres (2m is closer to reality)
 Ambush predators – many people wonder why the caimans don’t move; one
reason is to conserve energy since they don’t eat regularly, the other is to
effectively surprise their prey (many animals can spot movement very easily)
 Caiman are on the endangered list as their skin is sought after for commercial
use.
Q. What's the difference between a crocodile and an alligator? How long can they
hold their breath? And many more! See ‘Crocodilians’ Aqua Facts online at
www.vanaqua.org/education/aquafacts
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C & A: Alligator
D & B: Crocodile
Emerald Tree Boa Exhibit
 Nocturnal carnivore
 Mainly hunt small mammals (rodents) also known to eat birds, other reptiles.
 Ambush predator; the boa in the exhibit is normally coiled – this is how they
hunt. It waits coiled with head pointing down – strikes prey from above
 Constrictor
 All boas swallow food whole; jaws unhinge
 Can often go 2-3 months between feedings – slow metabolism
Anaconda - See ‘Anaconda’ Aqua Facts online at
www.vanaqua.org/education/aquafacts
 World’s largest and most powerful snake
 Known to grow close to 9 meters
 Average weight is a few hundred lbs; maximums have be up to 550lbs
 Possibly longest (in dispute with the python)
 Eat mammals (rodents, caimans, even jaguars!), caimans, birds
 Attacks on humans are extremely rare – most anacondas reportedly run away
from humans
 Bear live young (gestation period ~6months)
 20-50 babies a litter, ~ 30 cm long, Anacondas will also eat their babies.
 Constrictor
Poison Arrow/Dart Frog exhibit
 Poison secreted from their backs; secretions increase when the frog is hot
 Indigenous people collected the poison by carefully heating the frog (without
killing it) and collecting the poison in kapok cotton
 Frogs make poison chemicals from the ants they eat (red/fire ants) – when
bred/raised in captivity without these ants for food, they lose their poison
 In captivity, they can live as long as 15 years
Red-foot Tortoise
 Tortoises are land-dwelling turtles
 Can live 40-50 years, 10 – 12 inches
29
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
Eat mainly plants (grasses)
Males will have fights whereby they will try to turn the opponent over
Mata Turtle
 Noses have tube extensions – acts like a snorkel
 Eats fish by sucking them in and swallowing whole
Basilisk Lizard
 Omnivores
 Can grow to approx. 1 m
 If frightened can run on their large hind feet
 Can escape predators by running on water
Tiger

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Rat Snake
As big as 3.5 metres
Hunt mostly rodents, but also birds, lizards, frogs
If threatened, hisses and “puffs” throat
Green iguana
 Green iguana (Iguana iguana)
 Live up to 20 years in captivity
 Eat mainly leaves and fruits, but also known to eat carrion and insects –
younger ones need more protein (growing)
 Largest ones can be over 2m
Additional Notes:
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