‘South America’s Most Amazing Animals’
‘South America’s Most Amazing Animals’ by Anita Ganeri
1. Howler monkeys live high up in the trees of the rainforest. They make such loud sounds that it can be heard up to 5km away. They feed on leaves, fruit and flowers in the treetops.
Howler monkeys live in troops of about 10–15 monkeys. Each troop has its own space where it lives and feeds. Every morning and evening the monkeys begin to howl. Making loud sounds is a good way to communicate in the rain forest where it can be hard to see other animals.
2. Poison-arrow frogs are tiny, bright coloured frogs that live in the rainforest. They spend most of their time on the forest floor. They hunt for ants, termites and other small insects that live among the fallen leaves. Some frogs have such strong poison that one drop could kill a monkey.
Local people used to put frog poison on the tips of their hunting arrows. That’s how the frogs got their name.
3. Army ants are tiny, golden brown insects. They mostly live on the rainforest floor. They live in enormous ‘armies’. There can be as many as 2 million ants in an army. By working together, the ants can catch and kill prey that is much larger than themselves.
Army ants march long distances through the forest to find food, such as wasps, cockroaches, and crickets. Army ants cannot see well. When they find food, they give off a strong odour. The other ants recognize the smell and know to gather around and attack.
4. Piranhas are small fish that live in slow-moving rivers and streams. A piranha’s jaws are lined with blade-like teeth, sharp enough to bite through a metal fishing hook. They mostly eat other fish, stripping their bodies to the bone. They also feed on the bodies of dead animals. Some types of piranhas are vegetarians. They use their sharp teeth to crack nuts that fall in the water.
5. The giant anteater feeds on the ants and termites that make their nests in its habitat. It must eat more than 20000 ants a day to survive. The giant anteater uses its long claws to break an ants’ nest open. Then it flicks its long, sticky tongue in and out to lick up the ants.
A giant anteater rests for up to 15 hours a day. As it sleeps, it covers its body with its bushy tail.
6. The hyacinth macaw lives in the Amazon rainforest and Pantanal swamps. It is the world’s largest parrot, growing 1 meter tall. It lives and feeds from just a few types of trees. Many of these trees are being cut down. If this continues the hyacinth macaw will become extinct. Thousands of these birds have also been caught for their beautiful blue feathers and for sale as pets.
一. 香港的反對派對美西的民主制度缺乏批判能力, 其政治訴求是把美西的一套政治制度移植到香港。他們相信只有抗爭才能改變, 對手對他們的包容, 會解讀為自己的節節勝利。
二. 美西方的民主有優點也有缺點, 優點是領導人更替相對和平, 人民也以為自己的一票有扭轉乾坤的能力。
缺點是: 為何美國人才濟濟, 卻會選出個奇葩總統特朗普? 為何自稱以民主立國的美國是人類歷史上最好戰的國家, 二次大戰以後8成的戰爭都是她所發動?為何她國內種族問題嚴重, 槍械氾濫, 卻完全無法解決?
