Life Is Small In The Jungle - Let's Celebrate It

You're walking through the jungle for hours looking out for monkeys, snakes and wild cats and are disappointed when you see no wildlife at all? Welcome to the one of the most complex ecosystems in the world - the rainforest. Nowhere life is more diverse and nowhere it is more difficult to spot. Life is hard in the jungle. Tropical soils are devoid of nutrients, food is scarce and there is the permanent threat of being eaten for most species. The jungle is home to the masters of specialization occupying every conceivable ecological niche. Large mammals are rare and they better hide from potential human hunters. Also, most rainforest ecosystems today are severely degraded with no natural species composition, especially the lack of large mammals. Until I have the chance to go to the Cocha Cashu in the Peruvian Manu NP, probably the most pristine rainforest ecosystem left on earth, let's celebrate the small creatures that make rainforest life possible in the first place. (Photos were taken on Ilha Grande near Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)

“Enjoy the little things in life because one day you`ll look back and realize they were the big things.”

- Kurt Vonnegut