Manu National Park.- Covering an extraordinary geography. Manu Biosphere Reserve encompasses a series of distinct biotic regions that range from over 13,700 feet (4,020 meters) in height down to lowland tropical rainforest only 1,200 feet (365 meters) above sea level. Between snow line and 11,500 feet (3,500 meters) lies the Puna, a tundra-like area characterized by pale yellow ichu grass, isolated blue lakes, tassel-eared llamas, and remnant forests of native Qenua. These native forests are some of the most ecologically threatened in Peru, and contain amazingly high levels of endemism. The photo above shows a view from Tress Cruces, near the trance of , in the background rises the Urubamba Mountain range or cordillera Urubamba the Reserve.
Manu Reserve Zone.- Crossing over the eastern edge of the Andes, the traveler journeying towards the Manu River often encounters a thick blanket of clouds the beginning of the cloud forest. In this mysterious, ghostly-lit world live brilliant-red Cock-of- the-Rocks, Spectacled Bears, and scores of dripping tree ferns, bromeliads, and orchids. Ranging in elevation from 11,500 to 3,000 feet (3,500 to 1,000 meters), the cloud forest is one of the least studied of environments; at least 50% of its plant species are found nowhere else on earth. Above, a view to the south- east from Tress Cruces.
Manu Peruvian Amazon.- Manu Biosphere Reserve experiences seasonal differences in rainfall due to its distance from the equator. Its dry season occurs from May to September, followed by the wet season which runs from October to April. Unlike temperate latitudes, tree flowering in Manu occurs at many different times of the year depending upon the species. Since individual trees of a single species are widely scattered throughout the forest (that is, species diversity is high while species density is low) many tree species flower simultaneously so that their pollinators monkeys, birds, bats or bees can transfer pollen from one tree to another. A common sight, therefore, is a sea of green rainforest canopy punctuated by widely-scattered eruptions of identical color. The colors advertise the availability of nectar, and hence the trees’ sexual readiness, to their indispensable pollinators. LEFT: Trees (Meriania tomentosa) flowering at 8,000 feet (2,500 meters). BELOW: A rainforest toad (Bufo sp., veraguensis group) on the hunt. While supreme predators in their own right, many Bufo species protect themselves against predation both by secreting skin toxins and as a last resort by gulping air and inflating themselves to a difficult-to- swallow size.
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