1. How many rain forest zones ( or forest types ) are there in El Yunque?
There are four types of rain forest zones in El Yunque. They are Tabonuco Forest, Palo Colorado Forest, Palma Sierra Forest, and En Las Nubes Forest.
2.How much rain falls at El Yunque?
The amount of rain fall depends on where you are standing. If you are at the bottom of the forest only 50-60 inches of rain will fall. If you are at the higher peaks, you will get around 250 inches. It rains about four times a day.
3.How much water runs off the rain forest each year?
The amount of water that runs of El Yunque is more than 100 billion gallons of rain water fall per year.
4.Why are Puerto Rican parrots endangered?
The Puerto Rican parrots are endangered because of several reasons. Deforestation is considered to be the main reason for this population decline. Other reasons that make them endangered are hunting, natural predation and pet trade. They are small amazon parrots about 11 inches in length and they weigh about 10 ounces. Its tail is short and squared off and its color is mostly green. The wing tips are blue and they have a white ring around the eyes.
5.Briefly describe the history of El Yunque.
In 1876, Spain proclaims El Yunque a Forest Reserve making it one of the oldest reserves in the Western Hemishere. The Spanish proclaimed 12,440 acres in the Luquillo Mountains as a forest reserve. In 1898, America defeated Spain in the Spanish-American War and the forest reserve passed into the hands of the United States. In 1903 the U.S. oficially designates Luquillo forest reserve the only tropical rain forest in the National Forest System. In 1907, the Luquillo Forest Reserve was renamed Luquillo National Forest. Over the past 30 years the U.S. government has been purchasing land around the rainforest and allowing a secondary rainforest to grow into areas that were farmland.
6. What does El Yunque mean?
El Yunque means anvil for Spain but the Tainos meant "Yuque " which means "place of God". "Yuke" means white lands and refers to the mountain tops usually covered by clouds. The Taino Indians considered their mountain range sacred. It gets its name from an Indian spirit named Yuquiye which means " Forest of Clouds". The Taino Indians believed that gods lived in the highest peaks of the mountains in the forest.