Educational Media Reviews Online

The Venezuelan "Llanos" or plains lie between the northern Venezuelan Andes, the Andes of Colombia towards the west and the Guyana Shield in the south. The Llanos are covered with great stretches of grasses, but forests and savannas exist along the Orinoco River providing a wide range of habitats for wildlife. The annual dry season followed by the rainy season adds to the variation in the ecosystems thus making the region one of the best wildlife areas in South America.

The video begins in June, at the start of the rainy season when the area comes to life with ponds and swamps. As the river rises the plains are flooded attracting great flocks of wetland birds such as Jabiru, herons, storks, egrets, scarlet ibis, spoonbills, ducks and cormorants. Llanos is considered to be a birdwatcher's paradise with more than 300 species of birds, a fact that is quite evident from this colorful video which focuses a great deal on the different birds that compete for food in the lagoons and swamps. It also covers birds of prey such as savanna hawks and vultures and the smaller birds that feed on insects keeping the ecological balance, very briefly before moving on to other animals that live in the area.

Although the region is very rich in butterflies and other insects, there is very little or no attention on these animals. The video then turns to reptiles that live in the area such as the earth turtle, the Galapagos tortoise (found in thousands along the water reservoirs), the iguanas, the alligators, and finally to the Anaconda the largest of the snakes. Next comes information about capybara (the largest rodent in the world) and the white tailed deer, both species facing extinction, now restricted to a few protected areas in the Llanos.

The second phase of the video deals with animals found in the small clumps of forest areas located mostly to the north of the river. This includes descriptions of animals typical of the region such as tree dwellers - porcupines, possums (largest marsupial found in all parts of Venezuela), howler monkeys and capuchins, anteaters, tapirs and members of the cat family including the jaguar, puma and other felines. There is also information about reptiles found on the forest, which includes several species of snakes, and the iguana.

Several species of freshwater fish like the piranha, and electric eel, are included in the final phase, followed by the manatee, alligators and crocodiles. The video ends in the same note as it started - with birds.

Although this is a much more balanced account of the wildlife in Venezuela when compared to "Wild Animals of South America" (another video in the Inside Nature of South America Series), there is still room for improvement. However, it does a reasonably good job of describing the ecology and feeding behavior of animals found in the region in general, and birds in particular.

Apart from the few opening close up shots of animals, (where the color was quite poor), the color is good and the narration is clear. However, it is sometimes difficult to make out the names of the animals unless the viewer is familiar with the names of wild animals found in South America. The beginning of the video and the end are quite spectacular, but there seems to be a lack of logical and continuous flow in the content and the narration. Both The Llanos of the Orinoco and Wild Animals of South America seem to have some common segments; further indicating cut and paste effort.

This is a good video for those who are interested in the wildlife of South America, and could be highly recommended for K-12, and college collections.

Additional Web resources on this topic can be accessed through the following sites:

• http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/
• http://www.EnchantedLearning.com/coloring/southamer.shtml
• http://www.infonatura.org
• http://pbs.org/journeyintoamazonia/
• http://www.worldwildlife.org/amazon/
• http://www.members.tripod.com/~wildlife_vzla/extinction.htm
• http://www.internet.ve/wildlife/
• http://www.lostworldadventures.com/venezuela/llanos/VZllanos.htm