Macuco Nature Trail Brochure

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CapuchinMonkey Territory With luck, on this trail you may meet a troupe of Brown Capuchin monkeys arboreal, restless and cunous. They usuallygo around in groups of some 20 individualswith a dominant male, recognizableby his large size. Several calls may be heard often whistled whereby they c o m m u n i c a t e .w i t h e a c h other.

They eat mostlyfruitthough some insects, bromeliad shootsand leavesas well as nestlings are also part of theirdiet,all of whichthey findin the trees. A n y f o o r iy o r rn r i l ; l r t h i n ko f offeringlhcrr is bad for their h e a l t hB . e s i d e st,h o u g ht h e y look friendly,they can become aggressive, e s p e c i a l ltyh ea d u l t s .

Recommendations Macuco lrail is perhaps the best opportunity offered by the park to experiencenature.Rememberthat the forestis the resultof millionsof years of evolutionaryadaptationso it is best to adapt to nature and not expectnatureto adapt to you. Bear in mind the followingsuggestions and you willbe helpingus protectthe park. Hccrl the recommendationon the signs, brochuresand the National @ Park'spcrsonnel. N Neverleavethetrail. E

Avoidmakingany noise.This will increaseyour chancesof seeingand tr hearing; wildlife. = Respect theanimals,neverfeedortroublethem.

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F e e d i n ga n y w i l d l i f ei n t h e park is forbidden.Don't get too close and never try to, t o u c h t h e m , a s e n s i b l ei measure to avoid / contractingany diseasethey maycarry.

Enjoy the flora and fauna in their natural setting.lf you want some mementothereis nothingbetterthan a photograph.

Just as animalsdo, leaveonly your tracks;do not removestones,plant uJ z material.lf possiblebringyourtrashout withyou. Any commentswill be welcome. Leave them with a ranger or at the Information desk.

lf you do not interferewith] their habits you can watchl theirnaturalbehaviour. They are one of the fourspeciesof monkeyfoundinArgentina. lguaz0 National Park General Office VictoriaAguirre 66 - 3370 Puerto lguazt - Misiones Tel:(0054)3757-42072214232521420382 [email protected] P a r kR a n g e r s T : e l .4 2 0 1 8 0 lnformations:fel. 491445

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here on out you can enjoy a walk through rainforest and be ifl direct contactwith nature. The densevegetation makes it difficult to seewi so sharpenyour senses.lf you are observantyou will find animal tracksand discoverall manner r insects.Keep quiet to listen to the callsof the birds Park. at each of the i which are numbered on posts, to better

- Pioneerplants 2- Temporary stream This littlestreamcomesfrom the depthsof the forestand is fed by it rainfall;it driesup occasionally when rainis scarce.Nevertheless is importantfor differentformsof life.Insectsand smallvertebrates, suchas mosquitoesand frogs,needwaterfor the earlypartof their life-cycles.

1- White-bearded Manakin Hereaboutsone can often hear clickingsounds. The unlikelysource is a small birdsome4 incheslong the W h i t e - b e a r d e dM a n a k i n that is exclusive to the forests of South America. The sounds are to determine territorial possession. The plumageof

the femalesis olivegreenas opposedto the strikingblack and white of the male. lts Soanish name "Bailarin" (dancer) refers to the spectaculardances several males oerformon the "lek" (dancingground)to attract the females in courtship. After mating the female is totally responsible for n e s t i n g , i n c u b a t i n ga n d caringforthefledglings.

L a r g ea r n i m a l su s ei t f o rd r i n k i n g a n da s a t r a i lt o m o v ea r o u n di nt h e dense vegetation.The seed of some species of plants are dispersedby flowingwater.

a clearing in the

;t occurs through the of a great tree, the tationtakesdecadesto to full-blownforest e first stage is by 'asses, canes and fastsoecies of smaller

rees such as Trema icrantha, Solanum ranulosoleprosum or pachystachya,

is last well-knownfor its icinal propertiesin uring coughs and >ryailmentssuchas i so r a s t h m a . hese oioneersoeciesare he first healers of the scar

ecause they can tolerate xtremeconditionssuchas ard sun-bakedsoils and aucityof nutrients LaEE Phryndhyt:

ver time conditionsare improved and become for the adequate of a second establishment stage; finally the rainforest can relurn.

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5- The Bamboos Bamboos or canes, locally named "tacuaras",are of the grass family and have a life cyclein whichall specimensof a specieflowerand seed at the same time, then die off massively. Someof the millions of seedswill be foodfor rodents and birds, while some will germinateto producethe next generation of canes. The cyclestakefrom 15 to 40 years. In this parkgrowfive speciesof bamboo.The followingdetails may helpyou to identifythem: a- TACUAREMBO(Chusquea ramosissima) Slender (up to 1.3 cm diameter), no thorns, solid, branching, well leafed,smooth bark, leaning on other vegetation.

4- The Palmito The palmyou can see is the Palmito which can be recognized by its graceful and well-orderedfrondsand i its slender trunk. The flowering head is pale yellow.Small insectssuch as beesand waspspollinate '' the florets. The fruit is sphericaland black. lts,.' abundance offers a good resourceto many animals and birds that feed on it toucans, peccaries, monkeys,agoutis,and even the largetapir. The growingtip (palmheart) is wrapped in the green bases of the fronds. lt is white,tenderand delicious. For this reason it is much soughtas a gourmetsalad. The tree needs to be some 15 years old to have a harvestable "heart". The extraction of this delicacv killsthe plant.

Thereare studiesunderway to determine ways of sustainable harvest of this resource in the forests outsidethe park. InArgentinapoacherssatisfy the demand for "hearts of palm".Troopsof illegalpalm cutters steal into the oark and cutdownmanyPalmitos that are now becoming scarce,with the consequent effecton the wildlifethat uses it as a source of food. The product is canned under primitive conditions. One can eat Palmitosif one is assured(on the label) they come from sustainable exploitationsto help the park conservethislovelyspecies.

c- YATEVO(Guaduatrinii) Large 5 or more cm diameter,and up to 't5 m long, gracefullyarching, with vicious hookedthorns, rough to the touch, pale grayishgreenin colour, d- TACUARUZU (Guadua chacoensls) The giant, 16 cm diameter, and often over 20 m long. Thorny, lustrous green when new, dirtierwhen old. Growsby the water. e- PITINGA (Chusquea tenella) Looks like tacuarembo,but it is hollow.

b- TACUAPi (Merostachys clausseni) About 3 cm diameter, no thorns,hollow,fragile,greenish grey,roughto the touchwhen a fingeris rubbedalongit against thegrain"

6- The ArrecheaWaterfall Here the Arrechea stream takes a leap over the edge of the basalt.Many thousandsof years ago the lguazUfalls were here,havingsincethenrecededalongthe mainriverbeddueto erosion.Today the small stream flows where mighty waters thundered. Thislovelycascadeissomethinglike20 m high,the watr:ris coldand clearbecauseof theiroriginwithinthe forest. ln r;rinyperiodsfreshetshavegougedoutthe pool at the foot of the waterfall.

MACUCONATURETRAIL Get readyfor your walk. Readsorrreof the thingsyou shouldbear in mind beforestartingout. ,rrrr.i

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Length of the trail 7 0 0 0m o u t a n db a c k .

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Estimatedtime of yourwalk 3 hours.

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Finaldestination Arrecheastream'swaterfalland pool Opening hours Winter:8 am to 5.30pm (Marchto September) Summer:8 am to 6.30pm (OctobertoFebruary) Do not take the trail after 3 pm (winter)or 4 pm (summer).

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Do not stay in the naturalpool after4 pm (winter) or 5 pm (summer).So as to returnwiththe day light

Different stretches have differentdemands:

Recommendedschedule Early morningis best. Rememberthat the park closesat 6 pm (winter)and7 pm (summer).

E a s y : 3 2 0 0m

Mediumhard:150m(

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Difficult:200m

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lnformative and lnterpretive materials available Request the "Precauciones con la fauna silvestre"a brochureas to dangerous a n i m a l sy o u m i g h t encounter. lf you are specially interested there is also a brochure listing the birds you may see

You should be aware that: The trail has neither bathroomsnor bars; take insect repellent.Wear comfortable clothes and footwear, a hat and sun block. lf you have small childrenwith you or senior citizens, think about the inconvenience of doinq t h i s l o n g i s ht r a i l .

Interpretive stations On the trail you will find six wayside stationswith numbered posts that refer to this brochure. They are interpretive stops to tell you more about the resources thereabouts.

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