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'''''Caño Cristales''''' ({{IPA-es|ˈkaɲo kɾisˈtales}}; {{lang-en|"Crystal Channel"}}) is a Colombian river located in the [[Serrania de la Macarena]] province of [[Meta Department|Meta]]. It is a tributary of the [[Guayabero River]], itself a part of the [[Orinoco|Orinoco basin]]. Caño Cristales was found in 1969 by a group of cattle farmers. The river is commonly called the "River of Five Colors" or the "Liquid Rainbow," and is noted for its striking colors.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20140903-colombias-liquid-rainbow|title=Colombia's 'Liquid Rainbow'|last=Catchpole|first=Karen|access-date=2018-01-14}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/cano-cristales|title=Caño Cristales|website=Atlas Obscura|language=en|access-date=2018-01-14}}</ref> The bed of the river from the end of July through November is variously colored yellow, green, blue, black, and especially red, the last caused by ''[[Rhyncholacis]] clavigera'' ([[syn.]] ''Macarenia clavigera'') plants on the riverbed.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.canocristales.co/macarenia-clavigera-foto-subacuatica/|title=Macarenia Clavigera: la planta acuática de Caño Cristales|date=2015-01-11|work=Caño Cristales|access-date=2018-01-14|language=es-ES}}</ref> In recent years, the river has become a tourist destination; there were more than 16,000 visitors in 2016.<ref name=MI2017/>
==Geography==
The [[quartzite]] rocks of the Serrania de la Macarena tableland formed approximately 1.2 billion years ago. They are a western extension of the [[Guiana Shield]].
Caño Cristales is a fast-flowing river with many rapids and waterfalls. Small circular pits known as [[giant's kettle]]s can be found in many parts of the riverbed, which have been formed by pebbles or chunks of harder rocks. Once one of these harder rock fragments falls into one of the cavities, it is rotated by the water current and begins to carve at the cavity wall, increasing the dimensions of the pit. Caño Cristales is home to a several species of fish (despite sometimes claimed to contain no fish), freshwater [[turtles]] and other aquatic animals.<ref name=MI2017>{{cite web| last=Mikolji | first=I. | title=Caño Cristales | url=https://www.mikolji.com/cano-cristales/ | website=mikolji.com | access-date=28 May 2023 }}</ref><ref name=AvHumboldt2017>{{cite journal| editor1=Lasso, C.A. | editor2=Morales-Betancourt, M.A. | year=2017 | title=Fauna de Caño Cristales, sierra de La Macarena, Meta, Colombia | url=http://repository.humboldt.org.co/bitstream/handle/20.500.11761/32939/558.pdf | journal=Serie Editorial Fauna Silvestre Neotropical. Instituto de Investigación de Recursos Biológicos Alexander von Humboldt | pages=47-65
==Fauna and flora==
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The Serranía de la Macarena is located on the border of three large ecosystems, each of them with high diversity of flora and fauna: the Andes, the Eastern Llanos, and the Amazon rainforest. Plant and animal life are struggling with the lack of nutrients on the solid rock surface of the tableland and have developed diverse adaptations. The representative biome of the Serranía de La Macarena is the hydrophytic rainforest: hot, warm, and cold. The tableland is home to about 420 species of birds, 10 species of amphibians, 43 species of reptiles, and eight primates.
Caño Cristales river has a wide variety of aquatic plants. The water of the river is extremely clear due to the lack of nutrients and small particles. Almost unique is the bright red - pink coloration of riverbed after the rainy period from the end of June till November. This color is caused by great quantities of plant species ''[[Rhyncholacis]] clavígera'' (often known by its former name, ''Macarenia clavigera''). This plant is only found in found in Caño Cristales and a few others rivers in the region, such as the Caño Siete Machos. These plants, which
==References==
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