Caño Cristales: Difference between revisions

{{refimprovemore citations needed|date=March 2017}}

'''''Caño Cristales''''' ({{IPA-es|ˈka.ɲo kɾisˈt̪ales|}}; {{lang-en|Crystal Channel}}) is a [[Colombia]]nColombian river located in the [[Serrania de la Macarena]] province of [[Meta Department|Meta]], and is a tributary of the Guayabero River. 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 ''Macarenia clavigera'' plants (family [[Podostemaceae]]) 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>

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.