Lost Worlds Tepuis have been like islands in the sky for millions of years. Imagine what strange things might live on them. In 1912, the author Sir Arthur Conan


Doyle, wrote a book. It was called, “T e Lost World.” In it, he imagined that dinosaurs still roamed on top of a tepui. Doyle’s book was fiction. But the idea


that tepuis could be a home to unknown creatures is true. New plants and animals are still being discovered on the tepuis. Many are endemic. T at means they aren’t found anywhere else in the world. Scientists have compared the reptiles and


amphibians found on Auyantepui with ones they found on another tepui. Most were diff erent. Isolation has given each tepui its own ecosystem.


Meat-Eating Plants Forests cover the top of Auyantepui. Frogs, toads, and lizards live there. Colorful orchids and small trees do, too. Yet, in many places the soil is poor. It has few nutrients. What is a plant to do for food? Eat meat! Auyantepui is known for its carnivorous


plants. Drosera arenicola is an insect eater that is endemic to Auyantepui. It has little tentacles that glitter with sticky liquid. Insects think it’s dew. When they land on it, they get stuck. T en the tentacles close around them and traps them. T en the plant slowly digests the insects. Another example is called Heliamphora


minor. T is plant looks like a vase topped by a spoon. It lures insects. Tiny hairs in the plant force bugs down into a pool of water. T ey drown. T en the plant digests them.


14 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC EXPLORER


This tabletop mountain dates back over two billion years.


Tepui Trek Jimmie Angel saw more of Auyantepui than he intended to. T at’s because his plane got stuck in the muddy soil. He and his passengers had to travel home on foot. T ey trekked for 12 days across Auyantepui and into the jungle before reaching a town. Word of the waterfall soon spread.


Scientists and adventurers came to explore Angel Falls and the mysterious table-shaped mountain. Meanwhile, Angel’s plane stayed stuck for 33 years. In 1970, it was liſt ed off Auyantepui by helicopter. Angel Falls and its tepui are now part


of Canaima National Park. It takes three days of canoeing and hiking to see Angel Falls from the bottom. A few explorers climb to the top. T ere, they see two natural wonders: Earth’s highest waterfall and the unusual world it tumbles from.


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