Page 15 - (DK) I Can’t Believe It! 2

STRANGE BUT TRUE! 13

The cliff tops of this steep
plateau stand 1,300 ft (400 m) FAST FACTS
tall, and the flat summit
covers 12 sq miles (31 sq km). Rain and wind Hard quartzite rock
erode softer resists erosion.
rocks.
Chunks of
rock break
away as
the plateau
is eroded.
Rainwater drains
off the mountain.
Mount Roraima is what is known
as a “tabletop” mountain because
of its flat top. The flat summit was
originally part of a huge sandstone
plateau, which fragmented and
eroded over millions of years, leaving
the mountain towering over the
surrounding lowlands.

This unusual mountain
inspired Sir Arthur Conan
Doyle’s book about dinosaurs
and humans, The Lost World.

TUMBLING TOADS

Mount Roraima is home to a
diverse array of animals and
plants. The strangest species
living here are black pebble toads,
Mount Roraima is the highest peak said to predate the dinosaurs.
in the dramatic Pakaraima mountains, Found in 1895, these tiny toads
considered some of the oldest have limited mobility. Unable to
geological formations ever known. swim or hop, they roll themselves
Native Americans believe their gods
inhabit these lush mountains, so they into balls and bounce off rocks to
call the peaks tepuis, which translates in escape attackers.
local Pemón as “houses of the gods.”

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