Introduction
The Jungle is a very exciting habitat. Jungles are always
found close to the equator. The Jungle is also called the
Tropical Rainforest. The Tropical Rainforest has a
variety of plants and animals. Each one is perfect for
survival in the moist Jungle. The temperatures there
are usually between hot and warm. The plants that live
there are very lush.
These are the
layers of the
Jungle.
The Emergent Layer
The Canopy/Upper Canopy
The Canopy layer has trees that are 60 to 130 feet tall.
Most of the animals that live in the Tropical Rainforest
live in the Upper Canopy. So much food is available in
the Canopy area that some animals never go down to
the Forest Floor.
The Understory/Lower Canopy
The trees that live in this layer are 60 feet tall. The Lower
Canopy layer is made up of the tree trunks from the
Emergent layer, the tree trunks from the Upper
Canopy, trees, shrubs, and plants. There is little air
movement in the Understory. The humidity there is
constantly high. This level is in constant shade.
The Forest Floor
The Forest Floor is usually completely shaded,, except
where a canopy tree has fallen and created an opening.
The Tropical Rainforests in the
world are located where the
green is.
Plant Life
The plants in the jungle adapt to
their natural environment in many
unique ways.
The trees do something called transpiration, which
is when the trees release water through the pores
of their leaves. They have to shed water quickly so
the branches don’t get weighed down and break.
Some trees have leaf stalks that turn with the
movement of the sun so they always absorb the
maximum amount of light.
Special plants called air plants grow on the
trunks and branches of many trees. Air plants
get water from the air. Air plants get food from
the air and from plants rotting nearby.
The huge trees have something called a buttress to
keep them from falling over. Buttresses are thick
parts on the huge trees trunk’s. A buttress is a
structure that grows out from the trunk and it
grows down to the ground to support the tree.
Woody vines called lianas hang from trees and they
also wrap around tree trunks and limbs. Vines
called strangler figs can kill trees. The vines make
up 40% of the canopy leaves. Over 2,500 species of
vines grow in the tropical rainforest.
You can find animals in every single color
and in every single size.
The animals in the Tropical
Rainforest are all unique in
their own different ways.
Some animals in the jungle are: frogs, snakes, sloths,
monkeys, birds, gorillas, fish, and cats.
Three animals I find interesting are the two-toed
sloth, the squirrel monkey, and the a howler
monkey.
The Two-Toed Sloth
The two-toed sloth eats and sleeps upside-down. It usually
avoids coming down from the branches. It moves in slowmotion. The two-toed sloth is a leaf-eating animal. It is
nocturnal, meaning it is active at night. When the two-toed
sloth sleeps it places its head on its chest and it becomes a
hanging ball of fur. The two-toed sloth can stand, but it
can’t walk. It can only move on the forest floor by pulling
itself along by its claws. The two toed sloth’s eyesight and
hearing is very poor. When two two-toed sloths meet they
will fight until one retreats. Their average temperature is
between 85° and 90° Fahrenheit.
The Red Howler Monkey
The red howler monkey feeds almost entirely on
leaves, supplemented with nuts, seeds, fruits, and
flowers. It can live for several weeks on a diet of
nothing but leaves. The red howler monkey lives in
troops high in the forest canopy. Its roar can be
heard over two miles in the Tropical Rainforest.
The Squirrel Monkey
The squirrel monkey eats mostly fruit, nuts, insects,
berries, and small birds. It lives in a group of about
30-50 squirrel monkeys in an area of about a
square mile. It often stays close to a group of
capuchin monkeys because capuchin monkeys
react quickly to danger, giving a bark that alerts
themselves and other animals. It has an excellent
eyesight and nimble hands.
What are buttresses used
for?
To help support bushes
To help support trees
Medicine for humans
To help gain height
What are the temperatures in
the jungle?
Below freezing
In the negatives
Super hot
Warm and hot
Where are Tropical Rainforests
found in the world?
By the equator
By the South Pole
By the North Pole
In the Eastern Hemisphere
N0!
Bibliography
 Google
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-Images
Wikipedia/ the free encyclopedia
www.blueplanetbiomes.org
Stille, Darlene. Tropical Rainforests. New York:
Children’s Press, 1999.
Lovejoy, Thomas. “Jungle” World Book Encyclopedia.
Chicago: World Book, Inc., 2006.
A Special Thanks To:
Daniel, my brother