Research Location:
Temperatures: Latitude: 15-25, Average Temp is 44 degrees Fahrenheit never drops below 64 degrees
Fahrenheit
Climate: Hot and humid, rain forests are wet and damp.
Rainfall: 250 cm per year, 1 month has usually 4 inches
Shelter: Trees
Plants: Sloths, sun bears, giant squirrels, lemurs, tropical porcupines, spider monkeys, pangolins,
sifakas, tarsiers, indris, gibbons, anteaters, and many other animals live in the treetops of the Rainforest.
There are 5 layers of trees in the rainforest. They are called: emergent, canopy, understory, shrub, and
herb. The emergent layer is usually a height of 130 feet to 250 feet. The canopy reaches a height of 65
feet to 130 feet. It shields the wind and sun from all of the other parts of the Rainforest. The understory is
the part of the rainforest is mainly the tree trunks and the little trees that are growing. The shrub layer is
around 20 feet to 30 feet. It doesn’t get much light so it doesn’t grow as much as the other layers. All the
other layers protect the herb layer from heat, winds, and rain. Rainforests have lots of trees. Some
scientists counted over 750 different tree types in only a 25 acres spread. Passion Flower vines live in the
rainforest and they blend in by sometimes mimicking a leaf to protect themselves from things or animals
that might eat them. Ferns, lichens, bromeliads, and orchids are all a plant species called epiphytes.
These plants live on trees and their roots dangle above ground. Their roots collect nutrients from
raindrops with dust and other particles that the raindrops have in them. Sometimes if the trees get tired of
the epiphytes, they shed their bark just to get rid of them. Vines wrap around trees, some of the vines are
called Lianas. Lianas grow woody tissues like trees do. They can get a good hold on trees using their
clasping roots, barbed thorns, and twisting tendrils to climb up any tree to reach the sun.
Other Animals: Scientists believe that 30-50% of Earth’s animal species are found in the Rainforest.
There are many different types of insects in the rainforests, some of them are: Leafhoppers, Walking
Sticks, Katydids, Moths, Butterflies and more. Leafhoppers, Walking Sticks, Katydids, and Moths use the
same type of techniques to avoid their predators. The Leafhoppers look like thorns so they blend in, the
Walking Sticks, Katydids, and Moths all look like twigs, leafs, or bark. For the butterfly, those techniques
don’t work and that is why they have brightly colored wings. When the butterfly opens their wings, they
hope that it startles the predators so they have enough time to get away. Sometimes, poisonous animals
and insects have bright colors to show other animals that they are poisonous, like the Arrow Frog, who
lives in the rainforest, have bright colored skin such as red, yellow, or blue. Another animals that has
bright colors are Heliconid butterflies, they also have a bad taste that makes other animals remember not
to eat them. Some of the predator’s skin blend in with the habitat that they live in. Some of those animals
are: Clouded Leopard, Fer-de-lance Snake, and Matamata. Their coats and skin blend into the nature
that is around them, take the Clouded Leopard for example, it has black spots that helps it blend into the
shadows. Although animals can camouflage themselves to their surroundings, they aren’t always safe
from their predators. The Antbirds for example can see insects and animals better once they are
camouflage. Bush Babies, Lemurs, and Pygmy Marmosets eats some of the same food that the Squirrel
Monkey eats. All of these animals eat sap of trees and the gum out of trees. Earthworms are a big part of
the rainforest because they are the main decomposer in the rainforest. They help decompose dead
animals and old fruit ect.
Water Sources: The rain, Streams and other flowing water sources (they like to live by them for
protection and water)Shelter:
3 MAIN biome parts:
Explain how animal is designed to live in their biome: Squirrel Monkeys are excellent at climbing and
leaping between branches and trees to travel through the forest that they are living in. They have a long
tail which helps them have excellent balance and aided by their nimble hands and feet, allows Squirrel
Monkeys to cover vast areas of the jungle. They are also known to follow other troops at a distance to
take advantage of the food left in their path.
Explain how animal relies on aspects of biome:
Other Information: Every day, scientists and others exploring rainforests are finding new plants and new
animals in the rainforest. Many believe that the rainforests is the way that is it because it is so close to the
rainforest. It is common knowledge that the further a location gets from the equator, the less plant and
animal species it contains, but the rainforest is really close to the equator, there for having a lot of animals
and plant species living there.