Rainforests
Two Types of Rainforests
• Tropical
– Located along the equator
– 80-400 inches of rain per year
– Temperature between 70-85 degrees
• Temperate
– Could be located anywhere (even Alaska)
– 50-140 inches of rain per year
– Temperature between 50-80 degrees
Rainforest Layers
Rainforest Layers
Emergent
Canopy
-Top Layer
- Trees are 100-240 feet tall.
- Tops of trees are shaped like umbrellas.
-Trees are 60-130 feet tall.
- Most of the animals in the rainforest live
in this layer. Some never go to the forest
floor.
Understory
Forest Floor
-Sometimes called Lower Canopy
- Trees are 60 feet tall.
-Completely Shaded
- Due to little light, very few plants and
animals live in this layer.
-Mostly inhabited by termites and fungi.
Tropical Rainforests
• Most of the rainforests in the world are
tropical.
• They make up only 6% of Earth’s surface, but
contain over half of Earth’s plants and animals.
Animals of the Amazon Rainforest
A few of the animals you will find in
the Amazon Rainforest are:
-Toucans
-Parrots
-Poison Dart Frogs
-Jaguars
-Ocelots
-Howler Monkeys
-Anacondas
-Electric Eels
-Piranhas
-Vampire Bats
Watch Video!
Plants of the Amazon Rainforest
Some plants you will find are:
-Kapok Trees
-Strangler Figs
-Coconut Trees
-Mangrove Trees
-Bengal Bamboo
Amazon Rainforest
• The Amazon Rainforest is the largest rainforest
in the world.
• It is located in South America along the
Amazon River basin.
• Covers 2.5 million square miles and is part of 9
different countries.
Amazon Rainforest
• 20% of Earth’s oxygen
is produced there
• More than 5 million
species of plants,
animals, and insects
Rainforest Destruction
• Unfortunately,
rainforests across the
globe are being
destroyed at a
substantial rate.
Reasons for Destruction
•
•
•
•
Logging
Farming
Ranching
Mining
Reasons to Save the Rainforests
• Millions of animals and people live there.
• Many products, including foods and
medicines, come from the rainforests.
• Rainforests affect Earth’s climate. Cutting
down and burning trees releases carbon
dioxide, which leads to global warming.
References
• Blue Planet Biomes. (2008). Rainforests. Retrieved May 28, 2010
from http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/rainforest.html
• Kids saving the rainforest: Animals they protect in the Manuel
Antonio Rainforest [Video], Retrieved May 28, 2010 from
http://www.youtube.com
• Monabay Kids. (2009). Rainforest Facts. Retrieved May 28, 2010
from http://kids.mongabay.com
• Nature. (2010). Rainforests. Retrieved May 28, 2010 from
http://www.nature.org/rainforests/explore/facts.html
• World Culture Pictorial. (2010). Rainforest Images. Retrieved May
28, 2010 from
http://www.worldculturepictorial.com/images/content2/amazon_r
ainforest_sea_of_green.jpg