Table of Contents Introducing the biome3 Map of the rainforest biomes4 Rainforest Animals5 Rainforest Plants6 People of the Rainforest8

Rainforest The rainforest is a biome. You can find the rainforest in many parts of the world, including Asia, Africa, Australia, South America and other parts of the world. The average temperature in the rainforest is 70 F to 85 F [21c to 30c]. The yearly rainfall is from 80 to 400 inches of rainfall. It can rain up to two inches in one hour! The physical features are the emergent layer which includes trees that are usually spaced wide apart and range from 100 to 200 feet. The leaves are shaped like an umbrella. They grow tall over all the other trees. The leaves on these trees are small and pointed. They are shaped this way for a reason. Since they are so tall and grow above all the other trees, they are exposed to dry winds. The canopy layer of trees have smooth leaves that come to a point. The many leaves of the canopy attract more sunlight for photosynthesis which provides fruits, seeds, flowers and leaves that supports a wide variety of different animals. The emergent trees have very few branches with straight and smooth trunks and also have shallow root system.

King cobras are reptiles. They grow to be 12’-18’ long, with a half inch long fang. They weigh from pounds. On average, they live 20 years. Cobras are brown and black. Their under color is yellow and pale. The King Cobra lives in South Asia. Their habitat is in clearings, bamboo stands and edges of forest. They also live in rivers and swamp areas. They live in areas where the temperature is about 97 F. The cobra eats other snakes, lizards, small mammals, and some frogs. Its main predators are humans. Other predators are mongoose and birds of prey. When a King Cobra is born, the venom is as strong as an adult’s venom. King Cobra

Banana Plant You might think the banana plant is good because you can make delicious banana bread. The tree grows to about 10 to 20 feet high. Bananas are not trees, but a herb. The banana stems are about 100 pounds. They contain about 93% water. The rind of the plant may be green, yellow, red, purple or brown. Cocoa Beans A Cacao pod grows on a cacao tree. It contains 20 to 60 cocoa beans when harvested. It takes 7 to 14 pods to make a pound of cocoa beans. The beans are used to make delicious chocolate which is in high demand. The tree receives about 4 inches of rain a month. It can be found near the Amazon River or southern Mexico.

Coffee Beans You might think the coffee bean is what gets you up in the morning. But it is considered a shrub or bush. It can grow to be about 30 feet tall. They might look like grapes but they are berries that have 2 coffee beans inside of it. It takes an amazing 6 to 8 years for the plant to be in full production. They can live up to 100 years old.

People of the Rainforest In South America, the closest cities in the rainforest are near the Amazon River. It takes several days to get to. The people also live near the Atlantic Ocean, but they have never seen it. Men wear lion skins and women wear wrap around skirts as clothes. Some wear clothes like us. To get their clothes they have to trade with people outside of their village. I bet they have to catch the lion themselves!

Food They use the tuberous roots of the Manioc plant to make flower for bread. But first they make sure to squeeze out the poison. They have to cook their meat by boiling it, barbecuing it, or smoking it. To cook it, they find two sticks in the shape of a “Y.” Then, they find a straight stick to place between the “Y”. They roast the meat on the straight stick that’s between the two “Y” sticks. That’s a lot of work!

Houses Their homes are on a land reserve that was given to them by the federal government in the country that they live in. Their houses don’t have walls because it does not get cold there and they don’t need privacy. They put up poles to support the roof. They make sure that there are no leaks in their roof because it rains a lot there. You don’t get your own room in their house.

Work The girls look after their little sister, brother, niece, or nephew. They also help cook, grate manioc, carry heavy backpacks, and get water. The boys have fun work. They hunt with the men in the village, fish, farm, and weave baskets. They also spend a lot of time in the jungle as part of their learning and training.

Travel and Playtime They don’t get around in cars. They get around on foot or in canoes. They can make the canoes as long as they need them to be if they can find a big enough tree. But don’t worry. There are plenty of trees in rainforests. For playtime they swim in rivers. Girls like to play with hand-made dolls and boys like to shoot their bow and arrows in the forest. They like using berries for paint.

Chiefs and Beliefs They think birds have chiefs just as they do. Their chiefs are like our mayors. Besides having a chief, each bird also has an owner. For example, the Kingfishers are owned by the spirit of the Anaconda. The chief for the rainforest people make most of the decisions for the entire tribe. Would you like to be a chief?

Not a perfect life If you think rainforest people have a perfect life you are wrong. Life actually isn’t perfect for them. One in every two babies born in the rainforest dies before the age of two. If they don’t die before the age of two, they will probably die from a disease without western medicines. If you make it to forty, you are considered a elder. By the year 2000, less than 250,000 people were left.