1. Rainforests By: Jaden Spitznagle

2. What is a Rainforest?  Rainforests are forests with warm climates and lots of rain!  Rainforests are found in Africa, Asia, Australia, and Central and South America. The largest rainforest is the Amazon Rainforest, pictured below. Photo from: http://travelblogger.altervista.org/blog/amazon-rainforest/

3. Location  Rainforests lie in the “tropics”. Their climate is very moist and wet. Only plants and animals that can live in this type on environment can survive here.  Below, you can see where the tropics are located in the dark band across the map. Photo from: http://pcwww.liv.ac.uk/epidemics/map_world_region.htm

4. What is the Canopy?  “In the rainforest most plant and animal life is not found on the forest floor but in leafy world known as the canopy. The canopy, which may be over 100 feet above the ground, is made up of the overlapping branches and leaves of rainforest trees. Scientists estimate that 70-90 percent of life in the rainforest is found in the trees, making this the richest habitat for plant and animal life. Many well-known animals including monkeys, frogs, lizards, birds, snakes, sloths, and small cats are found in the canopy.” (Butler, 2005)  Below is a picture of the canopy in the Amazon Rainforest. Photo from: http://travel.mongabay.com/colombia/images/co lombia_0325.html

5. What is the Canopy? (cont.)  There are now rope bridges, towers, and ladders in the canopy of rainforests for scientists to travel on while doing their research and tourists to walk on. Would you walk through the rainforest?  Watch the video below to learn more about the rainforest’s different layers. Photo from: http://www.frogview.com/show10.php?file=17144

6. Animals of the Rainforest  The Amazon Rainforest is home to 427 species of animals. Just a few are listed below.  Orangutans  Gorillas  Jaguars  Macaws  Strawberry Poison Dart Frog  Black Caiman  Blue Morpho Butterfly Photos from: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/tropical- rainforest-biome-plants-and-animals.html

7. Plants of the Rainforest  There are many different types of plants in the rainforest. Below, I have listed a few.  Bengal Bamboo  Coconut Tree  Jambu  Kapok Tree  Strangler Figs  Tualang Photos from: http://www.blueplanetbiomes.o rg/rnfrst_plant_page.htm

8. References  Butler, R. (2005, January 1). Rain forest information for school kids. Retrieved February 10, 2015, from http://kids.mongabay.com/lesson_plans/handout.html http://kids.mongabay.com/lesson_plans/handout.html  C, Z. (2002, January 1). Rainforest Plants. Retrieved February 10, 2015, from http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/rnfrst_plant_page.htm  Putatunda, R. (2015, January 1). Tropical Rainforest Biome: Plants and Animals. Retrieved February 10, 2015, from http://www.buzzle.com/articles/tropical-rainforest-biome-plants-and- animals.html http://www.buzzle.com/articles/tropical-rainforest-biome-plants-and- animals.html