Learning about Rainforests

WHAT IS A RAINFOREST

A Rainforest and its waterfall

Rainforests are the Earth's oldest living ecosystems.
They are so amazing and beautiful.

These incredible places cover only 6 %of the Earth's surface but yet they contain MORE THAN 1/2 of the world's plant and animal species!

A Rainforest can be described as a tall, dense jungle.  The reason it is called a "rain" forest is because of the high amount of rainfall it gets per year.  The climate of a rain forest is very hot and humid so the animals and plants that exist there must learn to adapt to this climate.

Rainforests basically have four layers to them.

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Monkeys are skillful climbers who leap and scamble among the branches

As many as 30 million species of plants and animals live in tropical rainforests.

At least two-thirds of the world's plant species, including many exotic and beautiful flowers grow in the rainforests.

 This pink plant grows on rainforest trees - it is an epiphytic air plant which means it grows on the tree but is not a parasite.

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Rainforests are the source of many items that we all use in our own homes!

We eat several foods from the rainforest and many medicines are made from ingredients found only in these areas.

Sap that is used to create rubber from a Rainforest tree

 Some of the common products we know of include:


  • chocolate
  • sugar
  • cinnamon
  • rubber
  • medicine
  • pineapples
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