Did You Know?

• Rainforests are the wettest areas of land in the world.
• Over half of the world's rainforests are in South and Central America.
• Rainforests can get over 32 FEET of rain during a single year.
• Almost half of the world's rainforests have been cut down in the last fifty years.
• In 1989, rainforests were disappearing at a rate of 60 acres every minute!
• Almost all rainforests lie between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn.
• The largest rainforest in the world stretches across the Amazon Basin in South America.
• Rainforest trees have shallow root systems.
• Rainforest products include tea, coffee, cocoa, rubber and many types of medicine.

Where are rainforests?

Most rainforests lie between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn.  This is why they are often called tropical rainforests.  It has been hot and wet in the tropics for millions of years.  These constant conditions have made it possible for rainforests to develop into the most diverse and complex environments in the world.  Scientists recognize over 40 different types of rainforest, each with its own variety of plant and animal life.  This map shows the main rainforests of the world.

Scholastic, Inc.  "Life in the Rainforests"

What are some threats to the Rainforest?

• Lumbering
• Ill-conceived agricultural development
• Depletion of animal populations by trophy hunting and collecting for the pet trade

 

What organisms (plant or animal) are typically found in the rainforest biome?

• Plants such as orchids, bromeliads, vines (lianas), ferns, mosses, and palms are present in tropical forests.
• Fauna includes numerous birds, bats, small mammals, and insects.
• The rainforest is home to monkeys and apes that feed on the fruit and leaves that grow there. Monkeys spend most of their time leaping around the tops of the trees in the forest. Monkeys either have long arms that help them to maneuver through the trees or they swing by their long tails.