# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
'The Tropical Rainforest Biome Facts' on ViewPure

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Location | Weather | Plants | Animals | People | Links

LOCATION: There are two types of rainforest biomes: temperate and tropical rainforests. Temperate rainforests are found along coasts in temperate regions. The largest temperate rainforests are on the Pacific coast in North America, stretching from Alaska to Oregon. Other temperate rainforests are found along the coast of Chile, the United Kingdom, Norway, Japan, New Zealand, and S. Australia. Tropical rainforests are generally found between 30°N and 30°S latitudes, covering 6 - 7% of the Earth's land surface. Tropical rainforests can be found around the world: In Central and South America; in Western Africa, eastern Madagascar, and the Zaire basin; and in Indo-Malaysia along the west coast of India, Assam, Southeast Asia, New Guinea, and Queensland, Australia.

WEATHER: Rainforests are important because they help maintain global weather patterns and rain. Water that evaporates from trees falls in other areas as rain.

Tropical rainforests are lush and warm all year long! Temperatures don't even change much between night and day. The average temperature in tropical rainforests ranges from 70 to 85°F (21 to 30°C). The environment is pretty wet in tropical rainforests, maintaining a high humidity of 77% to 88% year-round. The yearly rainfall ranges from 80 to 400 inches (200 to 1000 cm), and it can rain hard. It can downpour as much as 2 inches (5 cm) in an hour!

Temperate rainforests are also wet, but not as rainy as tropical rainforests. It rains about from 60 - 200 inches (150 - 500 cm) each year, while the other moisture comes from the coastal fog that lingers on the trees. The fog provides about 7 - 12 inches (18 - 30°C) of rain each year. Temperate rainforests are a lot cooler than tropical rainforests, but the temperatures are still mild. They often have two distinct seasons: one long wet winter, and a short drier summer.

PLANTS: One type of plant often found in a rainforest is an epiphyte. Epiphytes are plants that live on the surface of other plants, especially the trunks and branches. They often grow on trees to take advantage of sunlight in the canopy. In temperate rainforests common epiphytes are mosses and ferns, while in tropical rainforests there are many kinds of epiphytes, including orchids and bromeliads. There are more than 20,000 varieties of orchids found in the rainforest.

There are about 10 -2 0 species of trees in temperate rainforests that are mostly coniferous, meaning they have needles. Trees in temperate rainforests can live much longer than humans, some live for up to 1000 years! Tropical rainforests have a bigger variety of trees, hundreds of species in fact! These trees are mostly broadleaf trees and have a shorter lifespan. They usually live for 50 - 100 years.

Most trees in tropical rainforests have thin, smooth bark. They don't need thick bark to keep them from drying out because the rainforest is so wet. Also, smooth bark makes it difficult for other plants, such as epiphytes, to grow on the tree surface. Trees often have buttresses, large branching ridges near the base, for support because their roots are often shallow and they grow tall to reach the sunlight. Prop roots also help support trees in shallow soils. Many plants in the rainforests have adapted leaf shapes that help water drip off the plant to avoid too much moisture, which might make bacteria and fungus grow.

Tropical rainforests are so big that they are divided into four zones. The top layer of the rainforest is called the emergent layer. Giant trees grow here that are much taller than the trees below. The next layer is the canopy. It contains trees standing 60 to 150 feet (18 to 45 meters) tall. Their branches form a canopy, like a big beach umbrella that shades the forest floor. Thick, woody vines are found in the canopy. Over 2,500 species of vines grow in the rainforest. Some vines, called lianas, are sometimes as big around as a person! They climb the trees in the canopy to reach for sunlight. The next layer, the understory, is a dark, cool area below the canopy, but above the ground. The understory is shaded from much of the sunlight by the canopy. The forest floor is the bottom layer of the rainforest. This is the area where fallen, decomposing plants and trees lay on the ground. Many insects live here. Temperate rainforests have all of these zones except the emergent layer. The tallest trees in the temperate rainforest canopy grow to be about 300 feet (90 meters) tall.

ANIMALS: Tropical rainforests are home to half the plant and animal species on Earth. Scientists believe that there is such a great diversity of animals in tropical rainforests because they are one of the oldest ecosystems on earth. Some forests in Southeast Asia have been around for at least 100 million years, ever since dinosaurs roamed the earth. Animals in the tropical rainforest are specially adapted to live in this unique environment. A common characteristic found among mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians, is an adaptation to living in trees. One example is New World monkeys that have prehensile tails that curl around branches allowing the monkey to hold onto the tree with its tail! Other animals are brightly colored, sharply patterned, have loud vocalizations, and like to eat lots of fruit. Most of the animals in the tropical rainforest live in the canopy. There is so much food available up there that some animals never go down to explore the forest floor! Birds are important to rainforests because they like to eat seeds and fruit. Their droppings grow into new plants and help rainforests to survive. In turn, tropical rainforests are important to birds because they provide winter grounds as migratory destination. Parrots are not the only type of birds you will see in the rainforest. In fact, about 27% of the bird species in the world live in tropical rainforests. Insects make up the largest single group of animals that live in tropical forests. They include bright beautiful butterflies, menacing mosquitoes, camouflaged stick insects, and colossal colonies of ants.

In temperate rainforests you'll find a different set of amazing animals. Most of these animals live on, or near the forest floor where they are protected from the wind and rain by the trees above. Many birds and small mammals, such as chipmunks, like to eat seeds that fall on the forest floor. Lots of insects live in the temperate rainforest. Most of them live in tree bark, decomposing dead plant matter, or mossy areas. Birds and amphibians like to eat these insects. Some mammals in the temperate rainforest include deer and bobcats. Cougars and bobcats are the top predators in this biome.

PEOPLE AND THE RAINFOREST: Tropical rainforests are important because they provide oxygen, take in carbon dioxide, and are a huge source of biodiversity and cultural diversity. However, people also rely on tropical rainforests for food, medicine, timber, travel, and more. Rainforests around the world provide people with food and spices, for example, allspice, vanilla, cacao, cassava, ginger, bananas, black pepper, sugar cane, nutmeg and more. Many people are also moving from crowded cities where they cannot find jobs into the rainforest where they are becoming small-scale farmers. With all of this use, we need to be concerned about the stress we are putting on rainforests. Thirty acres of trees are cut in tropical rainforests every minute! Some scientists estimate that rainforests the size of Pennsylvania are lost each year. There are many causes of deforestation. People are logging for firewood, charcoal, building materials and other uses. Trees are being removed for commercial agriculture, which may cause permanent damage. Converting rainforests to pasture land for cattle ranching has destroyed many rainforests. Mining for gold, bauxite, and other minerals can destroy the land, and make it vulnerable to erosion.

What can you do to help our world's rainforests? One way to start helping is to learn more about the plants, animals and people, as well as the issues surrounding rainforests and deforestation. When you learn about new issues, write letters to governmental officials and the newspaper suggesting ways to help solve the problem. Practice conservation at home. This will help reduce the use of rainforests, as well as ecosystems all over the world. Bauxite is a mineral used to make aluminum. By recycling, you will reduce the need for bauxite, which is mined in tropical rainforests. Pets from other countries may have been taken from the wild or imported illegally from tropical countries. If you buy pets that are captively bred in the United States, you will be sure that they didn't come from the rainforest, or another unique environment. Investigate the source of the wood for your furniture to see where it comes from, and if it was harvested sustainably. All of these actions will help protect rainforests all over the world.
LINKS: Rainforest Education Cool Planet: Tropical Rain Forest Rainforest Species Profiles Explore Africa's Rainforest National Geographic: Rainforests at Night Mongabay.com Geography for Kids: Tropical Rain Forests Tropical Rainforests: What's it Like Where You Live?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Location | Weather | Plants | Animals | People | Links LOCATION: There are two types of rainforest biomes: temperate and tropical rainforests. Temperate rainforests are found along coasts in temperate regions. The largest temperate rainforests are on the Pacific coast in North America, stretching from Alaska to Oregon.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Ocean Biome Characteristics\nThe earth is 70% water. 97% of this water is made up of our oceans and seas.\n\nMost of us only experience the ocean from the beach or on shore.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Desert biomes make up one-third of all of the land on earth. What are the characteristics of a desert biome?\n\nA desert has very little rainfall during the year.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
'The Grassland Biome for kids' on ViewPure

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The grassland biome is found in Africa, South America, North America, and Africa.\nTemperate grasslands are found in North America, South America, Europe, and Africa.\nIn North America they are called Prairies, in South America, they are called Pampas, In Europe they are Steppes, and in Africa, they are called velds\nBiomes of the World for Kids\nhttps://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&video_id=Syf2d4cXJRc\n*\n*\nFor more Life Science videos and summaries see,\nhttp://www.moomoomath.com/Middle-School-Science-and-Biology.html

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Advertisement. EnchantedLearning.com is a user-supported site.
As a bonus, site members have access to a banner-ad-free version of the site, with print-friendly pages.
Click here to learn more.

(Already a member? Click here.)

You might also like:

Zoom Rainforest

Spectacled Caiman Printout

Nutria Printout

City Dwellers: Animal Printouts

Zoom Rainforests Math Game #2

Today's featured page: Stories and Folktales, Beginning Readers Books

EnchantedLearning.com
Biomes - Habitats

Biomes Calendar
A calendar to print, color, and read.

Arctic | Desert | Chaparral or Scrub | Taiga = Coniferous Forests | Grassland | Tropical Rainforest | Pond | Ocean
Antarctic | Tundra | Cave | City | Temperate Deciduous Forest | Savanna | Prairie | Freshwater Marsh | Swamp | Intertidal Zone | Coral Reef | Sunlit (Euphotic) Zone | Twilight (Disphotic) Zone

A Sampling of Tropical Rainforest Animals

Rainforests are very dense, warm, wet forests. They are havens for millions of plants and animals. Rainforests are extremely important in the ecology of the Earth. The plants of the rainforest generate much of the Earth's oxygen. These plants are also very important to people in other ways; many are used in new drugs that fight disease and illness.

Where are Rainforests? Tropical rainforests are located in a band around the equator, mostly in the area between the Tropic of Cancer (23.5° N latitude) and the Tropic of Capricorn (23.5° S latitude). This 3,000 mile (4800 km) wide band is called the "tropics." Tropical rainforests are found in South America, West Africa, Australia, southern India, and Southeast Asia. Go to a rainforest map printout to color.

Strata of the Rainforest
Different animals and plants live in different parts of the rainforest. Scientists divide the rainforest into strata (zones) based on the living environment. Starting at the top, the strata are:

EMERGENTS: Giant trees that are much higher than the average canopy height. It houses many birds and insects.

CANOPY: The upper parts of the trees. This leafy environment is full of life in a tropical rainforest and includes: insects, birds, reptiles, mammals, and more.

UNDERSTORY: A dark, cool environment under the leaves but over the ground.

FOREST FLOOR: Teeming with animal life, especially insects. The largest animals in the rainforest generally live here.

Animals that Live in Rainforests: Ridiculously huge numbers of animals live in rainforests, including microscopic animals, invertebrates (like insects and worms), fish, reptiles, amphibians, birds, and mammals. The different rainforests of the world support different populations of animals. A few animals from each rainforest are listed below:

South America -

insects (morpho butterfly, Julia butterfly, Monarch butterfly, and millions of other insects)

mammals (jaguar, ocelot, didelphid opossums, sloth, howler monkey, spider monkey, capybara, many bats, marmosets, procyonids, peccaries)

birds (quetzal, macaw, tinamous, curassows, hoatzins, hummingbirds, eagles, ovenbirds, antbirds, flycatchers, puffbirds, toucans, jacamars, tanagers, tapirs, troupials, honeycreepers, cardinal grosbeaks, xenops)

reptiles (anaconda, caiman, iguanas, lizards, microteiid lizards, boas, and coral snakes), amphibians (poison arrow frog, etc.)

fish (electric eel, piranha), and millions of other animals.

Australia -

mammals (tree kangaroo, rat kangaroo, yellow-footed Antechinus, Giant White-tailed Uromys, opossums, bandicoot, echidna, duck-billed platypus, sugar glider, red legged pademelon)

birds (cassowary, brolga, emerald dove, orange-footed scrubfowl, Australian brush-turkey, sarus crane, gray goshawk, wompoo fruit dove, topknot pigeon, Australian king parrot, laughing kookaburra, lesser sooty owl, fernwren, barred cuckoo-shrike, golden whistler, etc.)

reptiles (frilled lizard, carpet python, Green Tree Snake, Spotted Tree Monitor, Eastern Water Dragon, Boyd's Forest Dragon, Northern Leaf Tailed Gecko)

insects (Ulysses butterfly, Zodiac Moth, Union Jack butterfly, Regent skipper, Birdwing Butterfly)

amphibians (Giant Tree frog, Striped marsh frog, Northern Barred frog, Dainty Green Tree frog), and millions of other animals.

Southeast Asia -

mammals (tarsiers, orangutans, Siamangs, gibbons, colobine monkeys, tigers, tree shrews, binturong, moonrats, most flying foxes, colugos, bamboo rats, Oriental dormice)

birds (tree swifts, leafbirds, fairy bluebirds, fantails, whistlers, flowerpeckers, wood swallows)

insects (Queen Alexandra's Birdwing butterfly, Goliath Birdwing butterfly, Saturn Butterfly), and millions of other animals.

West Africa -

mammals (antelopes, bonobo, chimpanzee, gorilla, Mandrill, scaly-tailed squirrels, otter shrews, duikers, okapi, hippopotamus, Cercopithecus monkeys, bushbabies, pygmy hippo, duiker)

birds (Congo peafowl, African Gray Parrot) and millions of other animals.

Click on an animal or other rainforest topic for a printout or information on that animal:

Rain Forest Animals Book

A short book about rain forest animals to print (for early readers), with letters to fill in. There are pages on the morpho butterfly, toucan, anaconda, sloth, howler monkey, kinkajou, tarantula, piranha, capybara, poison arrow frog, and giant anteater.

Rainforest Animals Word Wheel

Make a Rainforest Animals word wheel using this 2-page print-out; it consists of a base page together with a wheel that spins around. When you spin the wheel, 12 rainforest animals appear, one at a time: poison arrow frog, anaconda, piranha, howler monkey, capybara, sloth, giant anteater, jaguar, kinkajou, morpho butterfly, toucan, and tarantula. The student then writes down the word wheel animals.

Draw Four Things You Would See in a Rain Forest

Draw four things you would see in a rain forest. Below each item, write its name.

AGOUTI

The agouti is a large, short-tailed rodent from rainforests in the Americas.

ALLIGATOR

Alligators are large reptiles. Primitive alligators evolved during the late Triassic period.

AMPHIBIAN
Amphibians (meaning "double life") are vertebrate animals that live in the water during their early life (breathing through gills), but usually live on land as adults (and breathe with lungs). There are three groups (orders) of amphibians: newts and salamanders; frogs and toads; and caecilians.

Anaconda
The biggest snake in the world.

Anaconda Read-and-Answer Quiz
Take a quiz on this constricting snake or go to the answers.

ANT

Ants are social insects.

APES

Apes are primates that anatomically resemble humans. They include the gorilla, chimpanzee, bonobo, orangutan, gibbon and siamang.

ASSASSIN BUG

Assassin bugs are insects that eat other insects.

AYE-AYE

A strange, nocturnal primate from Madagascar.

BASILISK

A South American lizard that can walk on water.

BAT

A bat is a flying mammal.

BINTURONG

A dark, furry mammal from rainforests of southeast Asia.

BIRDS
Many birds live in the canopy of rainforests. Birds have feathers and wings. Birds may be the descendants of theropod dinosaurs.

Blue Morpho Butterfly

A brilliant blue butterfly from rainforests of South and Central America.

Blue-tongued Skink

An Australian lizard with a long, blue tongue.

BOA CONSTRICTOR
A large constricting snake from South and Central America.

BONGO

The bongo is a large, striped antelope from African forests.

BONOBO

Bonobos are closely related to chimpanzees. They are very intelligent, peaceful primates.

BUTTERFLIES

Butterflies are flying insects with two pairs of wings, a proboscis, and clubbed antennae. They belong to the Order Lepidoptera and the Family Rhopalocera. Many butterflies thrive in tropical rainforests.

CAIMAN

The caiman is a widely distributed, medium-sized crocodilian. It is about 6.5-8 ft (2-2.5 m) long. The caiman is widely distributed in Central America and northern South America, ranging from southern Mexico to Peru and Brazil. The caiman is the most widely distributed of the New World crocodilians; it is found in almost all of the lowland wetlands and riverine habitats in its range. It prefers still, fresh water. Juveniles are yellow with black spots and bands; adults are a dull olive green to black with a paler belly. These carnivores eat fish (including piranha), amphibians, reptiles and water birds, using their 72-78 teeth. Females lay about many eggs in late summer in soil-and-vegetation nests.

CAPYBARA
The capybara is the world's largest rodent. It has no tail and partially-webbed feet. It lives on river banks.

CASSOWARY

A huge, flightless bird from Australian rainforests. It has a helmet-like crest on its head.

CATERPILLAR

A caterpillar is the larval stage of butterflies and moths. Caterpillars eat almost constantly and molt many times as they grow.

CHIMPANZEE

Chimpanzees are very intelligent mammals (primates).

CHLAMYDOSAURUS

Chlamydosaurus (meaning "caped lizard") is a rare, modern-day frilled lizard native to New Guinea and North Australia. Its frill is a 7-14 inch (18-34 cm) flap of skin that completely circles its head. It opens this brightly-colored frill to frighten enemies. Adults are over 8 inches (20 cm) long. These climbing lizards live in trees in humid forests and eat cicadas, ants, spiders and smaller lizards. It can run quadrupedally (on all four legs) and bipedally (with the front legs off the ground). Adult females lay 8 to 14 eggs per clutch in spring and summer. Classification: Class Reptilia, Order: Squamata, Family: Agamidae, Genus Chlamydosaurus, Species kingii (named by Gray in 1825).

COATI

(pronounced ko-WAH-ti) Coati (also called coatimundi) are long-nosed, long-tailed mammals from the Americas.

COCKATOO

Cockatoos are birds with a large, feathery crest and a hooked bill.

COYPU
.
Coypus (also called nutrias) are semi-aquatic rodents that are originally from South America

CROCODILIAN

Crocodilians are the order of archosaurs that includes alligators, crocodiles, gavials, etc. They evolved during the late Triassic period and are a type of reptile.

CUCKOO

The cuckoo is a bird whose call sounds like its name. Many cuckoos live in rainforest canopies throughout the world.

DHOLE

The dhole is a wild dog from Asia.

DODO

The dodo is an extinct, flightless bird that lived on an island in the Indian Ocean near Africa.

DRAGONFLY
Dragonflies are primitive, flying insects that can hover in the air. They evolved during the Mississippian Period, about 360-325 mya. Huge dragonflies with wingspans up to 27.5 inches (70 cm) existed during the Mesozoic Era (when the dinosaurs lived).

ELECTRIC EEL

A fish that can generate electricity, the electric eel lives in the Amazon River basin of South America.

EMERALD TREE BOA
The emerald tree boa, Corallus caninus, is a green snake with white bands. It grows to be up to 7.25 feet (2.2m) long. It lives in trees and shrubs near water (like swamps and marshes in rain forests) in the lower Amazon basin (in Brazil) and in Guyana and Suriname. This snake catches food with its long teeth then squeezes it. It eats birds and rodents. This snake is nocturnal (it is most active at night) and bears live young.

FOSSA

The fossa is a meat-eating mammal from the island of Madagascar.

FRILLED LIZARD

Chlamydosaurus (meaning "caped lizard") is a rare, modern-day frilled lizard native to New Guinea and North Australia. Its frill is a 7-14 inch (18-34 cm) flap of skin that completely circles its head. It opens this brightly-colored frill to frighten enemies. Adults are over 8 inches (20 cm) long. These climbing lizards live in trees in humid forests and eat cicadas, ants, spiders and smaller lizards. It can run quadrupedally (on all four legs) and bipedally (with the front legs off the ground). Adult females lay 8 to 14 eggs per clutch in spring and summer. Classification: Class Reptilia, Order: Squamata, Family: Agamidae, Genus Chlamydosaurus, Species kingii (named by Gray in 1825).

FROG

Frogs are amphibians. They start out as gilled, swimming tadpoles, but grow to be air-breathing adults.

Fruit Bat

Fruit bats are large bats that eat fruits and flowers.

GECKO

Geckos are the only lizards that make noise. Some geckos live in rainforests.

Giant Anteater

The biggest anteater, from South and Central America.

GIBBON

Gibbons are rare, small, slender, long-armed, tree-dwelling apes from Asia.

GOLDEN LION TAMARIN

A small, golden-haired arboreal tamarin from rainforests in Brazil.

GOLIATH BIRDWING BUTTERFLY

The Goliath Birdwing (Ornithoptera goliath) is the second-largest butterfly in the world. This brightly-colored butterfly is poisonous and has a wingspan up to 11 inches (28 cm) wide. It has black, yellow and green wings and a yellow and black body. This butterfly in found in tropical forests in Indonesia. Family Papilionidae.

GORILLA

Gorillas are large primates from Africa. They are in danger of extinction.

GRAY PARROT

The African Gray Parrot is an intelligent, talkative bird from rainforests in Western and Central Africa.

GREATER APES

The great apes (family Pongidae) include the gorillas, chimpanzees, bonobos, and orangutans.

GREEN IGUANA

Plant-eating lizards from moist habitats.

HARPY EAGLE

The Harpy Eagle is one of the largest eagles in the world. It lives in rainforests of Central and South America.

HOWLER MONKEY

The loudest monkey and the largest New World monkey.

HUMAN BEING
A human being is a mammal (a type of primate). Some people live in rainforests

INSECTS
Insects have an exoskeleton, a three-part body, and six legs. They evolved during the Silurian Period, 438 to 408 mya, long before dinosaurs existed. Insects are the most numerous animals in rainforests.

JAGUAR

The jaguar is a large, spotted wild cat from South and Central America.

JULIA

The Julia is a yellow-orange tropical butterfly from the Americas, about 3-4 inches wide. It belongs to the group of Heliconians, tropical butterflies that have a bad taste and smell, and a large head. The eggs are round. The pupa is angular. The Julia feeds on passion flowers (Passiflora). Julias are found from South and Central America to the southern USA.

KAKAPO

A large, flightless, nocturnal, solitary parrot from New Zealand.

KEEL BILLED TOUCAN

A rainforest bird with a huge, colorful beak.

KINKAJOU

A long-tailed, nocturnal mammal from rainforests in the Americas.

KOMODO DRAGON

The biggest lizard in the world and a fierce predator.

LEAFCUTTER ANT

Leafcutter ants are fungus farmers - they grow their own food.

LEMUR

Lemurs are large-eyed primates from Madagascar.

LEOPARD

Leopards are widely-distributed, spotted wild cats.

LESSER APES

The lesser apes (family Hylobatidae) include the gibbon and siamang.

LIZARD

There are 2,500 types of lizards, many of which live in rainforests around the world.

MAMMAL

Mammals are warm-blooded animals with hair. They nourish their young with milk. Mammals evolved during the Triassic period. Many mammals live in rainforests, including gorillas, sloths, jaguars, and people.

MANDRILL

Mandrills are large, brightly-colored monkeys.

MILLIPEDE

Segmented plant-eaters with many, many legs.

MONARCH BUTTERFLY

The Monarch (Danaus plexippus) is a common poisonous butterfly found worldwide. It eats milkweed in its larval stage and lays eggs on the poisonous milkweed plant. Monarchs have a wingspan of 3 3/8 - 4 7/8 inches (8.6 - 12.4 cm).

MONKEY

There are two types of monkeys: Old World monkeys from Asia and Africa, and New World monkeys from the Americas.

Morpho Butterfly

The Blue Morpho is a brilliant blue butterfly from rainforests of South and Central America.

MOSQUITO

A small flying insect that is a carrier of disease.

MOTH

Moths are winged insects that belong to the Order Lepidoptera. Moths have feathered antennae (not clubbed antennae, like butterflies), a frenulum or jugum, and are generally dull colored. There are over 100,000 moth species alive today.

MOUSE

Mice are small rodents with long, hairless tails.

NUTRIA
.
Nutrias (also called coypus) are semi-aquatic rodents that are originally from South America

OCELOT

Ocelots are wild cats from the Americas.

OKAPI

The Okapi is a nocturnal, giraffe-like mammal from African rainforests.

ORANGUTAN

Orangutans are large, tree-dwelling apes from southeast Asia.

OROPENDOLA, CRESTED

The crested oropendola is a tropical black bird that builds long, pendulous nests.

OWL

Owls are nocturnal birds with large eyes and very good eyesight. Some owls live in rainforests.

PEAFOWL (Peacocks and Peahens)

Peafowl are magnificent birds from India.

POISON ARROW FROG

Poison arrow frogs are poisonous frogs from rainforests of South and Central America. Some South American Indians apply the poison to the tips of their hunting arrows and blow-gun darts.

PRIMATE
Primates are mammals that include monkeys, apes, lemurs (prosimians), and people. All primates have 5 fingers on each hand and 5 toes on each foot. They have color vision.

QUEEN ALEXANDRA'S BIRDWING BUTTERFLY

Queen Alexandra's Birdwing is the biggest butterfly in the world, with a wingspan up to 1 ft (30 cm) wide. The female is brown with cream spots and larger than the male. The male is brown with blue and green markings; it has a bright yellow abdomen. The caterpillar is black with red tentacles, and with a cream-colored spot in the middle of its body. This rare butterfly is found in the lowland forests of northern Papua New Guinea (east of the Owen Stanley Mountains).

QUETZAL
A quetzal is a beautiful rain forest bird with very long tail feathers.

QUOLL

The Quoll is a cat-sized carnivorous marsupial from the islands of Tasmania and Australia.

RAINBOW LORIKEET

A small, colorful, brush-tongued parrot from Australia.

RAT

A rat is a rodent with a long tail.

RED-EYED TREE FROG

A small rainforest frog with bright red eyes.

REPTILE
Reptiles (meaning"to creep") are a group of animals that have scales (or modified scales), breathe air, and usually lay eggs. The term reptile is loosely defined in everyday English to mean scaly, cold-blooded, egg-laying animals. In cladistics (a way of classifying life forms), the reptiles are more strictly defined as: all the descendants of the most recent common ancestor of the turtles, lepidosaurs (lizards, snakes, tuataras), and archosaurs (crocodilians, dinosaurs, and birds). The maintenance of body temperature (cold- vs. warm-blooded) is not a factor in this classification, but skull and egg structure are.

SATURN BUTTERFLY

The Saturn Butterfly (Zeuxidia amethystus) has a wingspan of about 3.9-4.3 inches (10-11cm) and lives in the shady forest understory. The female is paler than the male (above). The Saturn Butterfly is found in Malaysia, Borneo, the Philippines, Burma, and Sumatra. It was named by Butler in 1865. Classification: Family Nymphalidae (Subfamily Morphinae).

SCARLET MACAW

A brilliantly-colored parrot from Central and South American rain forests.

SCORPION

A venomous arachnid with a large stinger on its tail. Found worldwide except in Antarctica.

SIAMANG

The siamang is a rare, black, long-armed ape, a type of gibbon.

SKIPPER
Skippers (family Hesperiidae) are drab-colored, moth-like butterflies that are distinguished by the hook at the end of their antennae (instead of a club, like other butterflies have). These antennae are also farther apart at the base than other butterflies. There are about 2,000 different species of Skippers. They fly in a darting fashion (hence their name) and hold their wings in a moth-like fashion when at rest. The Australian Skipper also has a humeral lobe (a frenulum-like projection on its hind wing which holds the forewings and hind wings together during flight).

SLOTH

The sloth is a slow-moving mammal that lives in trees. Sloths spend most of their lives hanging upside-down from tree branches; they eat, sleep, mate, and give birth upside-down in the trees. They hold onto tree branches with strong, curved claws that are on each of their four feet. These plant-eaters are more active at night; they eat leaves, tender young shoots, and fruit. Sloths have a thick brown (and slightly-greenish) fur coat and are about the size of a cat (roughly 2 feet = 61 cm long). Their coloration and their slow actions make them almost disappear in the forest canopy. Some sloths have colonies of green algae encrusting their fur, both adding to the camouflage effect and providing some nutrients to the sloths, who lick the algae. These mostly-quiet mammals live in the tropical rainforests of South and Central America. Sloths may live 10-20 years in the wild. Sloths are hunted by jaguars, eagles, and man. Classification: Class Mammalia, Order Xenarthra, Family Bradypodidae and Megalonychidae.

SLUG

The slug is an animal that lives in moist areas.

SMALL-EARED ZORRO
The small-eared zorro is a dog-like fox from South American rainforests.

SNAKE

A snake is a reptile with no legs. Its skin is scaly. There are many snakes in rainforests.

SPECTACLED CAIMAN

The Spectacled Caiman is a common meat-eating reptile from fresh water habitats in South and Central America.

Strata of Tropical Rainforests

Label the strata (layers) of the tropical rainforest.
Answers

SWALLOWTAIL BUTTERFLY

Swallowtail butterflies (family Papilionidae) are strong fliers with three fully developed pairs of legs. Many swallowtails have distinctive tailed wings (hence the family name). They lay spherical eggs. These butterflies are found from the tropics to more temperate regions.

SUGAR GLIDER

This small marsupial (also known as the lesser flying phalanger) glides from tree to tree in Australia and nearby islands.

TAPIR

A plant-eating, hoofed mammal with a small trunk.

TARANTULA

A tarantula is a large, hairy spider.

TARSIER

Tarsiers are small mammals with enormous eyes.

THREE-TOED SLOTH

The sloth is a slow-moving mammal that lives hanging upside-down from trees.

TIGER

Tigers are large, fierce Asian cats that have stripes. They live mostly in forests in India, Sumatra, Indochina, and Siberia. Tigers are threatened with extinction due to loss of habitat.

TOAD

Toads are amphibians with poison glands. They usually have warty skin.

TOUCAN

A South American rainforest bird with a huge, colorful beak.

Toucan Read-and-Answer Quiz
Read about the toucan, then answer questions about it. Or go to the answers.

TURTLE

Turtles have a protective shell on their body. They are anapsids, having no extra holes in the sides of their heads. Turtles evolved during the late Triassic period, roughly 220 million years ago, about the same time the dinosaurs and mammals evolved. Proganochelys is the oldest known turtle.

ULYSSES BUTTERFLY

The ulysses is a spectacular swallowtail butterfly from Australia.

UMBRELLABIRD

A bird with a large tuft of feathers on its head.

WHITE-TAILED DEER

The White-Tailed Deer is a shy, fast-moving plant-eater.

XENOPS
The Xenops is a rainforest bird from the Americas.

ZODIAC MOTH
The Zodiac moth (Alcides zodiaca) is a large moth that looks like a swallowtail butterfly (but like all moths, it rests with its wings outspread). Its rounded wings have large brown and cream/purple stripes. This moth lives in Australian tropical rainforests. It drinks flower nectar through its proboscis. The Zodiac moth is diurnal (most actice during the day).

ZORRO
The small-eared zorro is a dog-like fox from South American rainforests.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Learn about the tundra biome. This biome is found around the arctic circle and can be very cold.\nThe tundra is found around the arctic ocean.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Location | Weather | Plants | Animals | People | Links

LOCATION: Although few animals and plants are adapted to the extremely dry desert life, the desert is a vital biome. The desert is important because it covers about a fifth of the earth's surface! There are both hot and cold deserts. Antarctica is the largest desert in the world, while the Sahara in Africa is the largest of the hot deserts. There are also deserts close to Santa Barbara, such as the Mojave the Colorado Desert which encompass parts of Southern California. In North America, there are four major hot, dry deserts, including the Mojave and the Great Basin. Outside the U.S. hot, dry deserts are found in the Southern Asian realm, South and Central America, Ethiopia and Australia.

Another type of desert is the coastal desert, for example, the Atacama Desert in Chile of South America. And then there are cold deserts. That sounds pretty silly! If deserts are supposed to be hot, how can there possibly be a cold desert? Well these deserts are in places like Antarctica and Greenland where vegetation is sparce, just like the more commonly known hot, dry deserts.

WEATHER: Weather is not the same in all deserts. The seasons in hot and dry deserts are usually very hot during the summer and warm during the rest of the year. During winter these deserts get little rainfall. Rain is often light, or in short concentrated bursts. Most of the time evaporation rates are faster than rainfall rates. Sometimes the rain evaporates before even hitting the ground. This is the reason for the dry characteristic of this type of desert. Coastal deserts are in moderately cool to warm areas. Coastal deserts usually have cool winters followed by fairly long, warm summers. The temperature in the winters is generally 41°F (5&degC) or below. In the summer the weather heats up to between 55° and 75°F (12 and 24&degC). Average rainfall is usually 3 - 5 inches (8 - 13 cm). The Atacama is the Earth's driest desert. In the Atacama 1 millimeter or more of rain falls every 5-20 years. Cold deserts have short, moist and moderately warm summers, and long cold winters like one could expect in Antarctica. The winter temperature ranges from -5°F to -110°F (-20.5 to -79&degC), and in the summer it can be a nice, balmy, 32°F (0&degC). The coldest day recorded in Antarctica was -113°F (-80.5&degC)!

PLANTS: Deserts plants have many adaptations to survive in such a dry environment. They are good at storing and finding water. Some plants have seeds that can stay dormant in the sand for a long time, until there is enough rain for them to grow. In hot deserts, you'll often find Cacti. Cacti are great at storing water. With their waxy coating, water can't escape and their spines protect them from being desert dinner. Their roots are shallow, and widely spread so that any rain can be absorbed immediately! Some other plants you might find in the hot desert are creosote bush, sagebrush, and ocotillo. Coastal deserts house a variety of plants. These plants must adapt to minimal rainfall by having extensive root systems that come up to the surface to absorb any possible rainfall, and go far down to absorb any water saturated in the ground. These plants also have very thick leaves that can absorb and store water whenever it is available. The plants that live in coastal deserts include salt bush, rice grass, black sage and chrysothamnus. Plants can even live in cold deserts, but you won't find as many here as in other types of deserts. Plants in cold deserts include algae, grasses, and plants with spiny thin leaves. Usually these plants grow only in the summer.

ANIMALS: Deserts are a very important biome. No, not because of all the sand! Mostly because of all the plants and animals that call the desert "home". Some animals that live in the hot desert are cold-blooded, like snakes, insects, and lizards. Mammals that live in the desert are usually small, such as the kangaroo rat and kit fox. Sometimes it's hard to survive in the desert. Some mice build their home out of fallen cactus spines to protect themselves from predators like coyotes and hawks. In the Eritrean coastal desert in Djibouti, Africa, animals like gazelles, skinks, geckos and dikdiks roam the desert. Fewer animals live in the cold desert. In Antarctica, most of the animals live near the ocean shore. Because of their ice home, seals, penguins, and other birds rely on fish, squid and other sea creatures for their food.

PEOPLE AND THE DESERT: People have a variety of uses for deserts. The desert is popular for tourism and recreation. Often people visit to see the beautiful sand colors and rock formations. Many people enjoy visiting the desert because it is a quiet place to get away from the business and noise of cities and spend time in the open land. The desert offers many types of recreation, for example, rock climbing, hiking and dirt biking. Mining, grazing, road building, and utility projects take place in the desert. Because of desert sensitivity, it is important that desert uses be managed properly to protect the wildlife and habitat.
LINKS: The Deserts in the American Southwest Deserts Environment Geography for Kids: Deserts Cool Planet: Deserts Biomes of the World: Desert
Back to Biomes Index

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Location | Weather | Plants | Animals | People | Links LOCATION: Although few animals and plants are adapted to the extremely dry desert life, the desert is a vital biome. The desert is important because it covers about a fifth of the earth's surface! There are both hot and cold deserts.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Location | Weather | Plants | Animals | People | Links

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Desert Animal Printouts - EnchantedLearning.com

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Desert Animal Printouts. The desert is a harsh environment with very little rainfall and extreme temperatures. Desert plant life is not abundant; neither is animal life.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
grassland  animal coloring pages tall grass prairie steppe

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
short grass prairie biome veld campos pampas veldt

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Grassland Animal Printouts. A grassland is a grassy, windy, partly-dry biome, a sea of grass. There are many different words for grassland environments around the world, including savannas, pampas, campos, plains, steppes, prairies and veldts.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
sunlit ocean zone sunlit ocean epipelagic euphotic ocean light zones salt photosynthesis sea life neritic province  fish printouts

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Sunlit Ocean (Euphotic) Zone - EnchantedLearning.com

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Sunlit Ocean (Euphotic) Animal Printouts.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Tundra Animal Printouts - EnchantedLearning.com