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The Temperate Deciduous Forest

Temperate deciduous forests can be found in the eastern part of the United States and Canada, most of Europe and parts of China and Japan.

The temperate deciduous forest is a biome that is always changing. It has four distinct seasons: winter, spring, summer and fall. Winters are cold and summers are warm. Temperate deciduous forests get between 30 and 60 inches of precipitation a year. Precipitation in this biome happens year round. Because the soil is very fertile and hardwood trees are good for building, this biome has some of the world's largest population centers in it.

Changes

The leaves of deciduous trees change color and fall off in the autumn and grow back in the spring. The broad, flat leaves of deciduous trees lose water quickly. In the winter when the ground is frozen, it is difficult for them to to absorb water, so they drop their leaves! Deciduous trees stay dormant in the winter and bloom again in the spring!

Plant Life

Temperate deciduous forests have a great variety of plant species. Most have three levels of plants. Lichen, moss, ferns, wildflowers and other small plants can be found on the forest floor. Shrubs fill in the middle level and hardwood trees like maple, oak, birch, magnolia, sweet gum and beech make up the third level. Conifers like spruce, fir and pine trees can also be found mixed in with the hardwood trees in this biome. Sometimes the taiga and the temperate deciduous forest overlap.

Animal Life

There is great diversity of life in this biome. Insects, spiders, slugs, frogs, turtles and salamanders are common. In North America, birds like broad-winged hawks, cardinals, snowy owls, and pileated woodpeckers are found in this biome. Mammals in North American temperate deciduous forests include white-tailed deer, raccoons, opossums, porcupines and red foxes.

Animals that live in the temperate deciduous forest must be able to adapt to the changing seasons. Some animals in this biome migrate or hibernate in the winter.

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Temperate deciduous forests can be found in the eastern part of the United States and Canada, most of Europe and parts of China and Japan. - NatureWorks

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Grassland Animals List: What animals live in grasslands

Wolf (Ethiopian, Grey, Maned)

Rhinoceros (Sumatran, White, Black, Javan, Indian)

Tiger (Sumatran, Malayan)

Bison (American, European)

Jaguar (Pantanal, Bolivian, Paraguayan)

Lion (Asiatic, African)

Leopard (African, Indian, Persian)

Deer (White-tailed, Fallow)

Fox (Swift, Cape, Pampas)

Armadillo (Nine-banded, Giant)

Hare (African savanna, Ethiopian)

Rat (Kangaroo, Papua grassland mosaic-tailed, African wading, Grassland mosaic-tailed rat, Snow Mountains grassland mosaic-tailed, Sloggett's vlei, Sudanian grass, Angoni vlei)

Golden mole (Highveld, Sclater's, Hottentot, Fynbos, Arends's, Rough-haired, Robust, Stuhlmann's, Duthie's, Sclater's)

Vole (Meadow, Prairie, Günther's, Alai mole, Afghan, Montane, Beach, Caucasian snow, Robert's snow, Creeping, Bank, Townsend's)

Shrew (Least dwarf, Elliot's short-tailed, lesser Ryukyu, Fraser's musk, Prairie, Cinereus, Common, Lucina's, Mount Kenya mole, greater white-toothed, short-snouted elephant, Savanna)

Hedgehog (Amur, European, Somali, Daurian, Long-eared)

Weasel (African striped, Long-tailed)

Hyrax (Yellow-spotted rock, Southern tree, Western tree)

Elephant (African, Asian)

Duck (Northern pintail, Mallard, Northern shoveler, Garganey)

Macaw (Scarlet, Hyacinth)

Owl (Burrowing, African grass)

Goose (Greater white-fronted, Greylag, Barnacle)

Woodpecker (Red-headed, European green)

Grouse (Sharptail, Greater prairie)

Cockatoo (Sulpher-crested, Red-tailed black)

Hawk (Ferruginous, White-tailed)

Courser (Temminck's, Three-banded)

Crane (Black-crowned, Common, Blue, Demoiselle, Red-crowned)

Dove (Mourning, White-winged, Long-tailed ground, Plain-breasted ground)

Eagle (Chaco, Bald, Martial, Wedge-tailed, Golden, Short-toed snake, Long-crested)

Whydah (Pin-tailed, Shaft-tailed)

Flycatcher (Tyrant, Black-and-orange, African paradise, White-tailed blue, Marico, Pale, Chat, Suiriri, Ashy, African blue, Fiscal)

Falcon (Prairie, Saker, Amur, Aplomado, Black, Altai, Grey, Lanner, White-rumped)

Heron (Little-blue, Whistling, Capped, Black, White-necked, Rufous-bellied, Pied, White-faced, Indian pond)

Bushshrike (Green-breasted, Orange-breasted)

Ostrich (North African, Common, Somali)

Pheasant (Green, Common)

Starling (Superb, Emerald, Wattled, Common, Cape, Golden-breasted, Pied, Red-winged, White-collared)

Stork (White, Wooly-necked, Maguari, Black-necked, Storm's)

Finch (Zebra, Star, Grassland yellow, White-winged diuca, Puna yellow, White-bridled, Wedge-tailed grass, Pampa, Yellow-bridled, Short-tailed)

Caracara (Northern crested, White-throated, Chimango)

Bustard (Great Indian, White-bellied, Kori, Denham's, Little brown, Black-bellied, Great, Australian, Little)

Bowerbird (Yellow-breasted, Fawn-breasted)

Barbet (Usambiro, Acacia pied, Red-faced, Chaplin's)

Hornbill (Southern ground, Red-billed, Abyssinian ground)

Harrier (Spotted, Marsh, Montagu's, Northern, Hen, Long-winged, Réunion, Papuan, Malagasy)

Kestrel (Nankeen, Spotted, American, Greater, Fox, Dickinson's, Common)

Turkey (Wild, Ocellated)

Vulture (Rüppell's, King, Cinereous, Black, Turkey, White-backed)

Warbler (Pale-footed bush, Grass, Lanceolated, Chestnut-backed bush, Taiwan bush, Oriental reed, Rufous-eared, Cricket, Red-fronted, Buff-bellied, Arabian, Red-winged grey)

Thrush (Nilgiri, Alpine, Mistle, Sentinel rock, Tristan, Groundscraper)

Roller (Indian, Lilac-breasted, European)

Quail (Common, Himalayan, Rain, Stubble, Scaled, New Zealand, Manipur bush, Rock bush, Northern bobwhite, Crested bobwhite)

Buzzard (Grey-faced, Augur, Archer's, Jackal, Mountain, Rufous-winged, Red-necked, Lizard, Long-legged)

Shrike (White-tailed, Mackinnon's, Emin's, long-tailed, Great grey, Loggerhead, Magpie)

Shrike-tyrant (White-tailed, Black-billed, Grey-bellied)

Bee-eater (Green, Somali, Olive, Blue-cheeked)

Thrasher (Long-billed, Curve-billed)

Snakes: Boa (Rubber, Constrictor), Cobra (Chinese, Forest), Python (Indian, Ball, Reticulated, African Rock), Mamba (Jameson's, Black), Garter snake (Butler's, Aquatic, Blackneck, Western terrestrial, Butler's, Blackneck), Rattlesnake (Western diamondback, Prairie, Eastern diamondback, Massasauga, Tiger, Grand Canyon), Fox snake (Eastern, Western), Kingsnake (Prairie, California), Glossy snake (Texas, faded), Adder (Common death, Mountain), Brown snake (Eastern, Ringed), Western hognose snake, Texas indigo snake, Egg-eating snake, Gaboon viper, Aurora house snake, Night snake, Eastern worm snake, Brown tree snake, Andean milk snake, Red-naped snake, Mole snake, Mulga snake, Texas rat snake, Western black-headed snake, Long-nosed snake, Coral snake, Thickhead ground snake, Kirtland's snake, Ring-necked snake, Smooth green snake, Slowinski's corn snake, Aesculapian snake, Arafura file snake

Turtles: Box turtle (Ornate, Common, Eastern, Three-toed, Desert) African helmeted turtle, Arizona mud turtle, Wood turtle, Savanna side-necked turtle

Geckos: Common leopard gecko, Afghan leopard gecko, Okavango dwarf gecko, Transvaal rock gecko

Chameleons: Flap-necked chameleon, Coarse chameleon, Marshall's pygmy chameleon, Black-headed dwarf chameleon, Jewelled chameleon, African chameleon, Graceful chameleon, Senegal chameleon, Antimena chameleon, Meller's chameleon

Toads: Cane toads, Guttural toads, Tibetan toads, Amatola toads, African red toads, Iranian earless toads, Gulf Coast toads, Western giant toads, American toads, Great Plains toads, Inyanga toads, Asiatic toads, Texas toads, African red toads, Douglas' toads, Canadian toads, Oak toads, European green toads, Spadefoot toads

Salamanders: Northwestern salamander, Gregarious slender salamander, Plateau tiger salamander, Lanza's alpine salamander, Blunt-headed salamander, Sacramento Mountain salamander, California slender salamander, Black salamander, California tiger salamander, Granular salamander, Tarahumara salamander, Paramo Frontino salamander

Newt: Coastal Range newt, Anderson's crocodile newt, Wanggao warty newt, Southern banded newt

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Grassland Animals List: What animals live in grasslands Wolf (Ethiopian, Grey, Maned) Rhinoceros (Sumatran, White, Black, Javan, Indian) Tiger (Sumatran, Malayan) Bison (American, European) Jaguar (Pantanal, Bolivian, Paraguayan) Lion (Asiatic, African) Leopard (African, Indian, Persian) Deer (White-tailed, Fallow) Fox (Swift, Cape, Pampas) Armadillo (Nine-banded, Giant) Hare (African savanna, Ethiopian) Rat

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Rainforest Animals

Rainforest animals include mammals such as sloths, tapirs, jaguars, tigers, howler monkeys, spider monkeys and orangutans; reptiles such as caimans and the green anaconda; amphibians such as poison dart frogs and the red-eyed tree frog; and birds such as toucans, macaws and the harpy eagle.
On this page is an alphabetical list of rainforest animals with pictures and facts.

You can use the Rainforest Animals Index, below, to find information on a specific rainforest species.

Find out how much you know about rainforest animals by downloading the free printable worksheet for use with this page (simply download and print: no sign-up necessary!)

Become a rainforest expert with our Rainforest Workbooks (a fun home or classroom activity!)

Introduction

Despite covering only between 6 and 7% of the world's land surface, rainforests are home to more than half of all the world's animal and plant species.

In addition to the vast number of known rainforest animals, biologists estimate that there are millions of species living in rainforests that are still to be discovered!

On this page you'll find information on a wide range of rainforest animals. What's your favorite? Have you ever seen any of the animals on this page? Let us know in the comments section at the bottom of the page!

Rainforest Animals List: Index

You can find out more about the animals listed below by clicking on the pictures or on the links provided.

Other rainforest animal pages on ActiveWild:

FREE Rainforest Animals Printable Worksheet - Test your knowledge!

Click on the images or links below to view & download FREE printable question sheets for use with this page.

(You can find more free worksheets from Active Wild on this page: Free Printable Worksheets.)

Worksheet Download Links
The answers to the questions can be found either on this page or on pages linked to from this page.
These question sheets make a great home or classroom activity, and can be used to encourage internet-based research, as well as to improve knowledge of the rainforest biome.

List Of Rainforest Animals

For individual species (i.e. tiger), we've included the animal's scientific name and its IUCN conservation status (if assessed).

For groups of species (i.e. anteaters) we've included the number of species in the group and the group's name.

Amazonian Giant Centipede

Reaching lengths of up to 30 cm (1 ft.), the Amazonian giant centipede is one of the world's largest centipedes. The species is found in the Amazon Basin (the region surrounding the Amazon River) and other tropical parts of northern South America.

The Amazonian giant centipede is a voracious predator. It hunts insects, spiders (including tarantulas), lizards, frogs, snakes and even small mammals. The centipede injects its prey with paralyzing venom. This venom is delivered via 'venom claws' located on the centipede's first segment.
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Anteater

Anteaters belong to a group of animals with the Latin name Vermilingua, which means ' worm tongue '. The name comes from the animals' long, thin tongues, which are used to gather up large quantities of ants and termites.

There are four species of anteater: the giant anteater, silky anteater, southern tamandua and northern tamandua.
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Arrau Turtle

The Arrau turtle is also known as the South American river turtle. It is a large freshwater turtle found in rivers throughout much of northern South America. The species is present in both the Amazon and the Orinoco rivers.

Full-grown adults have carapace (shell) lengths of over 1 m (3.3 ft.) and can weigh up to 90 kg (200 lb.).

The Arrau turtle is the world's largest species of side-necked turtle. Side-necked turtles (Pleurodira) tuck their heads into their shells with a sideways motion. (Members of the other main group of turtles, Cryptodira, draw their heads straight back into their shells.)

Although the Arrau turtle's conservation status is currently 'Lower Risk', its population is thought to be declining rapidly and there are some calls for the species to be considered 'Critically Endangered'.
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Aye-aye

The aye-aye is a species of lemur found in the rainforests of Madagascar (an island country off the east coast of Africa). It is the world's largest nocturnal primate.

(You can find out more about lemurs further down the page.)

The aye-aye eats grubs (insect larvae), which it finds by tapping on trees with its fingers. By listening carefully to the noise produced by the tapping, it can tell if a grub is hidden under the bark.

The aye-aye's elongated middle fingers are specially adapted for hooking grubs out of holes.
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Binturong

Binturongs - otherwise known as ' bearcats' - are the largest members of the animal family Viverridae. (Members of this family are known as viverrids).

The binturong's long tail is ' prehensile ' (i.e. it can hold onto things). A binturong uses its tail as an 'extra hand' while climbing.

The binturong is the only Old World mammal with a prehensile tail. ('Old World' is a collective term for the continents of Europe, Asia and Africa.)

Binturongs live in the forests of South and Southeast Asia.
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Blue Morpho Butterfly

Blue morphos are brilliant blue butterflies. There is more than one species of blue morpho; the name is used for any blue butterfly in the genus morpho. (A genus is a group of closely related species.)

Blue morphos feed (among other things) on rotting fruit, which they find on the floor of rainforests in South and Central America.

Sometimes there are so many blue morphos flying over the rainforest canopy that pilots can see the blue of their wings from the sky!
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Boa Constrictor

The boa constrictor is a large rainforest snake. It ambushes its prey, then constricts (squeezes) it before swallowing it whole.

This fearsome reptile is found in Central and South American rainforests.

The boa constrictor is a member of the family Boidae, a group of large, non-venomous snakes that also contains the green anaconda (see further down the page).

The boa constrictor is one of the few animals commonly known by their scientific names!
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Caiman

Number of species: 6

Family: Alligatoridae; subfamily Caimaninae

Where found: Central & South America

Caimans are predatory reptiles that live in the rivers and lakes of Central and South American rain forests (and other habitats). There are six species of caiman.

The spectacled caiman ( Caiman crocodilus) is one of the most common species of caiman. It gets its name from the bony ridge on its nose, which makes the reptile appear to be wearing glasses.

The largest caiman is the black caiman ( Melanosuchus niger), which grows to lengths in excess of 5 m (16 ft).

Together with crocodiles, alligators and gharials, caimans form a group of animals known as ' Crocodilians '.
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Candiru

The candiru is a small fish found in the Amazon River and several other South American rivers and their tributaries. It has a long, thin, translucent body. Small spines are present on its gill covers.

These rainforest fish feed on the blood of larger fish by attaching themselves to their gills of their victims. It is even rumored that the candiru can enter a human body. However, this is both unproven and unlikely.
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Capybara

The capybara is the world's largest rodent. It lives South and Central American forests.

The capybara has several adaptations for a semi-aquatic lifestyle. and is always found living close to water. It can remain submerged for up to five minutes; a useful skill for an animal whose predators include jaguars and ocelots!

Civet
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Civets are cat-like mammals found in rainforests in Asia and Africa. They produce a strong-smelling substance that is used to make perfume (although most perfume manufacturers are now switching to synthetic alternatives).

Most civets are members of the family Viverridae (the binturong also belongs to this family). The African palm civet, a civet found in African rainforests, is the only species in the family Nandiniidae.

Civets are mammals in the group Carnivora. This group is split into two branches; Feliforma (the cat-like carnivorans) and Caniformia (the dog-like carnivorans). Civits, along with animals such as cats and hyenas, are placed in Feliforma.

Coati
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Coatis are also known as ' coatimundis'. These cat-sized omnivorous mammals are members of the raccoon family, Procyonidae.

Coatis forage on the forest floor by day. They find food among the leaf litter using their acute sense of smell. During the night they rest in the rainforest canopy.

Coatis are found in South America and in southern North America.

Electric Eel
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Despite its name and eel-like appearance, the electric eel is a knifefish rather than a true eel. This long, thin fish has a fin running almost the whole length of the underside of its body. By moving this fin with a wave-like motion the electric eel is able to swim both forwards and backwards.

Like other knifefish, the electric eel is able to produce electrical fields that help it navigate in murky water. The electric eel has greatly developed this ability and is able to produce voltages strong enough both to stun prey and deter predators. A shock from an electric eel can even be life-threatening to humans!

Giraffe Weevil
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This strange-looking rainforest bug is found in the island country of Madagascar. The giraffe weevil's name comes from the species' elongated neck. This is an adaptation for fighting and nest-building.

The neck of the male is over twice as long as that of the female, giving the insect a total body length of almost 1 in. (2.54 cm).

The female makes a nest by rolling a leaf into a tube, in which she will lay a single egg.

Goliath Beetle
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The five species of goliath beetles are the world's largest insects. In their adult form they are over 10 cm (3.93 in.) long. Their larvae weigh up to 100 grams (3.5 oz.)

Despite their large size, Goliath beetles are still able to fly.

Goliath beetles are found in the tropical rainforests of Africa.

Goliath Birdeater
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The goliath birdeater is a member of the tarantula family Theraphosidae. This huge rainforest spider is the heaviest spider in the world (although its leg-span, at 11 inches (28 cm) is only the second largest, after the giant huntsman spider). Its body reaches a length of up to 4.75 in. (12 cm).

The Goliath birdeater lives deep in the rainforests of northern South America, including the Amazon rainforest. It hunts at night, preying on a variety of large invertebrates and small vertebrates, including lizards and frogs. Despite its name, the species only occasionally eats birds.

Green Anaconda
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The green anaconda is the world's heaviest species of snake, but not the longest (that's the reticulated python). However, a green anaconda can still grow to over 16.4 ft. / 5 metres in length!

This huge rainforest snake is an excellent swimmer, and is found in the lakes and rivers of the Amazon Rainforest.

Like all members of the family Boidae, the green anaconda is non-venomous. Instead, it relies on its squeezing ability to subdue its prey.

Green Iguana
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The green iguana is a large lizard that lives in the forests of Central and South America. Although this rainforest reptile looks fierce, it mainly eats plants.

The species is arboreal (tree-dwelling). It is often found near water, and is an excellent swimmer.

The closely-related Lesser Antillean iguana, a species found in the rainforests of the Lesser Antilles islands in the Caribbean, is critically endangered.

You can find out more about iguanas on this page: Iguana Facts

Harpy Eagle
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The harpy eagle is the largest bird of prey found in the rainforest.

Although it is one of the world's biggest eagles, it's wingspan is (relatively) small; this is an adaption for flying through the forest.

The harpy eagle is said to be the world's most powerful bird of prey. It is capable of plucking mid-sized mammals such as monkeys and sloths from out of trees.

Hoatzin
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The hoatzin is a pheasant-shaped bird with a long body, broad tail, and a spiky crest on its head.

The hoatzin is an unusual bird for several reasons. Juvenile hoatzins have a claw at the 'elbow' joint of each of their wings. The species nests above water, and if threatened, the juveniles drop into the water. Using their claws, they are able to climb back into the nest once the danger has passed.

The species also has an unusual way of digesting its food, which consists largely of green leaves. The food is broken down by bacteria in a special area in the bird's crop (the expandable storage area in a bird's throat), in a similar way to that in which cows digest grass.

The fermenting leaves in the hoatzin's crop give off an unpleasant aroma. Because of this, the species has the alternative name of ' stinkbird '.

Howler Monkey
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All fifteen species of howler monkey live in the rainforests of South and Central America. Howler monkeys live in groups known as ' troops '. There can be from 6 to 15 howler monkeys in a troop.

A howler monkey's cry can be heard through 3 miles of rainforest. The monkeys use their loud voices to let rival troops know where they are (this way they don't actually have to fight to keep their territories).

Despite the loud calls, some people keep howler monkeys as pets!

Jaguar
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Jaguars are the world's third-largest cat species - only tigers and lions are bigger. These big cats live in South American rain forests, where they are apex predators (i.e. top of the food chain).

Jaguars have extremely powerful jaws and are excellent swimmers - not even caimans are safe from these fearsome carnivores!

You can find out more about this rainforest predator on this page: Jaguar Facts.

King Vulture
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The king vulture is a large bird that lives in the rainforests of Central and South America. It has black and white plumage and a strikingly-colored head and bill.

Scientific name: Sarcoramphus papa

Conservation status: Least Concern

Where found: Central and South America

Like other vultures, it is primarily a scavenger. It feeds on carrion that it finds on the forest floor. Due to its size and strength it is able to prevent other scavenging birds from feeding on the carrion until it has had its fill.

Leafcutter Ant
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They may be small, but leafcutter ants are some of the most amazing - and important - animals that live in rainforests.

These industrious insects build nests that are up to 30 m (98 ft.) across. These huge nests are home to over 8 million insects!

(There are many countries in the world whose human populations are smaller than the number of leaf cutter ants that live in just one nest!)

Perhaps even more amazingly, leafcutter ants grow their own food in special ' fungus gardens ' within their immense nests!

Long trails of leafcutter ants can often be seen carrying leaves from the rainforest canopy to their nest. The leaves are fed to the fungus, which in turn is fed to the ants' larvae.

Lemur
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Lemurs are small primates found in the rainforests of Madagascar. Lemurs are ' endemic ' to Madagascar, which means that they're found nowhere else on Earth!

There are around 100 species of lemur. The species shown in the photo above is a ring-tailed lemur. Sadly, like many lemurs, the ring-tailed lemur is endangered.

Leopard
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Leopards are big cats found in Africa and parts of Asia. The rainforest is just one habitat in which this versatile animal is able to live; it's equally at home in savannas, woodlands and grasslands.

The spots on a leopard's coat are called ' rosettes'. One way of telling leopards and jaguars apart is by looking at their rosettes. A leopard's rosettes are empty, whereas those of a jaguar are filled with smaller black spots. Leopards are also slightly smaller than jaguars.

Leopards are incredibly strong, and are known to carry their prey up trees. (They have to do this, otherwise lions and hyenas might try to steal it from them!)

Lovely Fairywren
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The lovely fairywren is an Australian rainforest bird found in the northeast of the country. It often lives on the rainforest edge, and is frequently seen high in the rainforest canopy. The species lives in small family groups.

The lovely fairywren lives in the rainforests of northeastern Australia. It is usually found at the edges of rainforests, often high up in the rainforest canopy. The species lives in small family groups.

This colorful Australian bird is one of 11 species of fairywren, all of which are small and brightly-colored.

Macaw
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Macaws are members of the family Psittacidae, one of the three parrot families (not all of the members of this family are macaws). Macaws are large, colorful birds with large bills and long tails. Most species can be told apart from other parrots by their featherless faces.

There are 19 species of macaw. Several of these, including the hyacinth macaw, great green macaw and scarlet macaw, are found in rainforests.

A macaw's feet are " zygodactyl "; the outer two toes face forwards while the inner two toes face backwards. This helps the bird to climb and land on tree trunks. This type of foot is a characteristic of several woodland and forest birds, including parrots, woodpeckers and cuckoos.

Ocelot
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The ocelot is a small wild cat found in South and Central America. The species is also occasionally seen as far north as Texas and Arizona.

Around the size of a bobcat, the ocelot is sometimes referred to as the 'dwarf leopard' on behalf of its spotted coat.

The ocelot is a nocturnal predator that rarely targets prey larger than rabbits and armadillos.

You can find out more about the ocelot on this page: Ocelot Facts

Orangutan
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Orangutans are members of the great ape family, Hominidae - just like us! Orangutans live in rainforests on the Southeast Asian islands Borneo and Sumatra. The name 'orangutan' means 'man of the forest' in Malay.

Orangutans are the world's largest arborial (tree-dwelling) animals. They spend up to 95% of their lives in the trees.

Sadly, all three species of orangutan are now critically endangered. This is mainly due to deforestation. Much of the orangutan's natural habitat has been cleared to make way for palm oil plantations.

Piranha
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Piranhas are freshwater fish found in the lakes and rivers of South America. With powerful jaws tightly packed with sharp teeth, piranhas have a reputation for being dangerous predators.

This fearsome reputation isn't entirely deserved. Piranhas aren't top of the rainforest food chain, and are just as likely to end up as dinner for other animals.

Many piranhas, rather than being purely carnivorous, are actually omnivores who feed on plant matter as well as on meat.

Piranha attacks on humans are rare, and seldom result in serious injury.

There may be over 60 species of piranha (scientists are unsure of the exact number). The largest piranha species is the red-bellied piranha, which grows up to 50 cm (20 in) in length.

You can find out more about piranhas on this page: Piranha Facts.

Poison Dart Frog
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Most of the 170 or so species of poison dart frog have brightly-coloured skin. This acts as a warning to potential predators that the frogs are poisonous.

Hunters from rainforest tribes used poison taken from the skin of poison dart frogs on the tips of their blowdarts.

The golden poison frog ( Phyllobates terribilis) is one of the world's most poisonous animals.

Poison dart frogs are found in Central and South American rainforests.

Rainforest Scops Owl
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This rainforest owl lives in the rainforests of eastern Madagascar. With a wingspan of up to 54 cm (21 in.), it is one of the smaller owl species.

The rainforest scops owl appears in three color variations, brown, grey or reddish-brown. When threatened it raises the two ear-like crests on its head.

Red Eyed Tree Frog
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Thanks to its eye-catching good looks the red-eyed tree frog has become one of the world's best-known amphibians.

When resting, the frog conceals its bright colors under its green body and closes its large red eyes, making it surprisingly difficult to spot.

These iconic frogs live in the canopy layer of Central American rainforests.

The red eyed tree frog's bright colors are part of a defense mechanism called ' startle coloration '. The frog hopes that a quick flash of its bright red eyes will momentarily confuse a potential predator, giving it time to escape!

Red Imported Fire Ant
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The red imported fire ant is an ant in the genus Solenopsis. It is found in tropical areas of South America. The species is found in a number of habitats, including rainforests.

The species has spread beyond its original range, and is considered to be one of the world's worst invasive species. It has been introduced to the United States and even to Australia via shipping containers.

Like all fire ants, the red imported fire ant can deliver a painful sting. The species is resilient to floods and droughts, and has even been seen amassing into floating, living 'boats' consisting of thousands of individuals.

Sloth
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Sloths are medium-sized rainforest mammals found in South and Central America. These tree-dwelling animals spend nearly all of their lives hanging upside-down from branches in the rainforest canopy.

Sloths move very slowly and have a low metabolism (the rate at which the body uses energy). This is an adaptation for living on leaves, which contain very little energy. Moving slowly also helps sloths stay hidden from predators such as the harpy eagle.

Because sloths are such slow movers, algae often begins to grow in their fur, giving them a green color. This is actually beneficial to the sloths, as it camouflages them among the leaves.

You can find out more about sloths on this page: Sloth Facts

South American Lungfish
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The South American lungfish is one of six species of lungfish alive today. Lungfish are fish that have retained their ancestors' ability to breathe air. As the name suggests, lungfish have lungs, and can breathe without using their gills.

The South American lungfish is found in slow-moving rivers and streams in the Amazon Basin. It is a long, thin fish that can grow to over 1 meter (3.3 ft.) in length.

During the dry season, the South American lungfish is able to surround its body in mucous and can survive buried in the mud, even if the river dries up.

Spider Monkey
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Spider monkeys get their name from their long limbs and tail; these agile primates actually look like giant spiders! Spider monkeys live in the rainforests of South America.

All seven species of Spider Monkey are now threatened; one is rated Vulnerable, four are Endangered, and two are Critically Endangered.

Tapir
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Tapirs are large hoofed animals in the family Tapiridae. They have long, prehensile snouts which they use to grasp and manipulate foliage while foraging for food. (Prehensile means 'adapted for grasping or holding'.)

Tapiridae, the family to which all 5 species of tapir belong, is one of three animal families that make up the group of animals known as odd-toed ungulates.

The other families in this group are the horse family (Equidae) and the rhinoceros family (Rhinocerotidae).

The only species of tapir found outside of the Americas is the Malayan tapir, which is found in Asia.

You can find out more about these rainforest animals on this page: Tapir Facts

Tarsier
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Tarsiers are small primates that live in rainforests on Southeast Asian islands. They have extremely large eyes and long tails. (The eyes of some tarsier species are larger than their brains!) Tarsiers are adapted for jumping, and move around by leaping through the trees.

These nocturnal animals exist mainly on a diet of insects.

There is some confusion over the exact number of tarsier species. Currently, 11 species of tarsier are listed in the Catalogue of Life (a list of all of the world's species), but other authorities recognize more or fewer species. All tarsiers are in the family Tarsiidae.

Tiger
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The tiger is the world's largest cat species. It lives in a variety of habitats, including rainforests and a variety of other types of forest.

Tigers are found in several Asian countries, including India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. The species is also found in southeast Russia.

The tiger is an endangered species. It is estimated that there are only around 3,000 to 4,000 of these beautiful animals left in the wild. The main threats to tigers are habitat loss and poaching.

Toucan

You can find out more about tigers on this page: Tiger Facts.

Toucans are a family of around 43 crow-sized birds found in Central and South America.
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These distinctive birds are known for their large, colorful bills.

A toucan uses its long bill to reach food without having to fly or climb to another branch. The bill also helps the toucan stay cool by transferring body heat to the surrounding air.

The keel-billed toucan, pictured above, lives in the canopy of Central American rainforests. It is primarily a frugivore (fruit-eater), although it will also eat a variety of animals, including snakes and the nestlings of other birds.

Vampire Bat

You can find out more about toucans on this page: Toucan Facts.

Bats are mammals whose arms have evolved into wings, allowing them to fly. There are 3 species of vampire bat: the common vampire bat, the hairy-legged vampire bat, and the white-winged vampire bat.
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All vampire bats feed on the blood of other animals. Vampire bats know exactly where to bite their victims by using infrared radiation to see where the blood is flowing closest to the skin!

Vampire bats are found in the Americas. As well as being found in rainforests, they also live in woodlands and grasslands.

White-Lipped Treefrog
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This Australian amphibian is the world's largest species of tree frog, and Australia's largest native frog. The species is also found in Papua New Guinea.

Tree frogs are amphibians in the family Hylidae. Tree frogs are named for their arboreal (tree-dwelling) lifestyle.

The white-lipped tree frog is found in north-east Queensland, and is present in the Daintree Rainforest. The species is also found in urban areas, and occasionally gets transported hundreds of miles to other states in banana boxes.

You can find out more about the white-lipped tree frog on this page: White-Lipped Tree Frog Facts

What Is A Rainforest?

As the name suggests, rainforests are forests found in areas that receive a high amount of rain. All rainforests receive at least 1.8 m (70 in.) of rain in a year; some rainforests receive over 3 m (118 in.).

Tropical rainforests are rainforests that are located near the Equator. They are hot, humid places. The average monthly temperature in a tropical rainforest is at least 18 °C (64 °F), with little difference between summer and winter.
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A tropical rainforest's unique mix of high rainfall and constant high temperature provides plants and animals with an ideal environment in which to live.

Because of their high biodiversity, tropical rainforests are among the world's most important habitats. (Biodiversity is the amount of different species that live in one area.)

Rainforest Animals List: Discover More with Active Wild!

We hope that you've enjoyed discovering the amazing rainforest animals on this page. Rainforests are home to a wide and varied range of species and this ancient habitat is vitally important for sustaining a large proportion of the world's biodiversity.

What's your favorite rainforest animal? Are there any animals we've missed? Let us know in the comments below!

The animals on this list represent only a fraction of the species that live in the world's rainforests; you can discover more animals on the pages listed below:

You can find out more about rainforests on the following pages:

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Rainforest Animals List With Pictures & Facts, Free Printable Worksheet

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Huge rainforest animals list with pictures & facts for kids & adults. Includes free printable worksheets & links to further information.

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On this page is a list of animals that live in the desert, with pictures and facts on each species. We've selected desert animals from all over the world, and because many of these species are threatened, we've included their conservation status according to the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature).

Desert Animals

Examples of desert animals include invertebrates such as scorpions and camel spiders; reptiles such as the thorny devil, Gila monster and sidewinder rattlesnake; mammals such as the fennec fox, meerkat, dromedary and Bactrian camel; and birds such as the sandgrouse and lappet-faced vulture.

Introduction To Deserts & Animals That Live In Deserts

(Click here or scroll down to go directly to the animals!)

Deserts are regions in which very little rain falls. Because living things need water to survive, deserts are home to relatively few plants and animals (especially when compared to habitats such as rainforests, jungles and oceans).

Although deserts are known for being extremely hot during the day, they can also get very cold at night (because there are no clouds to prevent a desert's heat from escaping into space).

With very little water, and therefore very little food (plants can't grow without water) - not to mention those extreme temperatures, life in the desert isn't easy.

Many animals that live in the desert have special adaptations to help them survive in this inhospitable environment.

Desert Animal Adaptations

Desert animal adaptations include: large ears for dissipating body heat; a light-colored coat to reflect heat; hairy paws for walking on hot sand; the ability either to store water or to survive on very little water; being nocturnal; and living in a burrow.

Cold Deserts

Not all deserts are hot. Because both the Arctic and Antarctica have very little rain (or snow) they're also considered to be deserts.

These polar regions are known as 'cold deserts'. You can find out about the animals that live in cold deserts on these pages: Arctic Animals and Antarctic Animals.

Hot Deserts

The animals in the list below all live in 'hot deserts' such as the Sahara Desert and Kalahari Desert in Africa, the Sonoran Desert and Mojave Desert in North America, the Great Victoria Desert in Australia, and the Arabian Desert in the Middle East.

Free Desert Animals Worksheet To Download & Print

Test your knowledge of desert animals with this free printable question sheet! (No sign-up required; simply download and print.)

Click here to get your free desert animals question sheet. (Question sheet comes as a printable pdf file.)

For more details, and a selection of other question sheets, see this page: Free Printable Worksheets.

Desert Animals List

A to Z list of desert animals with pictures and facts about each species. Links to further information are provided for many of the animals.

Addax

The addax is a critically endangered species of antelope found in the Sahara Desert. The species is also known as both the "white antelope" and the "screwhorn antelope" due to its pale coat and long, spiral horns.

The main threat to the addax is poaching. Habitat loss has also played a part in the species' Critically Endangered status, with much of the addax's traditional territory having being converted into farmland.

There may be fewer than 90 adult addax left in the wild; perhaps as few as 30. This desert animal may soon be extinct in the wild.

Antelope Jackrabbit

The antelope jackrabbit is a hare found in deserts and other dry habitats in the south western United States. It is one of the largest North American hares.

The species can be identified by its large size, very long, pointed ears, white / gray sides, white underparts, buff neck and chest, and black / buff back.

The diet of this herbivorous mammal includes cacti and mesquite leaves. (Mesquite is a small tree that grows in deserts and other dry habitats.)

Arabian Oryx / White Oryx

The Arabian oryx is the smallest of the four antelopes in the genus oryx. It stands 1m tall at the shoulders, and its long, straight horns are almost as tall again, reaching 75 cm in length.

The Arabian oryx became extinct in the wild in the early 1970's. A reintroduction program that began in the 1990's saw captive animals being released back into the wild. Today there are around 850 Arabian oryxes living in the wild.

The biggest threat to the species is illegal hunting.

Arabian Sand Gazelle / Reem

The Arabian sand gazelle (also known as a 'reem') is a small antelope. The ends of its horns curve inwards.

A desert specialist, the Arabian sand gazelle was once found throughout the Arabian Peninsula. Today most of the population resides in protected areas.

The species is currently rated Vulnerable by the IUCN (the International Union for Conservation of Nature). The main threats to the species are illegal hunting and habitat loss.

Camel Spiders

Type of animal: Arachnids, order Solifugae

Where found: Syrian Desert

Camel spiders are arachnids in the order Solifugae. (An order is a group of related animals.) Camel spiders are also known as wind scorpions, sun spiders and solifuges.

Many camel spiders can be identified by their large, powerful mouth parts. All camel spiders have four pairs of legs and a pair of additional, leg-like structures called 'predipalps', which are used for sensing and feeding.

Unlike their fellow arachnids the spiders, camel spiders are unable to produce silk, and do not spin webs.

There are over 1,000 species of camel spider. They range in size from a few millimeters to 15 cm (6 in.) in length (including legs). Most camel spiders are desert animals, although some are found in grasslands and forests.

Deathstalker Scorpion

Scientific name: Leiurus quinquestriatus

Type of animal: Arachnid, scorpion

Where found: Sahara Desert, Arabian Desert

Conservation status: n/a

The deathstalker is one desert animal you probably don't want to encounter. Its venom is among the most powerful of all scorpions. A sting from this fearsome arachnid is extremely painful and potentially fatal.

The deathstalker inhabits desert and scrubland habitat in North Africa and Western Asia. It is around 2.36 in / 6 cm in length, and appears in a variety of colors and markings, making it hard to identify.

The deathstalker isn't all bad news; its venom can be used to locate tumors in the human body.

Desert Iguana

The desert iguana is found in the southwestern USA and northern Mexico. It is one of the most commonly encountered lizards in the deserts in this region.

The species grows to around 24 in. (60 cm) in length including the tail, which is around 1 ½ times the length of the body. Its base color is grey / light brown, with darker lines running along its back, and dark rings on its tail.

The desert iguana is active during the day even in high temperatures. If disturbed, it will quickly retreat into a burrow or other shelter.

Dromedary

Camels are among the most famous of all desert animals. These hoofed mammals are a common sight in many desert regions, where they were domesticated around 4,000 years ago. Camels are used for transport, food and clothing.

There are three camel species: the single-humped dromedary, and the two-humped Bactrian and Wild Bactrian. They make up the genus Camelus.

The dromedary is by far the most abundant camel, representing 94% of all camels. Today it is a domestic animal, most often seen in desert regions. Australia has a small feral dromedary population made up of the descendants of animals introduced to the country by humans.

The dromedary has many adaptations for living in the desert. These include bushy eyebrows, double-layered eyelashes, and nostrils that can close up completely, all of which provide protection from sand storms.

The dromedary is able to go long periods of time without drinking. It stores both water and energy - in the form of body fat - in its hump.

Fennec Fox

The fennec fox is a mammal found in North Africa and the Middle East. It is the smallest member of the dog family Canidae, with a maximum body length of around 16 in. (41 cm).

The fennec fox is known for its distinctive long ears, which are up to 15 cm (almost 6 in.) in length.

The fox's ears serve a dual purpose: not only do they provide extra-sensitive hearing (useful for locating prey that is underground), but they also help to keep the fox cool. Blood vessels close to the skin in the ears dissipate body heat into the air.

A thick layer of fur on the fennec fox's paws provide grip and protection from the hot sand.

The fennec fox has a thick, pale orange coat. This keeps the fox warm at night, when temperatures in the Sahara Desert can be surprisingly low, even (occasionally) dropping below 0 °C.

Greater Flamingo

The greater flamingo is the largest of the six species of flamingo, and one of only two found outside of the Americas.

This large, pale pink bird is found in shallow lakes, lagoons and estuaries in Africa, Asia and Europe.

Although not exclusively a desert animal, the greater flamingo does visit shallow lakes and flood plains in desert regions.

Each year, many thousands of greater flamingos visit the Makgadikgadi Pan of north eastern Botswana in order to breed. The shallow, highly salty waters of the Makgadikgadi Pan are surrounded by the Kalahari Desert.

Gila Monster

The Gila monster is a lizard found in a range of dry habitats throughout the southwestern United States and Northern Mexico. It is a relatively large, slow-moving lizard. It has rounded, bead-like scales and a blotchy black / orange-pink coloration.

The Gila monster is one of only two venomous lizards found in the Americas (the other is the closely related Mexican beaded lizard).

The danger posed by these desert animals is often exaggerated. Although a bite from a Gila monster is painful, to most healthy humans it isn't life-threatening.

Golden Hamster

The golden hamster is a rodent found in the wild in Syria and Turkey (the animal is also known as the Syrian hamster).

Although a popular pet in many parts of the world, the wild population of golden hamsters is decreasing, and the species' conservation status is Vulnerable.

Golden hamsters are territorial, and do not tolerate other hamsters in their territories. Hamsters are able to carry large amounts of food in the cheek pouches - useful if they come across more food than they are able to eat in one sitting.

Jerboas

Jerboas are a group of rodents within the family Dipodidae. They are found in deserts and other arid habitats in Northern Africa, Asia and Australia.

Jerboas move by hopping, in a similar way to kangaroos. They have long, powerful hind legs and short fore limbs. A long tail helps the jerboa to keep its balance when hopping or standing upright. Some jerboas can hop more than ten times their own body length!

Jerboas have several adaptations for living in the desert. These include a sandy colored coat that provides camouflage, and a burrowing lifestyle. They are active either at twilight or at night, thereby avoiding the hottest hours of the day.

Kit Fox

Type of animal: Mammal, order Rodentia (rodent), family Dipodidae

Where found: Gobi Desert

The kit fox is a small canid (member of the dog family) found in the Southwestern United States and northern Mexico. It inhabits deserts and other dry habitats, such as scrublands and grasslands.

The species is known for its large ears, which provide both excellent hearing and a means of reducing body heat. Heat is dissipated by blood vessels in the ears.

Another adaptation for life in the desert is dense hair on the soles of the feet. This provides traction on slippery sand, and also protection from the heat.

Kit foxes rarely drink. Instead they get most of the water they require from their almost completely carnivorous diet.

A nocturnal, burrowing lifestyle helps them avoid the highest desert temperatures.

Lappet-Faced Vulture

The lappet-faced vulture is a large bird of prey found in Africa and the Middle East. It has a bald, pink / red head and a powerful bill, which is almost 4 in. (10 cm) long and 2 in. (5 cm) deep. Its wingspan can reach 8.5 ft. (2.6 m).

Like most vultures it is primarily a scavenger, although the lappet-faced vulture is also thought to hunt live prey on occasion.

As one of the biggest and strongest vultures, the lappet-faced vulture will prevent other vultures from feeding on carrion it has found. It has also been known to stand its ground against a jackal!

Using its huge bill, the vulture can tear apart even tough skin, tendons and bone. It is a 'living tin-opener', making carrion accessible for smaller vultures and other scavengers who can't break through the tough hides.

You can find out more about this desert species on this page: Kit Fox Facts

Meerkat

The meerkat is a mammal in the mongoose family Herpestidae. It is found in desert and other dry habitats, including savannah and grassland. It is known for its highly social behavior and distinctive upright stance.

This characterful desert animal lives in groups that can contain up to 50 individuals. The group is active during the day, and spends the nights in large burrows.

Members of a group will often groom each other before heading off to forage. Sentries survey the landscape for threats, and will alert the group using different alarm calls depending on the threat.

Mojave Desert Tortoise

As its name suggests, the Mojave Desert tortoise is found in North America's Mojave Desert. Until 2011 it had been considered to be the same species as the Sonoran desert tortoise, Gopherus morafkai. Prior to then both species had been known as the "desert tortoise".

The Mojave Desert tortoise is present to the north and west of the Colorado River in California, Nevada, Utah and Arizona. This shy reptile is rarely encountered; it spends up to 95% of the time in burrows, or hidden in rock shelters.

The Mojave Desert tortoise digs its own burrows, and will hibernate underground during the winter.

A 2020 study, whose results were published in 2021, found the species to be Critically Endangered. This is due mainly to habitat loss.

Mulgara

Mulgaras are rat-sized marsupials found in desert regions of central Australia. There are two species of mulgara: the brush-tailed mulgara and the crest-tailed mulgara. The crest-tailed mulgara has a crest-like ridge of longer hairs on its tail.

Mulgaras are in the same family, Dasyuridae, as the Tasmanian devil and the quolls.

Both mulgaras are carnivorous, feeding mainly on small reptiles, insects and rodents. They conserve energy by periodically entering torpor - a state of reduced activity that resembles a 'mini-hibernation'.

These Australian desert animals rarely drink, and their kidneys are specially adapted to preserve water.

Namib Desert Beetle / Fogstand Beetle

The fogstand beetle is an insect found in the Namib Desert, a coastal desert in southern Africa.

Scientific name: Brush-tailed mulgara: Dasycercus blythi; Crest-tailed mulgara: Dasycercus cristicauda

Type of animal: Mammal, marsupial

Where found: Great Sandy Desert

Conservation status: Brush-tailed mulgara: Least Concern; Crest-tailed mulgara: Vulnerable

Using its specially-adapted wing-cases, the beetle can collect minute droplets of water from the early morning fog. The tiny droplets build up until the water runs down the beetle's back and into its mouth.

This is a useful skill to have in a region that receives only 1.4 cm (0.55 in.) per year!

This desert insect's water collecting abilities haven't gone unnoticed; inventors are working on materials and products that utilize similar methods to collect water from the air!

Onager

Also known as the Asiatic wild ass, the onager is a hoofed mammal in the horse family Equidae. The species is found in Asia, where it inhabits deserts (including the Gobi desert) and other dry, open habitats.

The species has four living subspecies: the Mongolian wild ass, Turkmenian kulan, Persian onager and Indian wild ass. Each is found in a different part of Asia. Both the Turkmenian kulan and Persian onager are rated Endangered.

The onager is one of the world's fastest mammals. It is capable of reaching speeds of up to 70 km/h / 43 mph.

Red-Spotted Toad

This small toad is found in deserts and other dry habitats in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. It reaches lengths of around 3 inches (7.6cm), and has pale olive green skin marked with black patches and smaller red spots.

Scientific name: Equus hemionus

Type of animal: Mammal, order Perissodactyla (Odd-toed ungulates)

Where found: Gobi Desert, other dry habitats in Asia

Conservation status: Near Threatened (two subspecies are Endangered)

The red-spotted toad spends much of its time sheltering from the sun in rocky crevices near streams. It is most often seen during periods of rainfall, when it emerges from its hiding place.

Roadrunner (Greater)

The greater roadrunner is one of two species of roadrunner, the other being the lesser roadrunner ( Geococcyx velox), which is found in Mexico and Central America. The two roadrunners are the only living members of the genus Geococcyx, which is part of the cuckoo family, Cuculidae.

Although roadrunners can fly, they only do so as a last resort when evading predators - they spend most of the time on the ground, and are excellent runners.

The greater roadrunner can run at speeds of up to 26 mph (41.8 km/h) - faster than any other non-flightless bird (even record-breaking sprinter Usain Bolt can only reach this speed for a few seconds in a race).

Saharan Silver Ant

The silvery appearance of this African desert ant is caused by tiny hairs on its body; a special adaptation that reflects the hot desert sun, preventing the insect from overheating.

The Saharan silver ant has other adaptations for living in the desert: its long legs keep its body away from the hot sand, and it often walks using just four of its six legs, thereby minimizing the area in contact with the sand.

Scientific name: Geococcyx californianus

Type of animal: Bird, family Cuculidae

Where found: Desert regions of the United States & Mexico

Conservation status: Least Concern

These adaptations are vitally important because the Saharan silver ant only emerges from its nest for around 10 minutes per day. The timing is crucial: it has to be hot enough so that ant-eating lizards are forced to seek shelter.

Sand Cat / Sand Dune Cat

The sand cat is a rarely-seen desert cat found in northern Africa and the Middle East. It is smaller than a domestic cat, and has pale, sandy-colored hair, which is often marked with darker spots or stripes.

A layer of thick fur on the sand cat's paws provides protection from the hot desert sand.

The sand cat has large, pointed ears, and is thought to have hearing that is far more acute than that of a domestic cat.

The sand cat is usually either nocturnal or crepuscular (active at dawn or dusk). It is only active during the day in the coolest months of the year.

Sandgrouse

Sandgrouses are birds in the family Pteroclidae. Most of the 16 members of this family are found either in deserts or other dry habitats.

These medium-sized, ground-dwelling birds are seed-eaters. Sandgrouses often congregate in large numbers around waterholes then disperse to forage for seeds either alone or in smaller groups.

The Namaqua sandgrouse (pictured above) is found in Southern Africa, including the Kalahari Desert and the Namib Desert.

Sidewinder

The sidewinder is a species of rattlesnake that inhabits desert regions in California, Nevada, Utah and Arizona. It is also found in northern Mexico.

The species' name comes from the way in which it moves; by anchoring its tail and pushing its head forwards, then pulling its tail forwards and repeating the process, it can move at high speeds over sand. Although the snake's head points in the direction of travel, its body appears to be moving sideways.

This way of moving is also used by other desert snakes, and is known as sidewinding.

The sidewinder is also known as the horned rattlesnake due to the horn-like scales that project out from above its eyes.

Type of animal: Birds in the family Pteroclidae

Where found: Desert regions of Africa & Asia

The sidewinder is venomous. Its bite is extremely painful, but rarely life-threatening. The sidewinder's venom is relatively weak compared to that of most other rattlesnakes.

Southern Marsupial Mole

Convergent evolution occurs when different types of animal develop similar characteristics or abilities due to their having the same type of lifestyle.

The marsupial mole, an Australian desert animal, is an example of convergent evolution. It looks and behaves very much like a true mole, but as a marsupial is only very distantly related to the animals from which it gets its name.

This rat-sized desert marsupial lives in the hot, dry regions of inner Australia. It lives underground in tunnels, where it hunts earthworms and other invertebrates. The marsupial mole is blind, and probably uses a well-developed sense of smell to find its food.

Tarantula Hawk Wasp

Tarantula hawk wasps are large wasps of genus Pepsis.

One of the best known species of tarantula hawk wasp is Pepsis grossa. Its sting is said to be the second most painful in the insect world, after that of the infamous bullet ant.

The tarantula hawk's sting scores pain level 4 - the highest score - on the Schmidt sting pain index, a scale for rating insect stings. Although excruciatingly painful, the sting is short-lived and non-fatal to humans.

Pepsis grossa is found in the southern United States and Mexico. It uses its powerful sting to hunt tarantula spiders.

The tarantula hawk wasp is the state insect of New Mexico.

Thorny Devil

Scientific name: Pepsis grossa / Pepsis formosa (and other members of genera Pepsis and Hemipepsis)

Type of animal: Insect in the family Pompilidae (the spider wasp family)

Where found: Mojave Desert

Conservation status: unassessed

The thorny devil is a small lizard found in dry regions throughout most of central and west Australia. Its body and limbs are covered in rows of spines. Behind its head is a 'decoy head'; a fleshy growth with two large horns. This is displayed to deter potential predators.

Tiny grooves in the thorny devils' skin transport water directly to its mouth. Using this adaptation, the lizard can drink from the dew that forms on its body overnight.

Water-Holding Frog

The water-holding frog is a desert amphibian found in the dry central region of Australia.

Although a member of the family Hylidae (the tree frog family), the water-holding frog lives on the ground.

In fact, the species spends much of its life buried up to 1 meter (3.28 ft.) underground, wrapped in a cocoon. It only emerges after a period of heavy rain, when it makes its way to a swamp or waterhole in order to breed.

During dry periods the water-holding frog is able to aestivate. Aestivation is a state similar to hibernation, in which the frog becomes inactive in order to conserve energy.

The water-holding frog is so-named because it stores water in its bladder when buried. Australian aborigines used to dig the frogs up as a source of water.

Wild Bactrian Camel

The wild Bactrian camel is a critically endangered desert animal. It is closely related to the Bactrian camel, a domesticated species.

Both Bactrian camels have two humps, but those of the wild Bactrian are smaller. The species is also slightly smaller in overall size than its domestic relative.

The wild Bactrian camel is said to be able to tolerate water even saltier than seawater.

Only around 950 wild Bactrian camels remain in the wild. Around 600 live in the Lop Nur Wild Camel National Nature Reserve in China. Around 350 live in the Great Gobi A Strictly Protected Area in Mongolia. Their numbers are decreasing.

Desert Animals For Kids: Conclusion

We hope that you have enjoyed meeting these desert animals. What is your favorite desert species? Have you seen any of these animals in the wild? Are there any other desert animals you think should be on this list?

Let us know in the comments below; we'd love to hear your views!

Discover Amazing Animals That Live In Other habitats...

Become an Animal Expert with Active Wild...

Visit these pages to learn more about animals and the animal kingdom:

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Desert Animals List With Pictures & Amazing Facts

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On this page is a list of animals that live in the desert, with pictures and facts on each species. We've selected desert animals from all over the world, and because many of these species are threatened, we've included their conservation status according to the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature).

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Animals of the Tundra

Could you handle always living in the cold? Some animals can. Animals of all sizes have adapted to harsh weather conditions and long winters of the tundra.

Many animals have shorter legs and ears to minimize exposing their skin to the cold. Some are also well adapted to living high up in the mountains. For example, mammals at high elevation are able to use oxygen more efficiently.

Small creatures, such as ground squirrels, can seek refuge in vegetation but because it's usually sparse and low, it may expose them to predators. To avoid danger, some species have evolved to be fast runners or to be camouflaged.

Between summer and winter, the grayish-brown fur of snowshoe hare, arctic fox, and others like them blends into white hairs in preparation for winter camouflage.

Sometimes prey animals feed at night to avoid being eaten. They may also reproduce a lot since not all young will survive to adulthood.

Fat = Energy?

Another key to an animal's survival in the tundra is knowing when to eat and when to sleep in order to save energy. Many animals in the tundra hibernate during the long, cold winter months.

Hibernation is a period of rest lasting several months. During this time, animals stay hidden in dens. Their metabolisms lower into a dormant state, so less energy is required for their bodies to perform the necessary functions. For that energy, they rely on stores of fat they built up over the summer.

Tundra animals have other strategies to keep warm too. It helps to have a lot of fur and fat. After all, the colder it is, the more energy it takes for a mammal to maintain a stable body temperature to live.

Just like in other biomes, in the tundra, different types of animals get energy from different types of foods. Carnivores are at the top of the food web because they are meat eaters.

Carnivorous mammals such as wolves and seals prey on smaller animals to survive while herbivorous mammals only consume plant-based foods. Animals that eat both other animals and plants are called omnivores.

Lemmings, voles, caribou, arctic hares and squirrels are examples of tundra herbivores at the bottom of the food web. They often have a strong sense of smell to help them find food underneath the snow.

Timing is Everything

Summer melts away the snow, allowing shallow wetlands to form. In the available pools of water, insects breed and attract birds. This explains why animals are most active in the short summer. They forage heavily on the plentiful insects and flowers that are in bloom before they are forced to hibernate or migrate to a warmer place for winter. Luckily, during the long-lighted days of summer, there is more time in each day to hunt for food.

Summer is for mating, too. Everything from insects, like mosquitoes, flies, moths, grasshoppers, blackflies and arctic bumble bees, to larger animals take advantage. It turns into a race against time.

Migratory birds such as falcons, loons, sandpipers, terns and snow birds must successfully produce young during the short summer. If they don't, there is not enough time to start over with a second nest.

Even given constraints like these, a lot of animals call the tundra home for at least part of the year. As the seasons change, so do the species found in the tundra.

Young plover, a kind of bird, are abandoned on the tundra in Alaska and have to make their way back to Argentina in South America on their own. The adult parents leave earlier, perhaps to allow more food for the young.

Stories like the plovers' are normal for species that spend part of the time in the tundra.

Insect Anti-Freeze

Picture holding an insect in your hand and how tiny it looks compared to you and everything else. Even small insects live in the tundra. But how do they survive in below-freezing temperatures? For some, the answer is antifreeze.

If you've heard of antifreeze, it was probably from someone with a car. In cars, antifreeze is a manmade (and very dangerous) chemical mixture that allows all the water-based liquids to operate in a wide range of low and high temperatures.

Just like it's important for a car to function, antifreeze in tundra insects is critical for life. Insect antifreeze is a naturally occurring protein that lowers the freezing point of water in insect bodies.

The protein's structure also lets it attach to ice crystals to prevent more from forming. Not only do insects benefit from this adaptation, but arctic fish do as well.

The cold can affect insects in other ways, as some insects mature very slowly, perhaps taking 10 to 15 years to pass through all their larval stages. This slow growth occurs because they can only get a little food each short summer. No matter the size of the animal, life in the tundra can be tough.

Images via Wikimedia commons. Woolly bear image via IronChris.

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Could you handle always living in the cold? Some animals can. Animals of all sizes have adapted to harsh weather conditions and long winters of the tundra. Many animals have shorter legs and ears to minimize exposing their skin to the cold. Some are also well adapted to living high up in the mountains.

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Plants of the Tundra

For vegetation, many aspects of the tundra make growing big in size a challenge. Recall the tough, frosty ground you were trekking across? It's called permafrost, like permanent frost.

Permafrost forms when plants die and the organic matter builds up. Over time, it's compacted and frozen but never broken down. All the dead plant material from centuries ago is stored as permafrost.

If we look deep in the ground, we find that some of the layers of permafrost never thaw. The permanent ice in the ground can go as deep as almost 5,000 feet.

The top of the mixture of soil, gravel, and finer materials are frozen for the majority of the year since the temperatures don't increase high enough for it to thaw. But during the warm summer, the ground can thaw down to 13 feet deep. This gives plants a chance to grow, but the growing season is short and stops when the ground freezes again.

The soil of the tundra is also nutrient poor, so it lacks nitrogen and phosphorus - two important elements plants need to grow. This keeps the plants small and makes plant growth slow.

Sun and Water Matter

We are learning about how plants don't grow very high or very fast when the soil is limited in water and nutrients. Also remember that the tundra has a short growing season since summer is brief.

However, tundra plants have useful features adapted to the local conditions.

For example, they are able to perform photosynthesis at low temperatures and low light intensities unlike autotrophs in other parts of the world.

Soil is really important in any ecosystem, and the permafrost in the tundra is no exception. When the ground isn't completely frozen solid, water can seep into the soil just enough to penetrate the top layer.

The tundra only gets a small amount of precipitation each year, but plants in the tundra are specially adapted to only need a small amount of water to germinate and grow. Plants absorb what they can with their short root systems.

With little sun, water evaporates slowly, making more available for plants or animals to use. Other non-animal organisms here that need a little water are microscopic bacteria along with algae and fungi.

The tundra is also a windy place. Plants will often grow in groups, as plants sheltered from the whipping winds are more likely to survive.

Melt Down?

Animals, plants, and people have relied on the permafrost to stay frozen. What happens when temperatures rise? The permafrost melts. Recently, this has caused problems where there are buildings on tundra landscapes. They start to sink because the hard ground they once rested on un-freezes and gets softer.

Warmer climates globally mean animals and plants can move outside of their usual range. Some species that don't normally live in the tundra have moved farther and farther north and invaded areas of tundra because it's getting warmer.

An even bigger problem is that carbon is released when the permafrost melts. What's carbon? It's an element that makes up all living things, including plants. The dead plant material stored in permafrost starts to decompose in warmer-than-normal temperatures. That carbon turns into a gas and enters the atmosphere.

Some studies suggest that the amount of carbon stored in permafrost is greater than all the carbon that exists in all the living things on earth (that's a whole lot). It's also estimated that the amount of carbon in permafrost is twice as much as the amount in our atmosphere. That means that melting permafrost can change the carbon levels in the atmosphere by a large amount.

A lot more carbon in the atmosphere may have an effect on the earth's climate. You see, the tundra is a very sensitive place.

Still Tons to See

Despite all the features that make the tundra seem like an unfriendly place, there is diversity.

You can find 1,700 kinds of plants, like low shrubs, sedges, reindeer mosses, liverworts, and grasses. Four hundred varieties of flowers, such as crustose and foliose lichen, are also found in the arctic and subarctic. But compared to other biomes, that's actually not a lot, making this a low-diversity biome.

Just as life for humans would be difficult in the tundra, species from the tundra couldn't live without it or in any other biome. They're adapted to the unique features of the tundra, which makes it important for us to help the biome persist.

Images via Wikimedia commons. Cottongrass image via Axel Kristinsson.

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For vegetation, many aspects of the tundra make growing big in size a challenge. Recall the tough, frosty ground you were trekking across? It's called permafrost, like permanent frost. Permafrost forms when plants die and the organic matter builds up. Over time, it's compacted and frozen but never broken down.

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The tundra is a cold and windy habitat, making survival a challenge. But you may be surprised by how much life there is in the tundra.Also in: Français | Español

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Kids learn about the grasslands biome. Flat with few trees, these ecosystems feed much of the world.

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Anatomy of the Temperate Forest

It's all about the trees. Trees are the most important members of the temperate forest community. They provide the structure and create the environment for everything beneath them. The forest can be thought of in "layers" with the treetops being the top layer, called the canopy. Small plants grow in the understory, on the bottom right above the forest floor.

Stunted by Shade

There can also be subcanopy or intermediate layers, where young trees grow; these will be giants some day when they reach the canopy. The shade that the canopy makes can make it hard for some plants to survive in the forest, because they can't get enough light to grow. While a tree may produce thousands of seeds in a given year to blanket the forest floor with seedlings, less than one out of every 100 of these seedlings will survive. It's a harsh life for a little seedling.

Different species of trees need different levels of light. There are some species, like sugar maple (named for the delicious maple syrup we get from it) which can tolerate shade for decades. These seedlings can live in the shade and grow incredibly slowly (a waist-high tree can be more than 30 years old!) as they wait for a tree to fall over so light reaches the forest floor. On the other hand, fast-growing trees can't survive the shade.

Changing Seasons

Fall brings beautiful colors of all different shades to the deciduous forests. Some maples turn orange, oak leaves show dark reds, and hickories become bright yellow. These colors are clues that the trees are shutting down for the winter.

Chlorophyll enables trees to capture energy from light for photosynthesis. In fall, they break down chlorophyll and other photosynthetic chemicals in their leaves. The colors we see have actually been there all summer, but their presence is masked by the green chlorophyll. Only when it's removed can we see the colors of the other compounds and pigments in leaves.

One reason trees do this is to survive the cold winter temperatures. If they kept their leaves, it's possible a heavy snow could pile up on their branches and break them off. It's safer to stay dormant in winter, using stored sugars from the summer, then to risk heavy damage from snow. Plus, because winters are colder, days are shorter, and the sun is lower in the sky, less photosynthesis and growth are possible anyway.

Peeking Underneath

But the trees and understory aren't where all the action happens in a temperate forest. There's a lot more to soil than just dirt. If you go out to the forest and pick up a pinch of soil, how many species do you think you'd be holding? There's a good chance there are more than 50,000 species between your fingertips!

Very diverse communities of microbes, including bacteria and fungi, populate temperate forest soils, consuming and decomposing the plant litter and animal remains that fall there.

These microbes go dormant in the winter too, just like the trees. This allows nutrients and dead plant litter to build up in the soil so that it can be rich enough to support lots of plant growth. When spring comes, they start decomposing again.

Images via Wikimedia Commons. Seedlings image by FLamiot.

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It's all about the trees. Trees are the most important members of the temperate forest community. They provide the structure and create the environment for everything beneath them. The forest can be thought of in "layers" with the treetops being the top layer, called the canopy.

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Plants of the Temperate Forest

Trees are the most important plants in temperate forests. Most of the other organisms in the forest depend on the tree's ability to turn the sun's energy into sugars using photosynthesis.

There are big trees and small trees. Some tree species like serviceberry, hop hornbeam, Dogwood, or Sassafras, never really get big enough to reach the canopy, and have relatively short lifespans.

The Big

Other trees like Oaks, Maples, Ponderosa Pines or Douglas-Fir, can live hundreds of years. Some Temperate Forest conifers like Redwoods and Giant Sequoias in California can live for thousands of years, and are some of the largest living things on the planet.

Big trees need a lot of water, which they absorb through their large root systems. They also need nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus to make the enzymes and pigments (like chlorophyll) that they use in photosynthesis.

Though you can't see it, these trees take advantage of another organism to get nutrients from the soil. Almost all tree species use what are called mycorrhizae (meaning 'fungus-roots') to obtain some of their nutrients. These are roots which fungi have grown around or into.

Here's how it works: the trees move some of their extra sugar, made from photosynthesis, into the mycorrhizae, giving the fungus access. In exchange, the fungus moves nitrogen and other nutrients into the trees roots, which the tree can then use to grow new leaves, for example. It's a trade.

The tree has lots of sugar, but has a hard time getting nitrogen. On the other hand, the fungus is pretty good at getting nitrogen from the soil, but high-energy sugar is hard to come by. These two types of organisms have evolved to cooperate in a way that works out better for both of them, a relationship we call a mutualism.

The Small

There are lots of other plants besides trees in temperate forests. Understory shrubs like Gooseberry (watch out for spines!) and Blueberry are some tasty examples.

There are also plants called forbs: small, non-woody, flowering plants, like lilies as well as orchids. One example is the beautiful White Trillium, a plant which produces large white flowers after about seven to ten years, and can live for 70 years.

There are also grasses and sedges, which can grow in open gaps in the forest. These plants provide food for deer and insects.

Some shrubs like rhododendron bushes keep their leaves through the winter. This is because they can get more sunlight during the winter when the canopy of deciduous tree leaves is gone. Since there are few shrubs that do this, there are very few leaves available for deer in the winter. Rhododendron makes toxic chemicals in its leaves to make them distasteful to deer to protect it from being eaten.

And the Weird

There are also some stranger plants in the temperate forest. While you may picture plants as things with nice green leaves, there are some species of plants which are actually parasitic. That is, they steal nutrients or energy from other organisms.

Mistletoe is actually one of these plants. It grows high on the branches of other trees, where it steals water and nutrients from inside the tree's branches. This way it doesn't have to have roots in the ground.

The ghost plant is a small, pale white flowering plant. Unlike Mistletoe or other plants, it can't photosynthesize at all. It steals sugars from mycorrhizae, the underground networks of fungus and tree roots. While this may seem strange, there are actually many examples of these parasitic plants in temperate forests, such as the bright pink snow plant and dark red pine-drops.

Images via Wikimedia Commons. Dogwood image by Muffet.

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Trees are the most important plants in temperate forests. Most of the other organisms in the forest depend on the tree's ability to turn the sun's energy into sugars using photosynthesis. There are big trees and small trees. Some tree species like serviceberry, hop hornbeam, Dogwood, or Sassafras, never really get big enough to reach the canopy, and have relatively short lifespans.

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The air is still as you wander through the trees. Leaves slide under your feet and thick tree trunks surround you. Above your head everything is green, as leaves block the sky. You feel twigs crunch under your feet, and mushrooms peek out from under beds of leaves. Somewhere off in the trees you hear the pecking of a woodpecker. All sorts of birds call or fly off as you walk by. You stay quiet and see a deer pass by in the distance. Chances are, you're in a temperate forest.

Even if you've spent time in temperate forests, these ecosystems hold many plants and animals that you've likely never seen. In parts of North America, Europe, and Asia, temperate forests used to cover huge areas of land. In several places they still cover large areas, though we've cut down most of the old growth forests.

In Between Biomes

In many ways, temperate forests are in between the other land biomes. In fact, the word temperate means not extreme. They are warmer and more diverse than boreal forests. However, they are not as warm or diverse as rainforests. Temperate forests are also wetter than deserts but drier than rainforests. This is because temperate forests are located in areas that have a mild climate.

Mild climates are mainly found around the mid-latitudes. South American and Australian temperate forests have many plants and animals that are similar, but unrelated, to those in the northern hemisphere's temperate forests. Temperate forests receive about 30 to 60 inches of precipitation a year. The temperatures are rarely below -20 F (-29 C) or above 90 F (32 C).

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In many fairy tales and folktales, the temperate forest is a place for discovery, adventure, and maybe a little magic. What makes this biome so special in our minds?

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Desert Biome VR 360 | ASU - Ask A Biologist

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Rainforest Biome VR 360 | ASU - Ask A Biologist

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The rainforest is home to lots of species of animals. So many different animals live here that by looking at the rainforest, we have a chance to study adaptations and interactions that may not be found anywhere else.

Ants in Your Plants

Humans and plants have an interesting relationship-we depend on plants for food, for some medicines, and for decoration and even stress relief, if we have houseplants. However, some ants that live in the rainforest have even more complex, or involved, relationships with plants.

Leafcutter ants are little farmers in the rainforest. They cut pieces of leaves off of plants and carry them into storage spaces underground. Here, the ants use the leaf chunks as food to feed another organism-a fungus.

They grow this fungus to feed baby ants, called larvae. The fungus depends on the ants to bring them food, and the ants depend on the fungus to help ant larvae grow. This type of relationship, in which both species benefit, is called mutualism.

Pint-sized Pools

Like ants, some frogs in the rainforest depend on plants to help their babies, or young, grow. Colorful frogs called poison dart frogs depend on tiny pockets of water that gather in the leaves or branching stems of certain plants, especially epiphytes.

After their eggs hatch into tadpoles, the parent frogs move the tadpoles into these water pockets. If a pool runs out of food, or if the water level gets too low, the poison dart frog will carry the tadpoles on its back to a new plant with a larger pocket of water.

These devoted parents may also lay eggs that have no young tadpoles as food for their young.

Show Offs

Though relationships between different species in the rainforest can be interesting, the most amazing things you see in the rainforest are sometimes between a male and female of the same animal species. When some animals are looking to reproduce, or have babies, they need to attract another animal with which they can mate. Oftentimes, in species that have sexual reproduction, it is the male that tries to attract a female.

Some males attract females with amazing dances or colors, using tricks to try to show off for, or impress, a female. The cock-of-the-rock, a type of bird that lives in the undergrowth of the forest, has males with bright red and black color patterns. Five to 20 of these bright males fly, dance and call together in a group called a lek. These birds dance in a small area to try to attract one of the dull-colored females.

When a female arrives at the dancing grounds, the males dance and call even harder. Even with up to 20 males calling, only one male wins out-usually the brightest, the loudest, or the best dancer.

With all the different bright display colors of some animals, the dark, shadowy, green rainforest can be transformed into a beautiful show of moving colors.

Images via Wikimedia commons. Additional image by USFW.

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The rainforest is home to lots of species of animals. So many different animals live here that by looking at the rainforest, we have a chance to study adaptations and interactions that may not be found anywhere else.

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Powerful Plants

Of all the Earth's land biomes, rainforests change the most amount of energy coming from the sunlight into food (like sugars). We call this action photosynthesis.

After plants change sunlight energy into sugars, animals can get that energy by eating the leaves, fruits, or other parts of the plants. This can be good or bad for the plants, so over many, many years, plants have come up with ways to trick animals into eating certain plant parts while avoiding others.

A Sweet Trick

Plants pack their fruits with sugar, making them a sweet and tempting treat for many animals. This is because fruits also hold the seeds of a plant.

By hiding their seeds in delicious fruits, plants are tricking animals into eating them. That way, the animals spread (disperse) the seeds inside the fruits to other areas of the rainforest.

The Fight for Life

But what about the parts of a plant that need to be protected and not eaten? To fight off animals like insects that try to eat their leaves and shoots, some plants make certain chemicals called toxins. These toxins taste bad or make animals sick, so animals will not eat those parts of the plant.

Plant Medicine

What is toxic to some can be helpful to others-humans have been able to use some of the chemicals found in tropical plants as medicines. This is just one of the many reasons why we should preserve the biodiversity, or diversity of life, that the rainforests hold.

Images via Wikimedia. Rafflesia image by Henrik Ishihara.

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Of all the Earth's land biomes, rainforests change the most amount of energy coming from the sunlight into food (like sugars). We call this action photosynthesis. After plants change sunlight energy into sugars, animals can get that energy by eating the leaves, fruits, or other parts of the plants.

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Brimming with Life

With closed eyes, the moist warmth of the air feels heavy in your lungs and your clothes feel sticky with sweat against your skin. Birdcalls, monkey howls, and insect buzzing surround you. Opening your eyes, you find that you are under the shade of a tall forest canopy.

You look up the long trunk of an emergent, a tree that stands nearly 300 feet tall and breaks through the top of the canopy. As you keep looking into the dense vegetation, you start seeing more life-birds, butterflies, and monkeys. You look down where some tree roots have broken through the moist ground. There you see the ants. They crawl over the tree's roots, over the leaf litter, and across the path, letting nothing stop them as they carry bits of leaves back to their nest. You are in a tropical rainforest.

The Rainforest

When you think of the tropical rainforest, you may think of a towering forest dripping wet and full of life. Although most of these rainforests have short dry seasons, aside from lakes, rivers, and oceans, they represent the wettest biome on Earth.

Rainforests have an extraordinarily large number of animals and plants. Over half of all the species of plants and animals on Earth are found in tropical rainforests, but these forests only make up 6% of the Earth's land surface. So, why are these forests so special?

Rain-Forest. Get it?

Whoever first put "rain" in front of "forest" to describe rainforests probably had a pretty easy time making that decision. Rainforests get a lot of rain-between 50 and 260 inches every year. While 50 inches is just over four feet, 260 inches is over 21 feet, which is a lot of water. That level of water is higher than three people standing on each other's shoulders.

Most tropical rainforests are close to the equator (an imaginary line running around the middle of the Earth, halfway between the north and south poles). Although most are in lowland areas that are close to sea level (the base we use for measuring the height of land, called elevation), some are on tropical mountain slopes. These higher elevation forests are cooler and are called cloud forests.

The Sunny Side

So why does it rain so much in rainforests? Because tropical rainforests are mainly found near the equator in Africa, Central America, and parts of Asia, they receive more intense rays of the sun than you could find anywhere else on Earth. This makes it possible for millions of trees and other plants to grow in this biome. Because the millions of trees release tons of water from their leaves, the air is very humid, or full of water vapor.

The powerful rays of sunlight cause the air to heat quickly. This warm, moist air rises high into the sky and cools. At first the cooling water vapor forms clouds, but as the air rises and cools even more, the clouds turn into liquid water-rain. All of the moisture in the air and the sunlight that warms the air near the equator cause a lot of rain.

- or download the mp3 here.

Images via Wikimedia commons. Additional images by Adrian.Benko and Andre Deak.

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With closed eyes, the moist warmth of the air feels heavy in your lungs and your clothes feel sticky with sweat against your skin. Birdcalls, monkey howls, and insect buzzing surround you. Opening your eyes, you find that you are under the shade of a tall forest canopy.

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Kids learn about the desert biome. The dryest areas on Earth still have plant and animal life.

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Science for Kids: Tropical Rainforest Biome

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Kids learn about the tropical rainforest biome. This diverse ecosystem produces much of the Earth's biodiversity.

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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?

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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.

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Grasslands are common on every continent but Antarctica, yet they're far from predictable.

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All the major food grains corn, wheat, oats, barley, millet, rye and sorghum produce in grasslands.Grasslands are important for agriculture because the soils are deep and fertile.Another way to give people a food source uing the grassland biome is by gazing animals such as sheep and cattle. These are later useful for milk from cows for cheese and cream, and also many of these animals are used for their meat.

Grasses often depend on fire to germinate and generate new plants. Plants in this biome are rain-fed but now due to climate change it is irrigated.There are different types of farming such as;Wheat farms- grow wheat, found in mid latitude temperate climatesMixed farms- both grazing and cropping, located closer to markets in the wetter areasIntensive farming- close to urban centres, producing dairy, horticulture and market gardening crops Plantation farming- warm, well watered tropical places, provide produce such as coffee, sugar cane, cocoa, bananas, rubber, tabacco and palm oil.

This map shows the types of agriculture in Australia.

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What are the main types of food produced in Grasslands? How are the foods produced?

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All the major food grains corn, wheat, oats, barley, millet, rye and sorghum produce in grasslands.Grasslands are important for agriculture because the soils are deep and fertile.Another way to give people a food source uing the grassland biome is by gazing animals such as sheep and cattle.