- There are two different types of rainforests: Tropical and Temperate.
- Tropical rainforest are found close to the equator and between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn.
- Tropical rainforests are found in Central and South America, Africa, Asia and Australia.
- Temperate rainforest are mostly found in cooler climates of the Pacific Northwest, from Northern California up through Canada and Alaska.
- Chile, Tasmania, New Zealand, Ireland, Scotland, Norway also have small temperate rainforests.
- A main different between tropical rainforests and temperate rainforest is climate.
- Tropical rainforests are moist and very warm all year round.
- Temperate rainforest are cool in the winter and warm in the summer.
- Another difference between tropical rainforests and temperate rainforests are types of trees.
- Tropical rainforests have hundreds of different kinds of trees.
- Temperate rainforests have three different types of trees:
- Deciduous trees- trees that lose their leaves in the fall
- Coniferous trees- trees that have leaves that look like pointy..
- Evergreen trees- trees that always stay green
- Rainforests are found on every continent except for Antarctica.
- 100 inches or more rain falls in rainforests every year.
- Rainforests only cover 6% of the Earth’s surface.
- A lot of the Earth’s oxygen comes from the rainforests.
- Over 25% of natural medicines have been discovered in rainforests.
- Half the world’s animals, plants and insects live in the rainforests.
- Scientists believe that many animals, insects and plants are living in the rainforest that have not been discovered yet.
- The largest tropical rainforest is the Amazon. It covers 1.4 billion acres.
- The largest part of the Amazon rainforest is in Brazil but it also covers areas of Peru, Venezuela, Ecuador, Colombia, Guyana, Bolivia, Suriname and French Guiana.
- The Amazon, Mekong, Orinoco and Congo Rivers all flow through rainforests.
- Tropical rainforest trees form a canopy. Canopies are formed when the tree branches and leaves overlap each other.
- Canopies create shelter and hiding places for animals and insects.
- Scientists estimate that between 60%-90% of life in the rainforest are found in the trees.
- Not only is the rainforest home to many plants, animals and insects but to also indigenous people.
- Many tribes call the rainforest home. They often live the same as the tribes who lived there centuries before them.
- Most indigenous people have no contact with the world outside the rainforest.
- Our rainforests are shrinking due to deforestation. The rainforests are important to Earth and home to many people, plants, animals and insects. Scientists are trying to figure out ways to say the rainforests.
Names of popular rainforests
Amazon- located in Brazil, Peru, Venezuela, Ecuador, Colombia, Bolivia, Suriname and French Guiana
Daintree Rainforest- Australia
Mount Kinabalu National Park – Malaysia
Monteverde Cloud Forest –Costa Rica
Montecristo Cloud Rainforest – El Salvador
Sinharaja Forest – Sir Lanka
Sapo National Park– Liberia
Tongass National Forest – Alaska
Pacific Temperate Rainforest – Western North America
Some Animals that Live in the Rainforest
Toucans, different species of frogs, orangutans, lemurs, jaguars, gorillas, chimpanzees, butterflies, parrots, anaconda, boa constrictors, pythons, lizards, bonobos, piranhas, quetzal, reptiles, river dolphins, cassowary, marmoset monkeys, sun bears