The Rainforest

We get foods such as chocolate, sugar, cinnamon, fruit and medicine from the rainforest.

Tropical rainforests took between 60 and 100 million years to evolve and are believed to be the oldest and most complex land-based ecosystem on earth!

Where in the world are Rainforests found?

Animals of the rainforest are provided with a variety of habitats in the different layers of the forest trees.

The Rainforest

Almost half the world's animal species live in rainforests.  Animals of the rainforest are provided with a variety of habitats in the different layers of the forest trees.

Rain forests belong to the tropical wet climate group. Rainfall is often more than 100 inches a year. There is usually a brief season of less rain. In monsoonal areas, there is a real dry season. Almost all rain forests lie near the equator.

Climate: because rainforests are located in tropical regions, they receive a lot of sunlight. The sunlight is converted to energy by plants through the process of photosynthesis. Since there is a lot of sunlight, there is a lot of energy in the rainforest. This energy is stored in plant vegetation, which is eaten by animals. The abundance of energy supports an abundance of plant and animal species.

LAYERS OF THE RAINFOREST