Biology

My name is Sophie and I will be focusing on the biology (animals) of the rainforests across the world. Rainforests contain more than half of the worlds animals. They are populated by insects, reptiles, amphibians, birds and mammals. There are so many animals living in the rainforest for two main reasons. The first is the climate: With so much sunlight flooding in through the trees, the plants grow to be very rich. As a lot of animals eat berries and seeds from these plants, there are many animals in the rainforest becuse there is plenty of food. Secondly, the canopy is a great reason for the rainforest to be ful of animals: The structure of the rainforest means there is more places for animals to live. The trees provide a source of food, shelter and hiding places for all of the animals.
 * __Rainforest Animals__**

**__Insects__** There are over 500,000 kinds of beetles living in the rainforest. Other insects include Butterflies, such as the Archduke Butterfly, Owl Butterfly and the Clear-Winged Butterfly; Dragonflies, Millipedes and the Praying Mantis.

__Butterflies__: These insects are found all over the world. They go through a process as they grown which is known as metamorphosis. This process has four stages: 
 * 1) Egg - A butterfly starts its life as an egg.
 * 2) Larva - The larva (caterpillar) hatches from an egg and eats leaves almost constantly. As it gets larger, the caterpillar sheds its old skin many times.
 * 3) Pupa - The caterpillar turns into a pupa (chrysalis); this is a resting stage.
 * 4) Adult - A full grown flying butterfly emerges from the chrysalis.

__Beetles__: There are more kinds of Beetles than any other group of animals on the planet. Beetles range from the Ladybugs in your garden to the Giant Stag Beetle, which is 28-60mm long.

**__Reptiles and Amphibians__** The world's rainforests are full of reptiles and amphibians. These can be Lizards, Snakes Frogs, and even Crocodiles!

__Lizards__: The rainforest is home to a wonderful array of lizards, including the Gecko, Iguana and Chameleon. Most Geckos are nocturnal, but some are active during the day. They feed on small insects, fruit and flower nectar. The Chameleon is another amazing lizard, that changes colour to blend in with it's background.

__Snakes__: There are many snakes in the rainforest. The Anacoda is one of these and can grow to over 9 meters long (30 feet). Another cool snake is the Boa Constrictor, and can grow to be 5 meters long (16 feet). It feeds on brids and small mammals.

__Crocodiles__: The African slender-snouted Crocodile is a small reptile found in the rain forest. It is listed as endangered due to hunting and habitat destrucion.

__Frogs__: The most common amphibian found in the rainforest are frogs. A lot of frogs are poisonous, such as the Blue, Green and Yellow Poison Dart Frogs. The Giant Monkey Frog is among the biggest, and reaches around 1.5 metres long (5 feet).

**__Birds__** Tropical rainforests are home to many kinds of birds. A wide range of colours can be seen flying through the trees.

__Parrots__: Hundreds of parrot species live in the rainforest. Among these is the Scarlet Macaw, one of the largest and most colourful birds, and some consider it to be the most beautiful. it can grow to almost a meter long, and over half of this length is from it's tail. Most of the birds feathers are red, with some blue and yellow on the wings and tail feathers.

__Toucan__: The Toucan is another beautiful bird of the rainforest. Scientists estimate there are 33 species of toucan living in the rainforest. They use their large, colouful and oversized beaks to reach berries and other foods that they can't get to.

Other rainforest birds include the Hornbill, Kingfishers, Storks, Pigeons, Peacocks, Lorikeets, and Cockatoos.

**__Mammals__** The rain forest is fulled with different kinds of mammals. In the trees, monkeys are swinging from branch to branch; on the ground, Giant Anteaters forage around for ants; and in the air, bats fly around.

__Monkeys__: There are many monkeys in the rainforest. One of these is the Spider Monkey. The Spidey Monkey grows to around 60 centimeters (2 feet), excluding their tail. Spider Monkeys have a powerful tail that they use to hang upside down from trees. They usually eat berries and seeds.

__Anteater__: The Giant Anteater is a toothless animal that feeds only on ants. Their tongue can grow to be 2 feet long, which is the same size as a Spider Monkey! They have black and white stripes running down their back and a small tail. The Giant Anteater can grow up to 1.2 meters long (4 feet).

__Bats__: Some common bats are the Ghost Bat, Vampire Bat, and the Wrinkle-Face bat. Most bats eat fruit or bugs, except the Vampire Bat, which sucks the blood of other animals. Bats are very territorial, and they always sleep upside down.

Other mammalian animals in the rainforest include Sloths, Gorillas, Lemurs, Jaguars, Ocelots and Orangutans.

__**Conclusion**__ : So as you can see, the animals living in the rainforest are far from similar to the cats and dogs in our community. The rare sighting of a native bird is about as far as we'll ever get to exotic animals in our town. I hope now that you have realized how special rainforest animals are, and how we need to protect the habitat they live in, so they'll still be around for our great grandchildren to learn about.


 * __Bibliography__ **:

Information: http://kids.mongabay.com/ http://library.thinkquest.org/5393/

Images: http://images.google.com/