Transcript The Rainforest - Fort Thomas Independent Schools

The Rainforest
• Let’s find out about the rainforest.
• What lives there?
Layers of the Rainforest
EMERGENT LAYER
The tallest trees are the emergents,
towering as much as 200 feet above the
forest floor with trunks that measure up to
16 feet around. Most of these trees are
broad-leaved, hardwood evergreens.
Sunlight is plentiful up here. Animals found
are eagles, monkeys, bats and butterflies.
Layers of the Rainforest
CANOPY LAYER
This is the primary layer of the forest and
forms a roof over the two remaining
layers. Most canopy trees have smooth,
oval leaves that come to a point. It's a
maze of leaves and branches. Many
animals live in this area since food is
abundant. Those animals include:
snakes, toucans and treefrogs.
Layers of the Rainforest
UNDERSTORY LAYER
Little sunshine reaches this area so the
plants have to grow larger leaves to reach
the sunlight. The plants in this area
seldom grow to 12 feet. Many animals live
here including jaguars, red-eyed tree frogs
and leopards. There is a large
concentration of insects here.
Layers of the Rainforest
FOREST FLOOR
It's very dark down here. Almost no plants
grow in this area, as a result. Since hardly
any sun reaches the forest floor things
begin to decay quickly. A leaf that might
take one year to decompose in a regular
climate will disappear in 6 weeks. Giant
anteaters live in this layer.
Emergent
Canopy
UNDERSTORY
FOREST FLOOR
Animals of the Rainforest
Poison-arrow frog
Toucan
Sloth
Macaws
Spider Monkey
• Poison-arrow frogs are social frogs found in
Central and South America. They are known by
their bright colors which warn other animals that
they are poisonous. Its poison is one of the most
powerful known and can cause paralysis or
death. It is so potent that one millionth of an
ounce can kill a dog and an amount smaller than
a grain of salt can kill a human. One frog carries
enough poison to kill about 100 people. Native
hunters use it on the tips of their arrows which is
how the frog got its name.
Sloths are extremely slow-moving mammals
found in the rainforest canopies of Central and
South America. There are two species of
sloths:two-toed and three-toed. Most sloths are
about the size of a small dog and they have
short, flat flat heads. Their hair is grayish brown
but, at times they look grey-green in color
because they move so slowly that tiny
camouflaging algae grow all over their coats.
Macaws are the largest of all parrots.
There are 16 different species of macaws
and they range in size from a little over
three feet to one foot. They have
beautiful, graceful, tails that are as long or
longer than their bodies. They also have
long, pointed wings that enable them to fly
swiftly.
• Bromeliads are related to the pineapple family.
Their thick, waxy leaves form a bowl shape in
the centre for catching rainwater. Some
bromeliads can hold several gallons of water
and are miniature ecosystems in themselves
providing homes for several creatures including
frogs and their tadpoles, salamanders, snails,
beetles and mosquito larvae. Those that die
decompose and furnish the plant with nutrients.
One bromeliad was found to contain several
small beetles, crane flies, earwigs, a frog, a
cockroach, spiders, fly larvae, a millipede, a
scorpion, woodlice and an earthworm!