It's a Jungle Out There

Rainforests (also called “jungles”) are forests that have high amounts of annual rainfall. A jungle is defined as an “impenetrable equatorial forest.” Tropical rainforests have been called the “jewels of the earth” and the “world’s largest pharmacy” since over one-fourth of natural medicines have been discovered there. They also supply 28% of earth’s oxygen. There are different types of rainforests, such as...

Mangroves. These areas have distinctive stilt roots that spread out into the water. They're found on coasts and riverbanks from Florida to Vietnam.

Flooded forests are forests that can be flooded by heavy rains for short periods of time or for up to 11 months each year!

Montane (“high land”) forests often are characterized by heavy mist and are found in places like Costa Rica and Puerto Rico. As the elevation increases, the climate becomes more harsh.

Lowland Rainforests have high rainfall and humidity all year and are characterized by 2 seasons: dry and wet.

The Amazon of Brazil (also called “Amazonia” or the “Amazon Jungle”) covers over 2 million square miles of territory belonging to nine nations! The Amazon River runs through it and is the second longest river in the world (about 4000 miles; the Nile is the longest).

Because of the amount of rainfall it receives, the river rises more than 30 feet each year and supplies 20 percent of earth’s fresh water. The width of the Amazon reaches 30 miles during the wet season and about 6 miles in the dry season; hence, it is called “The River Sea.” 

Have you heard of a pink dolphin? The fascinating boto river dolphin lives in the Amazon and is able to turn its head sideways to get food or weave its way through underwater terrain. The males are even pink!

As we examine the layers of a rainforest, we begin with the top: the EMERGENT LAYER.

The Brazil Nut tree has the toughest known seed pod, with only two creatures known to be able to crack it!

The next layer is the CANOPY LAYER and this is the primary layer of rainforests...

The middle layer is called the UNDERSTORE

Some amazing plants exist in these last two layers: the SHRUB LAYER and FOREST FLOOR...

(more to come soon!)