Tropical Rainforests

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🦎 Hello! 🌿

Welcome to a page dedicated to information regarding our tropical rainforests! Here, you’ll find things like the climate, locations, plants, animals, threats to the biome, and more!

For easier navigation, I have links attached to the word “here” so you can find the post(s) regarding that topic. For the individual posts, you can find the site information was gathered from attached to the “🌿” emoticon. The last one contains the link in which the image was found.

Thank you for stopping by, and I hope you enjoy looking through the information provided!

Update:

Hello again! This page has been up for a few months now, and was originally created for a school project. However, as a way to expand my own knowledge, I’ll be doing a few changes so this can be more than an assignment! Have a good day!

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Climate here!

Locations here!

Flora here!

Fauna here!

Threats here!

However, if you’re looking to possibly visit a tropical rainforest, you can find reasons here!

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Thank you once again!

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Why Visit

Now, some people may want to visit the tropical rainforest. There are some reasons, such as providing a unique experience, a relaxing trip, an opportunity for exploration, and learning more about the diverse and unique plants and animals of the rainforest.

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Threats

Like many other biomes, there are threats the area faces. Of course, there are many, however, I’ll be listing a few of them the rainforest faces.

Poaching

Poaching is ultimately caused by people wishing to gain something that an animal can provide. Poaching can ultimately lead to an increase of extinction amongst species, as well as an increase of endangerment.

Deforestation

Deforestation is caused by a raise in demand for wood. This leads to the destruction of habitats.

Mining

Mining is, of course, caused by mines being created to gather resources from underground. Fish in rivers end up dying due to miners washing chemicals and harmful sediment into the river, smothering the fish.

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South American Coati

The South American Coati has flexible ankles to help them get around, while their long snouts help them find food. Their long tails, despite not being prehensile, does help them balance.

A group of coati happen to be called a “band”, and happen to be highly adaptable. Coati traditionally live from 7 to 10 years, however a few have made it to 16.

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Green and Black Poison Dart Frog

The Green and Black Poison Dart Frog has enough toxins within their skin to paralyze, and even kill, a predator. They have bright coloration to warn an animal to not eat them, while having extremely good vision to help catch an insect. I guess these guys wouldn’t need any glasses.

These guys love to eat poisonous insects due to how their diet actually controls their toxicity levels. Males also care for their eggs on a leaf, while carrying tadpoles on his back around running water.

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Red-Eyed Tree Frog

The red-eyed tree frog has a stunning coloration to it that actually helps them camouflage underneath a leaf.

They also, possibly surprisingly so, are slightly poisonous. However, they aren’t poisonous enough in order to kill a predator, but enough to where an animal that tries to make a meal out of one of these guys may just back off. They also happen to eat the fastest out of any other kind of frog due to their ability to retract their eyes back into their bodies. Males happen to have the interesting habit of shaking their perch, in order to ward off any other male.

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Golden Poison Frog

The Golden Poison Frog has the adaptation of being able secrete toxin, giving them the ability to survive against any possible predators.

This frog is considered to be one of the most toxic animals, having enough venom to kill 10 grown men. I’d call that impressive for such a small animal. Their name also comes from both their coloration and how the indigenous people of Emberá in Columbia used their venom in order to tip their blowgun darts to hunt for hundreds of years.

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Okapi

The Okapi is an animal that has adapted to the rainforest by having large ears that are able to detect any hidden predator, a dark body to stay hidden within shadows, and stripes at the back in order to breakup any outline.

Okapis also belong to the giraffe family, contrary to popular belief of them belonging to the horse family. Their fur is also rather velvety and oily, while their stripes help offspring to follow their mother and to identify other okapi. Their tongues are long enough to clean their eyes and ears, as well as make quiet noises.

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Combretum rotundifolium

The Combretum rotundifolium, also known as the Monkey Brush Vine, has adaptations like growing on a parasitic vine in order to get nutrients, along with long stamen that helps to attract more insects.

The Monkey Brush Vine also acts as a natural feeding source for hummingbirds and a resting spot for green iguanas.

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Victoria amazonica

The Victoria amazonica is also called the Giant Water Lily, with adaptions like growing thorns at the bottom in order to fend off fish attempting to eat it, as well as water repellent properties upon the top.

The Giant Water Lily, per it’s name, is the largest water lily. This water lily can grow to have a diameter of 3 to 6 feet, as well as support a weight of up to 30 kilograms (about 66 pounds). The token white flower blooms only at night.

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Bromeliad

The bromeliad has many adaptations in order to survive, such as being able to grow on many different tree branches, having hairs or scales that can help catch water, and the ability to absorb moisture and nutrients from the atmosphere. The last adaptation has been the reason why bromeliads have also been given the name “air plants”.

Bromeliads have the ability to grow year-round, with their blooms lasting for months on end. However, they only bloom once. Insects also tend to not gravitate towards the flower.

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Ceiba pentandra

The Ceiba pentandra is also known as the Kapok Tree.

The Kapok Tree has an adaptation involving the white and pink flowers that bloom on the tree that releases an odor attracting bats, resulting in a facilitation of pollination.

The Kapok Tree can reach up to 230 feet in height, while the diameter of the trunk can reach up to 9-10 feet. The tree can grow 13 feet per year.

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Rafflesia arnoldoii

The rafflesia arnoldoii is also known as the Stinking Corpse Lily, often confused with the Corpse Flower.

Some adaptations the Stinking Corpse Lily has in order to survive in the tropical rainforest consist of being a parasitic plant, and no roots due to growing tissue inside other plants in order to take needed nutrients.

The Stinking Corpse Lily is also the biggest flower, with the bloom staying open for only 5 to 7 days. The horrid smell from the flower is from a reddish tentacle-like inside of the corolla in the petals. It can also produce millions of seeds, however, only 10-20% of them successfully germinate.

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Locations

Tropical rainforests can be found in many places. However, these places are often between 23.5°N (Tropic of Cancer), and 23.5°S (Tropic of Capricorn).

The main places you’ll find tropical rainforests will be Central and South America, Western and Central Africa, Western India, Southeast Asia, Island of New Guinea, and Australia.

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Biome Characteristics

The tropical rainforest is generally very lush, covered in all kinds of vegetation throughout, and is rather warm all year. Due to this, the rainforest doesn’t experience our typical seasons of spring, summer, autumn, and fall.

Humidity averages around 77% to 88%, while the temperature ranges from 70°F to 85°F (21°C to 30°C).

In terms of precipitation, namely rain for this biome, the amount outnumbers any other. Rainforests average to about 2,000 to 10,000 millimeters (79 to 394 inches) per year! At the highest average point, that is equivalent to 32 feet and 9 inches of rain. That’s a lot.

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