magical rainforests

They are very important as the plants of the rainforest generate much of the Earth’s oxygen. More than 20 percent of the world oxygen is produced in the Amazon Rainforest.

The reason it is called a "rain" forest is because of the high amount of rainfall it gets per year. Rainforests have an annual rainfall of at least 100 inches (254 centimeters) and often much more.

As many as 30 million species of plants and animals live in tropical rainforests.

A typical four square mile patch of rainforest contains as many as 1,500 flowering plants, 750 species of trees, 400 species of birds and 150 species of butterflies.

There are four main parts of a Rainforest. They are:

Emergent Layer - very sunny because it is the very top. Only the tallest trees reach this level.

Who lives here? birds, butterflies and small monkeys live with bats, snakes and bugs.

Canopy Layer - much of the rain is stopped by the thick foliage. Most trees in the forest grow to this height. There are plants that grow in the canopy layer. Their roots don't reach the ground. These are called air plants.
Who lives here? birds, monkeys, frogs, and sloths, as well as lizards, snakes and many insects.

Understory Layer - many vines, dense vegetation, not much light.

Who lives here? birds, butterflies, frogs and snakes

Forest Floor - dark, damp, full of many dead leaves, twigs and dead plants. The forest floor is dark due to the trees above stopping the sunlight from entering the forest. It is estimated that only 2% of the sunlight actually reaches the floor.
Who lives here? jaguars in South America, gorillas and leopards in Africa and tapirs and tigers and elephants in Asia.