Tropical rainforests are rich
habitats for a huge variety of
plants and animals. Enter a hot,
damp, and shady world.
Rainforests
Queen Alexandra
birdwing butterfly
(female)
Where do most of a rainforest’s animals live?
162
Ecosystems and habitats
Beetles
One scientist found
18,000 species of beetles in
one small area of rainforest.
Trees
A football pitch-
sized patch of rainforest
may contain 300 trees.
Orchids
New orchids
are continually being
discovered in rainforests.
Bursting with life
Tropical rainforests
cover just 7% of Earth’s
land, yet contain over
half of the world’s species.
Birds
The Amazon alone
contains a third of Earth’s
9,000 known bird species.
Time for the umbrella
A rainforest is warm and sticky, with
frequent downpours. The trees take up
much of the rain, but water vapour
soon evaporates from their leaves,
filling the air with moisture.
Parakeet
Slipper
orchid
Orang-utan
