What is the scientific word for an animal’s home?

Layers

The trees in a rainforest are extremely large, and many grow much taller than any trees found in Britain.  

The tropical rainforest is made up of four layers. We are going to look at each of these layers and learn a bit about them. 

How many seasons do you get in a tropical rainforest?

The tallest tree in the Amazon is the Sumaumeira.

The Understory

Now we’re in The Understory. Sometimes it is called the fern layer. Ferns are plants which can grow in fairly dark conditions, so that makes them suited to live in the dark understory.

The understory is between 3 and 30 meters above the ground.  

The Canopy

The canopy is made up of the branches of trees and is where the leaves, flowers, and fruit are found. It is a huge structure; the trees can be between 40 and 60 meters high. 

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It is hot and sunny in the canopy.  This is where most of the rainforest’s smaller plants can be found.

Human Residents

People have lived in the rainforest for thousands of years. They make their living from it and they know how to look after it and preserve it. If the rainforest is chopped down and destroyed, they will lose their home. 

We get fruit, nuts, spices, and medicine from plants and animals, wood for furniture, oxygen, chewing gum, products which make varnish, soap and rubber. Tea, coffee and chocolate all originally came from rainforest plants!

Deforestation

Rainforests are very important places, but sadly they are being cut down and cleared. After the trees have been cut down the forest is gone forever. Many living things are becoming extinct as their habitat is destroyed. 

The world’s tropical rainforests are some of the most important parts of the planet. They are home to countless millions of plants and animals. We have seen how they are being threatened with destruction.