Introduction to Rainforest Animals
Rainforests are tremendously rich in animal life. Rainforests are populated with
insects (like butterflies and beetles), arachnids (like spiders and ticks), worms,
reptiles (like snakes and lizards), amphibians (like frogs and toads), birds (like
parrots and toucans) and mammals (like sloths and jaguars).
Different animals live in different strata of the rainforest. For example, many
birds live in the canopy (upper leaves of the trees) and in the emergents (the
tops of the tallest trees). Large animals (like jaguars) generally live on the
forest floor, but others (like howler monkeys and sloths) are arboreal (living in
trees). Insects are found almost everywhere.
Many species of rainforest animals are endangered and many other have gone
extinct as the number of acres of rainforest on Earth decreases.
Zoom Rainforest - Print-out
Find it! In Zoom Rainforest
Use the section on animals in Zoom Rainforest to answer
the following rainforest animal questions.

1. In the
rainforest, are
there more large
animals or more
small animals?
2. Are there more
meat-eaters or
more plant-eaters?
3. Name two
methods that
rainforest animals
use to protect
themselves
against predators.
4. What is it
called when one
type of animal
looks very much
like a poisonous
animal?

5. What does
arboreal mean?
6. Name a large
arboreal animal.
7. Are poisonous
animals
frequently
brightly-colored?
8. In which rain
forest layer do
most of the large
animals live?
9. In which rain
forest layers do
most birds live?
10. Is the number
of species of
animals in rain
forests increasing
or decreasing?
Back to classroom activities for Zoom Rainforest
Level: Grade 3-4 Subject: reading, writing, introduction to rainforest research on the
internet