Welcome to the rainforest
Today, we are going to go deep inside
the rainforest and learn about some
of the amazing animals that live
there.

Animals such as…

Animals such as…
Mammals

Animals such as…
Mammals
Amphibians

Animals such as…
Birds
Mammals
Amphibians

Animals such as…
Reptiles
Birds
Mammals
Amphibians

Animals such as…
Insects
Reptiles
Birds
Mammals
Amphibians

As you can guess, rainforests can be very wet places.
A rainforest may receive from 400 to 1000
centimetres of rain each year.
1000 cm
By comparison, Toronto receives
500 cm about 75 centimetres of rain
each year.
75 cm
0 cm 0 cm

Rainforests are also warm places. The temperature
stays between 25 – 30 Celsius all year.
Now you know that rainforests are wet and warm.
The rainforest makes a wonderful home for many
different kinds of animals because they all need water
to survive.
It is also easier for animals to survive where it is warm
all year.

Rainforests can be divided into three layers.
The top layer is made up of the tops of all the
rainforest trees. This layer is called the canopy.
This part of the rainforest receives the most amount
of sunlight and rain. Trees and plants need this
sunlight and water to grow.

The layer below the canopy is called the understorey
Notice that there is not a lot of light here. The
leaves in the canopy stop most of the sunlight.
Many animals call the understorey their home. In
fact, this is where you can find the most number of
insects in the rainforest.

If we move even further below the canopy and below
the understorey, we will reach the forest floor.
Very few plants actually grow at this level because it
is too dark. The forest floor is mostly covered in
dead leaves.
Can you see an animal in this picture?

This bird is called a Night Hawk and it blends in very
well with the dead leaves on the forest floor.
Many animals in the rainforest blend in with their
homes to help them hide and stay safe. Are you
ready to meet some of them?

Most of the animals we find in the rainforest are
insects. The insects in this picture are weaver ants.
See how they hold onto each other to make a living
bridge between the leaves.

There are many different types of insects, but they
all have characteristics that show us they are
insects.
All insects have six legs. Let’s count them.

6
5 1
2
4
3

3. Abdomen
2. Thorax
1. Head
Insects also have three main body segments.

Katydids are insects that are related to
grasshoppers. Can you see the katydid in this
picture?

Katydids are well known for their camouflage. They
can look like sticks, flowers, and leaves. This one
looks like a leaf.

Here is another animal that lives on a leaf. This one
is not an insect though. It only has four legs.
The red-eyed leaf frog is an amphibian and
amphibians have different characteristics than
insects.

All amphibians have moist skin.
This means that the skin is always just a little bit wet.
You know that the rainforest is a wet place, so it is a
great place for animals that like to have wet skin.

Amphibians also have a backbone.
Animals with backbones are called vertebrates.
Insects do not have a backbone.
Animals without a backbone are called invertebrates.

This poison dart
frog is a very
colourful amphibian.
Most animals use
their colour to
camouflage but the
poison dart frog is
different.

Poison dart frogs
use their bright
colours to give a
warning.
The bright red
colour tells animals
to stop and leave
the frog alone.
If they eat it, the
frog’s poisonous skin
will make them sick.

Some people that live
in the rainforest use
the poison from this
frog’s skin.
They put the poison
on their hunting
darts. When they
shoot the dart into an
animal, the poison
quickly kills it.

This snake is called a boa constrictor and it is a reptile.
Reptiles have dry scales on their skin.
Another characteristic of reptiles is that they
do not make heat inside their body.

Mammals, like the jaguar, make heat inside their
body just like you. Animals that make their own
heat are called endothermic.
Endo means inside and thermic means heat.
Endothermic animals make heat inside their bodies.

Reptiles, insects and amphibians, like this frog,
are ectothermic.
Ecto means outside and thermic means heat.
Ectothermic animals get heat from outside their
bodies. They do not make their own body heat.

Many different
types of birds make
the rainforest their
home.
This little
hummingbird flies
from flower to
flower drinking
sweet nectar with
its tongue.
You already know that insects have six legs, amphibians
have moist skin, and reptiles are scaly. Can you think
of one characteristic of birds?

You can probably think of many characteristics.
Birds have beaks…
feathers…
and wings.
Birds, like mammals, also make heat inside their body.
They are endothermic.

The jaguar is a mammal. You are a mammal too.
Remember that
mammals make
their own body
heat. They are
endothermic.
Mammals also have fur or hair all over their body.

The eyelash viper is
a type of snake
found in the
rainforest. When it
is born, this snake
looks just like its
parents.
Do all animals look just like their parents
when they are born?

Actually, most animals do not look like
their parents when they are born.
Just look at this
little ant larva.
It does not look
anything like the
ant that is carrying
it.
Insects and amphibians usually look very
different when compared to their parents.

Mammals, birds, and reptiles are not like
insects and amphibians.
When mammals, birds, and reptiles are
born they look a lot like their parents.
This bat had two eyes, two ears, a mouth,
two wings, and two feet just like its
mother and father.

Now we can review all the
characteristics of the animals we
have seen

Now we can review all the
characteristics of the animals we
have seen
Mammals
•Backbone
•Fur or Hair
•Endothermic

Now we can review all the
characteristics of the animals we
have seen
Mammals Amphibians
•Backbone •Backbone
•Fur or Hair •No scales, hair,
•Endothermic or feathers
•Ectothermic

Now we can review all the
characteristics of the animals we
have seen
Birds
•Backbone
•Feathers, beaks,
and wings
•Endothermic
Mammals Amphibians
•Backbone •Backbone
•Fur or Hair •No scales, hair,
•Endothermic or feathers
•Ectothermic

Now we can review all the
characteristics of the animals we
have seen
Birds
Reptiles •Backbone
•Backbone •Feathers, beaks,
•Dry scales and wings
•Ectothermic •Endothermic
Mammals Amphibians
•Backbone •Backbone
•Fur or Hair •No scales, hair,
•Endothermic or feathers
•Ectothermic

Now we can review all the
characteristics of the animals we
have seen
Birds Insects
Reptiles •Backbone •No backbone
•Backbone •Feathers, beaks, •Six legs
•Dry scales and wings •Head, thorax
•Ectothermic •Endothermic abdomen
•Ectothermic
Mammals Amphibians
•Backbone •Backbone
•Fur or Hair •No scales, hair,
•Endothermic or feathers
•Ectothermic

You have learned a lot about rainforests and the
animals that live there.
The rainforest is an important home for millions of
species of plants and animals and they are an
important part of our Earth.

But rainforests are disappearing and so are the
animals that live there.

The trees are being cut down to be used for wood.
One tree is a home for hundreds of animals.
Destroying one tree is like destroying a whole
neighborhood in your city.

Farmers cut down the forest to raise cattle and
grow crops.

The roots of trees and plants are like hands
that hold the soil together. When the forest
is cut down,…

…the rain washes away the soil. This is called
erosion. After the rain is gone and the sun comes
out,…

…the ground dries up and very few plants can grow.

We need to protect the rainforest.
•It provides a home for millions of plants and animals.
•Rainforest plants produce oxygen so we can breathe.
•The rainforest fruits provide food so we can eat.
•Some plants can be used for medicine to keep us healthy.

Although rainforests cover only a
small part of the world, far away
from our homes, they have an
effect on all of us.

Once rainforests are destroyed, they will be gone
forever. You can do something about it. Your home
provides many chances to help the rainforest:
• Reduce, reuse, and recycle
• Use products from the rainforest without destroying it.
• Encourage local and national organizations, like COTERC
to help save the rainforest.

For more information about rainforests and what you can do
to help, contact:
The Canadian Organization for Tropical Education and
Rainforest Conservation
P.O. Box 335, Pickering, Ontario, Canada L1V 2R
Website: www.coterc.org Email: education@coterc.org