Tropical Rainforest

The tropical rainforest has the largest animal habitat in the world. The tropical rainforest climate conditions favour a huge wildlife population. It is the home to wildlife like lions, elephants, monkeys, snakes, frogs, reptiles, lizards and insects. The hot and humid climate makes this region habitable throughout the year. The Equator controls the climate conditions and the biome of the tropical rainforest. A biome is a large ecosystem of plant and animal communities. Over time the plants and animals in the tropical rainforest have undergone adaptations to suit the tropics. They have developed special characteristics to overcome these climatic conditions.

Location of the Forest: 

The tropical rainforest is in the tropics. It extends from the tropic of Cancer to the tropic of Capricorn, the top and the bottom region from the Equator. Includes South America, Central Africa, Southeast Asia, parts of Australia and New Guinea. The largest tropical rainforest is the Amazon rainforest in South America. The location contributes to an amazing tropical rainforest climate throughout the year.

Temperature and climatic conditions:

The Equator has the greatest intensity of the sun. The tropical rainforest covers this region and experiences a hot and humid climate. Climate seasons do not have many variations. It rains almost all days, differing in intensity from region to region.

The extreme heat of the sun’s rays does not reach the forest’s floor level. The tall tree and its branches create a canopy that prevents the sun’s rays from reaching the floor. The sun’s heat does not reach the forest floor, making the tropical rainforest climate hot and wet.

The temperature ranges from 15°C to 40°C. It has an average annual rainfall of about 150 to 400 cm. As the name suggests, “rainforest” has a downpour every day. Depending on their location, some tropical rainforests encounter up to 1000cm of annual precipitation.

To understand the rainforest better, we can divide it into vertical layers such as,

Subterranean layer – Underground layer. No sunlight. Abundant water.

Forest floor layer – Top terrain of the forest. Mild sunlight. Moderate water level.

Shrub layer – Intermediate level of the forest. Moderate sunlight and water.

Canopy layer – Top layer of the forest covers the entire forest floor. Lots of sunlight.

Emergent layer – Tallest layer that can withstand extreme heat and wind.

Wildlife and Adaptations:

It is fascinating to study the large variety of animals in the tropical rainforest. The hot and wet climate produces fertile and evergreen vegetation throughout the year. Species ranging from small bacteria to large elephants live in tropical rainforest climates.

A wide range of plant growth found in the rainforest makes it a great target for animals to habitat. The terrain becomes humid when the sunlight does not reach the floor level. The hot and moist climate makes it ideal for bacterial and fungal growth. This climate also favours the growth of fungi and similar shrubs, as it’s dark on the floor.

Animals in the tropical rainforest have physical features to suit this habitat. The trees are evergreen and fertile all seasons. The animals living in these trees don’t come to the floor level searching for food.

As the forest spreads across a wide terrain, we see animals adapting themselves. Over the years, they have changed to survive in this ecosystem. There are a few examples of the animals in the tropical rainforests listed below,

Red-eyed frog – The frog has sticky pads to help it climb trees. It lives in the tree and leaves and feeds over the insects in the tree. The eyes also specialise in the night side as it is active during dark hours.

Lion-tailed macaque – These are monkeys with long tails. They have limbs adapted to climb and stay in the trees. The long tail is for balance when they climb across branches. It feeds on insects and fruits, so it stays in the trees and hardly comes to the forest floor.

Toucan – The oversized beaks of these birds are to feed on the tree barks. They are huge and bright coloured to stay away from predators. The legs of the Toucans are also adapted for grip while chipping over the tree bark in search of insects and food.

Some of the other general adaptations of the animals in the tropical rainforests are,

Camouflage – The ability to change skin texture or colour. Animals merge with the habitat to protect themselves from predators. The camouflaging found in reptiles, insects, and a few birds is astonishing. An example will be the tick insect that resembles a dry branch or twig.

Clawed limbs – The claws are for grip when the animals climb trees and jump from branches. Examples are all monkeys and reptiles.

Sharp eyesight – The tropical rainforest has a dark forest floor. The animal developed sharp eyesight to survive the dark habitat. Examples: red-eyed frogs and other reptiles.

Conclusion:

The tropical rainforest climate is an amazing biome for large animal and bird populations. Evergreen trees are prominent in these tropical rainforests and have great medicinal properties. The vegetation and animal life are versatile and vary by every geographical location. Over the years, the animals have learnt to adapt and live in trees. They can feed and protect themselves when they stay in the tree without even stepping on the ground. Animals have also adapted to the dark and moist climate. The perfect blend of the animals in the tropical rainforests with its vegetation makes it a fascinating ecosystem.