RAINFORESTS OF THE WORLD

[Adapted for Kindergarten from

 Enchanted Learning.Com.  

More detailed information can be

 found on this excellent site.]

What are Rainforests? 

Rainforests are very dense, warm, wet forests with trees,

  • Millions of plants and animals live in rainforests. 
  • It is almost always raining in a rainforest.          
    • Rainforests get over 80 inches (2 m) of rain each year. 
    • This is about 1 1/2 inches (3.8 cm) of rain each week.
  • The temperature does not change much in a rainforest.
    • The range of temperature in a tropical rainforest is usually between 75° F and 80° F (24-27° C).
    •  Temperate rainforests rarely freeze or get over 80° F (27° C).
  • Rainforests are extremely important in the ecology of the Earth. 
    • The plants of the rainforest make much of the Earth's oxygen. 
    • These plants are also  are used in new drugs that fight disease and illness.

Where are Rainforests? 

Tropical rainforests are located in a band around the equator.

  • Most are in the area between the Tropic of Cancer
    (23.5° N latitude) and the Tropic of Capricorn (23.5° S latitude). 
  • This 3,000 mile (4800 km) wide band is called the "tropics." 

Go to a rainforest map printout to color.

Tropical rainforests are found in :
  • Australia
  • Southeast Asia and Southern India
  • West Africa 


More Rainforest Animals

  For the Teacher

South and Central America  

Vertebrates

Fish

Amphibians

  • Caudata Order: Salamanders and newts

  • Anura Order:  Frogs and toads

    • Poison-arrow frogs: Harlequin Poison Dart Frog, Golden Poison Frog, Strawberry Poison Dart Frog, Lehmann's Poison Frog, Blue Poison Frog, Green or Golden Poison Arrow Frog, Flaming Poison Arrow Frog

    • Red-eyed tree frog

    • Glass Frog

    • Gold Frog

    • Marsupial Frog

    • Amazon Horned Frog

    • Darwin's Frog

  • Caecilian Order: 

    • South American Caecilian

Reptiles

  • Snakes : Anaconda, Emerald tree boa, Boa constrictor
  • Lizards
  • Turtles

Birds

  • Game birds and ground birds : Great curassow; Great tinamou, Hoatzin

  • Water and shore birds : Sunbittern

  • Birds of prey : King vulture, Black caracara, Yellow-headed caracara, Harpy eagle

  • Tree and air birds : Ruby-throated hummingbirds, Common potoo, Resplendent quetzal, Blue-crowned motmot, Double-toothed barbet, Red-crested touraco, Toucan, Roufous-tailed jacamar, Xenop, Blackish antbird

  • Song birds : Purple honeycreeper, Royal flycatcher, Wire-tailed manakin, Andean cock-of-the-rock, Long-billed woodcreeper, Cardinal grosbeak, Ovenbird

  • Mammals : Subclass

    • Monotremes
    • Marsupials
      • Didelphimorph Order
        • Opossum Family: Virginia Opossum
  • Placentals
    • Carnivore Order (cats, dogs, musk-smelling mammals)
    • Artiodactyl Order: (Even-toed hoofed mammals)
      • Tayassuid Family: Collared Peccary 
      • Hippopotamus Family :
    • Perissodactyl Order: (Odd-toed hoofed mammals)
      • Horse family
      • Tapir family
      • Rhinoceros family
    • Primate Order (Monkeys, apes, humans)
      • Lemur Family
      • New World Monkey Family:   Black Howler Monkey, Woolly Spider Monkey, White-footed Capuchin Monkey, Red Howler Monkey, Monk Saki Monkey
      • Callitrichid Family: Marmosets and Tamarins 
        •    Pymgy Marmoset
        •    Golden Lion Tamarin
        •    Emperor Tamarin
    • Chiroptera Order (Bats)
      • Family Emballonuridae (sac-winged or sheath-tailed bats)  - Brazilian long-nosed bat
      • Family Megadermatidae (false vampire bats) - Ghost bat
      • Family Noctilionidae (bull-dog or mastiff bats) - Greater Bulldog Bat 
      • Family Mormoopidae (naked-backed bats) - Ghost-faced bat,  Parnell's moustached bat
      • Family Phyllostomidae (New World leaf-nosed bats) Short-tailed fruit bat, Common vampire bat, Hairy-legged vampire bat, Long-nosed bat, Miller's long-tongued bat, Linnaeus' False Vampire Bat, Fringe-Lipped Bat, Tome's Long-Eared Bat, Peter's Wooly False Vampire Bat, White-Shouldered Bat, Mexican Fruit Bat, Wrinkle-Faced Bat, Honduran White Bat, White-Lined Bat, Rayed Bat, Ipanema Bat, Visored Bat, Common Yellow-Shouldered Bat, Peters' Tent-Making Bat
      • Family Natalidae (funnel-eared or long -legged bats) 
      • Family Furipteridae (smoky or thumbless bats)
      • Family Thyropteridae (disc-winged bats)
    • Rodent Order : Includes rats, mice, squirrels, gerbils, hamsters,  beavers, lemmings, guinea pigs, porcupines, chinchillas, hutias and more. 
      • Species: Prehensile-tailed porcupine (also called the Tree porcupine).
      • Species: Capybara
      • Species: Watson's tree-climbing rat 
    • Xenarthra Order
      • Armadillo Family: Giant armadillo
      • Anteater Family: Giant anteater,  Silky anteater
      • Sloth Family:  Three-toed sloth

Invertebrates 

    Insects

    Spiders

Australia and New Guinea Rain Forest Animals  

Vertebrates

Fish

Amphibians

  • Caudata Order: Salamanders and newts

  • Anura Order:  Frogs and toads

    • Giant tree frog

    • Striped marsh frog

    • Northern barred frog

    • Dainty green tree frog

 Reptiles

  •  Snakes : Carpet python, Green tree snake
  • Lizards: Frilled lizard, Spotted monitor, Eastern water dragon, Boyd's Forest dragon, Northern leaf-tailed gecko, Tokay gecko
  • Turtles
  • Crocodilians: Saltwater crocodile

Birds

  • Game birds and ground birds : Cassowary

  • Water and shore birds : 

  • Birds of prey :  

  • Tree and air birds :  Victoria Crowned Pigeon

    • Parrots: Australian king parrot, Rainbow Lorikeet, Budgerigar, Greater sulphur-crested cockatoo

  • Song birds: Superb lyrebird

  •  brolga, emerald dove, orange-footed scrubfowl, Australian brush-turkey, sarus crane, gray goshawk, wompoo fruit dove, topknot pigeon, , laughing kookaburra, lesser sooty owl, fernwren, barred cuckoo-shrike, golden whistler, etc.)

 

  • Mammals : Subclass
    • Monotremes
    • Marsupials
      • Native cats (Carnivorous marsupials)
        • Antechinus
      • Koala
      • Great glider
      • Sugar glider  
      • Lumholtz's Tree kangaroo 
      • Musky rat-kangaroo 
      • Long-nosed bandicoot
      • Tasmanian Pademelon (also known as Red-Bellied Pademelon, Rufus Wallaby)

    •  

    • Placentals
    • Carnivore Order (cats, dogs, musk-smelling mammals)
      • Cat family : 
      • Mustelid family : 
      • Procyonid family : 
    • Artiodactyl Order: (Even-toed hoofed mammals)
      • Hippopotamus Family 
    • Perissodactyl Order: (Odd-toed hoofed mammals)
      • Horse family
      • Tapir family
      • Rhinoceros family
    • Primate Order (Monkeys, apes, humans)
      • Lemur Family 
       
    • Chiroptera Order (Bats)
    • Rodent Order : Includes rats, mice, squirrels, gerbils, hamsters,  beavers, lemmings, guinea pigs, porcupines, chinchillas, hutias and more. 
      • Species: 
      • Species: 
      • Species:
    • Xenarthra Order
      • Armadillo Family: 
      • Anteater Family: 
      • Sloth Family:  

Invertebrates 

    Insects

  • Butterflies and Moth: Ulysses Butterfly, Zodiac Moth, Union Jack Butterfly, Regent Skipper, Birdwing Butterfly
  • Beetles
  • Grasshoppers, Crickets, Ants, 

    Spiders

  Southeast Asia and Southern India

Vertebrates

Fish

Amphibians

  • Caudata Order: Salamanders and newts

  • Anura Order:  Frogs and toads

    • Wallace's Flying Frog (Sumatra and Borneo)

 Reptiles

  •  Snakes : Indian python, Paradise tree snake, Indian cobra
  • Lizards: 
  • Turtles
  • Crocodilians: Saltwater Crocodile

Birds

  • Game birds and ground birds : Indian Peafowl, Temminck's Tragopan, Red Junglefowl, 

  • Water and shore birds : 

  • Birds of prey :  

  • Tree and air birds :  Great pied hornbill

    • Parrots: 

  • Song birds : Nightingale, Red-whiskered bulbul, Garnet Pitta, Crimson Sunbird, Cardinal Honeyeater

  • tree swift, leafbird, fairy bluebird, fantail, whistler, flowerpecker, wood swallow

 

  • Mammals : Subclass
    • Monotremes
    • Marsupials
    • Placentals
    • Carnivore Order (cats, dogs, musk-smelling mammals)
      • Cat family : 
      • Bear family:
        • Red Panda
        • Giant Panda
        • Sun Bear
      • Mustelid family : 
      • Procyonid family : 
    • Artiodactyl Order: (Even-toed hoofed mammals)
      • Suids (Pigs)
        • Bearded pig
      • Hippopotamus Family 
    • Perissodactyl Order: (Odd-toed hoofed mammals)
      • Horse family
      • Tapir family
        • Malayan Tapir
      • Rhinoceros family
        • Sumatran Rhinoceros
    • Primate Order (Monkeys, apes, humans)
    • Chiroptera Order (Bats)
    • Rodent Order : Includes rats, mice, squirrels, gerbils, hamsters,  beavers, lemmings, guinea pigs, porcupines, chinchillas, hutias and more. 
      • Species: India striped palm squirrel
      • Species: Bamboo rat
    • Xenarthra Order
      • Armadillo Family: 
      • Anteater Family: 
      • Sloth Family:  
    • Scandentia Order
      • Tree Shrew (Common Tree Shrew) 
    • Dermoptera
      • Colugo 

    Invertebrates 

    Insects

    Spiders

 

 

West Africa and Madagascar

Vertebrates

Fish

Amphibians

  • Caudata Order: Salamanders and newts

  • Anura Order:  Frogs and toads

    • Natal Ghost Frog

    •  

  • Caecilian: 

 Reptiles

  •  Snakes : Gaboon Viper
  • Lizards: Leaf-tailed Gecko
  • Turtles: Schweigger's Hingeback Tortoise

Birds

  • Game birds and ground birds : Congo Peafowl

  • Water and shore birds : 

  • Birds of prey :  

  • Tree and air birds :  Double-toothed barbet, Bee-eater, Red-crested touraco

  • Song birds: Red-billed Quelea, Scarlet-tufted Malachite Sunbird, Yellow-throated Longclaw

 

  • Mammals : Subclass
    • Monotremes
    • Marsupials
    • Placentals
    • Carnivore Order (cats, dogs, musk-smelling mammals)
      • Cat family : 
        • Leopard
      • Mustelid family : 
      • Herpestid family: 
        • Marsh Mongoose
        • Meerkat
      • Viverridae family
        • African Palm Civet
    • Artiodactyl Order: (Even-toed hoofed mammals)
      • Suid (Pig) Family
        • Wild boar
      • Hippopotamus Family  
        • Pygmy Hippopotamus
      • Tragulidae Family
        • Water Chevrotain
      • Bovidae Family
        • Bongo
      • Giraffidae
        • Okapi
    • Perissodactyl Order: (Odd-toed hoofed mammals)
      • Horse family
      • Tapir family
      • Rhinoceros family
        • Black Rhinoceros
    • Proboscidea Order
      • African Elephant
    • Primate Order (Monkeys, apes, humans)
      • Lemur Family
        • Ring-tailed Lemur
      • Old World Monkey Family
        • Red Colobus
        • Allen's Swamp Monkey 
        • Mandrill
        • Diana Monkey
    • Hominid Family:
  • Chiroptera Order (Bats)
  • Rodent Order : Includes rats, mice, squirrels, gerbils, hamsters,  beavers, lemmings, guinea pigs, porcupines, chinchillas, hutias and more. 
    • Species: Crested porcupine
    • Species: 
    • Species:
  • Xenarthra Order
    • Armadillo Family: 
    • Anteater Family: 
    • Sloth Family:  
  • Tubilidentate Order
    • Aardvark 
  • Pholidote Order
    • Giant Pangolin
  • Insectivore Order
    • Armored Shrew

 

Invertebrates 

    Insects

  • Butterflies and Moth
  • Beetles
  • Grasshoppers, Crickets, Ants, 

    Spiders

  • Mammals: antelope,  scaly-tailed squirrel, otter shrew, duikers, pangolin,  okapi, hippopotamus, Cercopithecus monkeys, bushbabies, pygmy hippo)
  • Birds: Congo peafowl, 
  • Tarsier, Orangutan, Siamang, Gibbon, colobine

    Click on an animal or other rainforest topic for a printout or information on that animal.

 

 

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