Tropical+Rain+Forest



=//__**Tropical Rain forest**__//=


 * Angella Grey**- Climatologist
 * Danielle Jacobs**- Naturalist
 * Bailey McAlister-** Producer
 * Abby Oatman**- Geographer
 * Aliyah Starnes**- Naturalist

//__Felines-__//One of the largest cats in the rain forest. It has large legs to spring into trees and spring onto prey. They can be very adaptable with their diets. They can eat anything from fish in the water, small mammals on the floor, birds like parrots and macaws, frogs, and deer. Cats in the rainforest range greatly in size. They are able to climb great heights and hide in the trees. They can all pounce and stalk silently. There are only a few felines in the Amazon but in other rain forests in other countries there are Pumas, Tigers,and Leopards, and Ocelot. The Ocelot is a small feilne with the fur pattern that a cheetah would take on, they eat small animals and deer. Most would compare the Ocelot to a medium build dog, for size, they often hunt at night and have incredible night vision. //__Amphibians and Reptiles-__// In the rain forest, frogs, are more likely to be in trees because of the constant rain fall in the tropics. Also because of the high humidity the frogs can roam more freely because they don't have to hide in water like they normally do. Another difference about the tropical rain forest frogs is where they lay their eggs. They lay their eggs in the ground or around vegetation. Some will lay their eggs in plants above the rain forest so that they can avoid the dangers of the water as eggs, but whenever they hatch, they will be able to fall into the water and survive for themselves. An interesting frog, the most fascinating too me, is the glass frog. They are almost clear with yellow spots so that whenever predators come, they can lay still and hide and act like eggs. This is an interesting type of camouflage. Frogs in the rainforest size might be because they like to find small openings and pockets of water to hide in and lay their eggs. Also, when they are smaller it might be easier to camouflage. Anaconda's live in a swampy environment. They live near water. They prefer to eat birds, mammals, fish, and anything smaller then them that they can catch. Their size, depending on male or female, female being larger, can ranger from 12-18 or 6-11 feet. Females weigh about 300 lbs. The males are noticeably smaller. Another snake in this biome is the blunt-head tree snake. This snake is very tiny and very skinny. As you can see there is a wide variety in the snakes in the tropical rain forest. They can live anywhere from trees to water, they can eat anything from small bugs and frogs, to birds and small mammals. __//Small Mammals-//__ In the rain forest there are capybaras, agoutis, acouchis, pacas, and many more small mammals. New world rodents in the tropical rain forest are majorly used for seed spreading around the rain forest, like squirrels with nuts, or hamsters or small other rodents. Small mammals in the rain forest will scurry along the rain forest floor and then carry nuts that they found on the floor and bury them in the ground for later or find a hole in a tree to hide them in. They have the risk of getting eaten by birds or snakes or sometimes their own kind. They are mainly herbivores. Some will eat smaller bugs or smaller mammals. __//Insects/ Arachnids-//__ The main types of bugs you will find are butterflies. There are almost 1500 species. Over 90% of the rain forest in various types of insects and arachnids. You will find a great amount of camouflage within these creatures. There are butterflies with coloring like bark to blend in with the trees. Insects with wings that mirror leaves and can lay flat to stay hidden. Butterflies like owls, spiders so thin they are invisible, clear-winged flies, green-leaved grasshoppers, praying mantis hidden among trees. There are also many insects that use bright coloring to warn predators that they are poisonous. __//Water Predators-//__Predators in the water will be things like large fish, snakes, carnivorous frogs, felines, catfish, piranha, electric eel, and dolphins. These predators have a hard time hunting whenever the waters are low.One such animal is the Giant River Otter. The Giant River Otter lives in the amozon river. It eats small snakes, fish and birds. It is very adaptable with its diet. When its younge it can be attacked by snakes and felines. It is the rarest mammal in the amozon rainforest. __//Plants-//__ The plants in the rain forest are divided up into five layers- (going from bottom to top) the forest floor, the shrub layer, the understory, the canopy, and the overstory. On the forest floor there is not much vegetation because the trees overhead will block out all the light, but there are small, growing plants that don't need much light. The shrub layer is excatly how it sounds. Small shrubs and smaller pants grow towards the bottom of the "jungle". Even though there isn't much of a jungle on the forest floor, it starts to take on its characteristics in this layer. Next, is the understory. The understudy refers to the branches and leaves that aren't so dense and have grown below the canopy. The canopy is where the main trees are growing,very densely. This level barely lets in any light. This is the reason in which there is no shrubs under the trees. The overstory is where the taller trees have broken through the canopy layer. They have wider leaves to soak up the sun. These layers and the plants in these layers all adapt to each other and work together to create this perfect biome and ecosystem. A very unique plant in the rain forest is the strangler-fig tree. This tree uses the other trees to climb up to get to the light. Commonly know plants in the rain forest are orchid, mistletoe, lilies, coffee, figs, black beans, and ferns.
 * __Naturalist(1):[[image:http://www.tonycharters.com/images/Tourforce14/rainforestresearch.jpg width="268" height="381" align="right"]]__**
 * __By: Danielle Jacobs__**

//__Primates- __// differnces between Sexes** || can barely tell apart || are total opposites || . //__Bats-__// As with primates, bats are also categorized by Old World and New World. The Old World bats are typically fruit eaters, while the New World bats are Insectivores. Insectivores are animals that eat mainly and/ or only bugs. Because the Old World bats are fruit eaters they primarily use their sight to spot their prey, whereas the New World rely on Eco location. Eco location is a form of radar. The bats send out an ultrasonic wave that goes out to the area around them, if the wave comes bouncing back the bat can tell what is in front of it, and if it is prey. //__Birds- __//There are multiple types of birds in the Rain Forest some of which include toucans, harpey eagles, macaws, and parakeets. Toucans- Keel-Billed, Red-Billed and White throat toucans are the main types of toucans that live in this neck of the forest. All though there are over forty different types of toucans. They use their brightly colored bills to break through tough nuts and well-protected berries. Harpey Eagles- Opposums, monkeys, birds, reptiles, and rodents are a main part of their diet. They often lay 1-2 eggs and stay in the parents territory till they are around a year old. Macaws& Parakeets- There are multiple different types of macaws& parakeets and they are categorized mostly by their size and coloration. //__Large Land Mammals-__// Elephants, capybaras, and tapirs are three of the main large mammals that aren't felines, primates, or water creatures. The Forest Elephant is one of three different species of elephants. This was proven based upon DNA testing; that it is a subspecies of the African Elephant. This elephant can weigh up to three tons and have a four foot long tail. Tapirs can weigh between 300- 650 pounds allowing them to be catergorized as one of the largest mammals in South America. Capybara's are the world's largest rodent at 4 feet in length and about a foot and a half tall. The Capybara is a gentle giant that is a herbivore and eats only plants near and in the water. //__Water Prey-__// Crab: no specific type that is commonly preyed upon animals. They are one of the main things in many predators diet. But one, the red crab, when eaten can turn a fish's scales red. Small fish include candiru: a small catfish that grows up to 15 cm. Lizards: the multiple types of geckos and 'dragons' such as water, and bearded Insects: include worms, ants, beetles, grasshoppers, spiders, katydids, caterpillars, praying mantis, and the occasional butterfly are some of the millions of types of insects. 
 * __Naturalist(2): __**
 * || **=**New World**=** || **==**Old World**==** ||
 * **Nostrils** || spread out and opens at sides || close together and open down ||
 * **Sleeping Patterns** || lay down || sit up ||
 * **Adaptability** || very specialized || more adaptable ||
 * **Body Structure** || hook-able/ grabbable tails || opposable thumbs and big toes ||
 * **Capability to tell the
 * __By: Aliyah Starnes__ **



__**Climate:**__ A Tropical rain forest climate has uninterrupted warm temperatures,elevated humidity with lots of rain. Tropical air masses have a lot less temperature changes than those seen in temperate zones. For most areas the temperatures hang around 25 to 30 degrees Celsius range, with little seasonal difference. There isn't much day and night temperature change, so it really doesn't drop off sharply at night, as it does here at Haltom City, in the summer. Rain forest save a tremendous amount of precipitation. It receives about 80 to 90 inches a year. The animals living in the rain forest never run out of water, this in turn causes the temperature to decrease. The rain forest is also very abundant in amphibians ,because of the very dependable water supply provided in the rain forest.Rain forest do receive some sunlight but the intertwining branches keep most of it out, this makes the rain forest a picture perfect home for frogs, pill bugs,geckos,etc. A lot of rain that falls on the rain forest never reaches the ground. It stays on the trees because the leaves act as a sheild, and some rain never gets past the trees to the smaller plants and grounds below. Trees in this climate reach a height of more than 164 feet. The conopy leaves on the trees keep sunlight from reaching the plants below. Between the conopy and understay is a lower conopy made up of smaller trees. The plants that are in the rainforest have adapted to the small amount of sunlight that they recieve. Ferns and mosses do well in this climate. They can be found growing on branches of tall trees where they can get sunlight. The plants below, on the ground, do recieve some filtered sunlight, you can also find some ferns and mosses in this area.
 * __By: Angela Grey__**

The top area of leaves blocking out the sun from the lower layers is called the canopy. The canopy contains over 50% of the rain forest wildlife, this includes birds, snakes and monkeys. In most cases vines will climb to the top of the canopy in search for light. The under canopy mainly contains bare tree trunks and vines.The shrub layer has the densest plant growth. It contains shrubs and ferns and other plants needing less light. Emergent saplings and canopy trees can also be found here.Emergents are the tallest trees and are usually over 50 meters tall. The Kapok tree is an example of an emergent. The forest floor is usually dark and damp. It contains a layer of rotting leaves and dead animals called "litter". Litter decomposes rapidly to form a thin humus, that is rich in nutrients.
 * __Geography:__**
 * __By: Abby Oatmen__**

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