What is a Rainforest?
A tropical rainforest is a dense forest near the equator that receives more than 80 inches of rain per year and stays warm (70–85°F) year-round. The three largest tropical rainforests are the Amazon (South America), the Congo Basin (Africa), and the Southeast Asian rainforests (Borneo, Sumatra, New Guinea). Temperate rainforests also exist — such as those in the Pacific Northwest of North America — but tropical rainforests hold the most biodiversity.
The 4 Layers of the Rainforest
Rainforests are organized into four distinct vertical layers, each with its own unique set of plants and animals.
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Emergent Layer
Treetops
- The tallest trees poke above the main canopy — up to 200 feet high
- Home to eagles, monkeys, bats, and butterflies that soar above the forest
- Exposed to full sunlight, strong winds, and temperature extremes
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Canopy Layer
Most Wildlife
- The main "roof" of the forest — forms a thick continuous layer of leaves
- Home to the majority of rainforest wildlife including monkeys, sloths, and toucans
- Blocks most sunlight from reaching the layers below — only 2% gets through
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Understory
Shaded Middle
- Dim and humid — plants here have large leaves to capture what little light filters down
- Home to lizards, tree frogs, snakes, small mammals, and many insects
- Temperature is very stable — rarely changes throughout the year
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Forest Floor
Dark & Rich
- Almost completely dark — less than 1% of sunlight reaches the ground
- Covered in decaying leaves and matter — decomposers rapidly recycle nutrients
- Home to jaguars, gorillas, tapirs, giant anteaters, and thousands of insects
Key Rainforest Plants
Rainforests are home to an extraordinary variety of plants, many of which have never been studied by scientists.
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Orchids
Epiphyte
- Grow on other plants (not in soil) to reach sunlight higher up
- Over 25,000 species — the largest family of flowering plants
- Many have evolved incredibly specific relationships with single pollinator species
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Bromeliads
Water Collector
- Cup-shaped leaves collect rainwater — creating tiny pools that tree frogs use to breed
- Related to the pineapple — one of the most recognizable rainforest plants
- Provide food and shelter for hundreds of insect and amphibian species
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Strangler Fig
Canopy Plant
- Starts life as a seed dropped in a tree's branches by a bird or monkey
- Sends roots down to the ground while wrapping around the host tree
- Eventually creates a hollow "fig tree" after the host tree decomposes inside
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Kapok Tree
Giant of the Forest
- Can grow up to 200 feet tall — one of the tallest trees in the rainforest
- Its fluffy seed pods were historically used to stuff life jackets and pillows
- Massive buttress roots spread out from the trunk to support its enormous height
⚠️ Why Rainforests Need Protecting
Rainforests are being destroyed at an alarming rate — primarily for cattle ranching, soy farming, palm oil production, and logging. Scientists estimate we lose an area of rainforest the size of a football field every single second. This deforestation releases stored carbon into the atmosphere, threatens millions of species, and disrupts global rainfall patterns that billions of people depend on.
Rainforest Facts
400+ in
of rainfall per year in the wettest rainforests — that's over 30 feet of rain annually!
40,000
plant species found in tropical rainforests — more than any other biome on Earth
20%
of Earth's oxygen is produced by the Amazon rainforest alone — the "lungs of the Earth"
50%+
of all species on Earth live in tropical rainforests despite covering only 6% of land
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