Animals of the rainforests

Over half of the World ´ s rainforests are in South and Central America. Others can be found in Africa, Asia and Australia. The largest rainforest in the world stretches across the Amazon Basin in South America.

The weather in this region is usually hot and wet. In these conditions the trees and plants grow very well. It is said that in the tropics, the only change in weather conditions is from wet to wetter during the rainy season. This means that there is a plentiful supply of food for animals that live in this environment. Some of these animals we may have seen in the zoo or on TV.

The giant red orang utans live in the rainforests of Sumatra and Borneo in Southeast Asia. The name “orang utans” means “man of the forest”. They have very big appetites. They like to eat fruit, but they will also eat leaves. The orang utans spend most of their time in the treetops, swinging from branch to branch. They have long, powerful arms.

Lizards can be found all over the rainforests. They eat plants, insects and other small animals.

The sloth is a strange animal. It moves very slowly. Like the orang utan it also lives in the treetops. Leaves and shoots are all food sloths need. They are very hairy animals and many insects live in their fur. Some sloths have two toes and some three.

Many beautiful and interesting birds live in the rainforests. The hummingbird has a very long bill. This is ideal for getting to the sweet nectar found inside flowers. They also eat insects as well. The hummingbird is a flying expert. It can hover while it feeds.

One of the sad things is that the rainforests are getting smaller. Scientists believe that over 50 wild species of plants and animals become extinct every day because of the rainforest destruction. Many of the world ´ s favourite animals, like tigers and the orang utans are endangered because their forest homes are being destroyed.