What's In Our Rainforests?
By Melanie Salamat
Costa Rica is a country that has numerous, large rainforests. Various types of animals live in these rainforests and call it home. These animals mainly live in trees and eat the leaves of the forest.
The three-toed sloth is one of the many animals that live in the rainforest. These sloths are quite interesting. They have extremely low metabolic rates, meaning that they have burn off energy very slowly. They do not have many energy needs either. They only need to eat 56 calories a day in order to survive! Three-toed sloths are the lowest documented energy-needing animals. They spend most of their time eating and sleeping.
Living in the Congo's Virgunga National Park, are mountain gorillas! These gorillas are endangered right now, and the park is working it's hardest to protect them from going extinct. There are only 790 of these gorillas left in the world, and they are currently living in the Congo, which is located in East Africa.
Jamaica is also home to many beautiful rainforests and animals. Jamaica's rainforests are home to boas, iguanas, crocodiles, tree frogs, butterflies, and even the foot-long Amazonian giant centipede!
There are plenty of rainforests that hosts animals all around the world! The average temperature in rainforests is around 80 degrees. It rains approximately around nine to thirty feet per year!
Rainforests are able to grow around mountains, seacoasts, plains and river valleys! Rainforests help stabilize the world's climate by absorbing carbon dioxide. When trees are cut down or burned, the gas is then released back into our atmosphere. Rainforests are important habitats for our animals. Let's take care of them!