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Rainforest Biome

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Submitted By absherd
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Dear Ms. Roberts, It is currently the summer of 2016 and I have just arrived in Brazil to watch the summer Olympics with my beloved, British boyfriend Harry Styles. Harry was invited to perform at the opening ceremonies here in Rio de Janeiro with his band, so I decided I would come with him and research the Tropical Rain Forests. The thing most different about rain forests compared to South Dakota is the fact that they are warm year-round. In fact, rain forests go through virtually no season changes. To say it simply, every season there is equivalent to a wet, hot summer. Tropical rainforests on average have around 100 inches of rain a year and the temperatures range from 40 degrees Fahrenheit to 100 degrees Fahrenheit. The amounts of animals that are located in the rainforests seem endless. One of my favorites, though, is the Brown-throated Three-toed Sloth. This sloth is unique because unlike many other species of animals, the male and females are almost exactly proportional. Both genders range from 17 to 31 inches in height and weigh anywhere from 5 to 15 pounds. Another very unique species I found in this tropic climate was the Red-Eyed Tree Frog. The thing you may notice at first would be the big, bulging red eyes; but I noticed their special way of camouflaging themselves. Although their eyes may be very noticeable, those big eyes are actually how they hide themselves from predators. When this species of frogs close their eyes, the eye lids are a vibrant tree green that makes them practically disappear from anyone’s sight. One thing that I remember learning a lot about in tenth grade Biology was evolution, particularly the evolution of different birds. The Toco Toucan is a lot like the birds in the Galapagos Islands in the fact that over time they have adapted their beaks to reach fruit that is deep inside the canopy. Another thing I learned about their enormous beaks was that they actually use them to regulate heat exchange. Their beaks actually regulate their body heat and pump blood. I also saw many creepy, crawly things while in the rainforest – including snakes and lizards. There are so many different species varying in size, color, and locations that I would have to write a book to list them all. Two that I noticed in particular were the Eyelash Viper and the Iguana.
The plant lives in the tropical rainforests are divided in two parts, the canopy and the understory. Much of the understory is small shrubby plants, such as Angel’s Trumpet – a shrub native to Brazil. The canopy, though, consists of many trees and vines. The vine Allamanda is very common in South America and is found hanging from trees such as the Ficus.

http://www.rainforest-path.com/tropical-rainforest-locations.html http://www.ecuador-travel.net/biodiversity.mammals.sloth.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainforest http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/rnfrst_plant_page.htm http://ths.sps.lane.edu/biomes/rain3/rain3.html
http://www.rainforest-alliance.org/kids/species-profiles/tree-frog

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