This is a tropical rainforest.

There are tropical rainforests all over the world.

This one is in South America.

There are lots of things that make the tropical rainforest a special place.

First of all, it rains here—a lot!

Almost every day, at least some rain falls.

Also, it is warm in the tropical rainforest.

All year long, it is warm enough to wear shorts and t-shirts.

There is something else that makes the rainforest a very special place.

Can you guess what it is?

The rainforest is home to more plants and animals than anywhere else in the world!

How neat is that?

The rainforest is a habitat.

A habitat is a place where animals and plants live.

It has to provide everything an animal or plant needs to stay alive.

Plants need water, air and sunlight to stay alive.

Animals need food, water and shelter from other animals and from different types of weather.

In the rainforest habitat, there are different places where animals can live.

The canopy is like the ceiling of the rainforest.

It is where the tops of most of the trees reach.

Lots of animals live here, like monkeys, frogs and birds.

There are a few trees that grow even taller than the trees in the canopy.

The area above the canopy is where the tops of the tallest trees reach the sky.

Eagles, butterflies and bats live here.

The area below the canopy is made up of shorter trees and bushes. Snakes, lizards and ocelots live here.

The lowest part of the rainforest is the forest floor.

It is dark here because trees block the light from traveling all the way down to the ground.

Jaguars, tapirs, worms and ants are some animals that live here.

Why do some animals live at the very top of the rainforest, some at the bottom and others in the middle?

It is because animals live where they can find the food, water and shelter that are right for them.

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