This short animated video will give you an overview of rain forests. What are rain forests? Why are they called so? Where would you find them? Benefits of Rain forests? Layers of a rain forest....Ideal for kids wanting a solid overview. The word 'forest' is generic in nature. Just like the word 'shoe' for example. My shoes can be classified as sports shoes, hiking shoes or formal shoes. Similarly, forests too can be classified. We can classify a forest based on the nature of its trees or the species that live there or its climate. Based on such factors, some forest types are: coniferous forests, plantation forests and of course rain forests. Rainforests are of 2 types. Tropical and Temperate. Tropical rainforests are found in the tropics or close to the equator. They experience high temperatures and rainfall throughout the year. Some rain forests are so dense that it could take rain as long as 10 minutes to reach the ground. And since it rains a lot in such forests, they are called rainforests. So where would we find such forests? Major tropical rainforests are found in Asia, Africa and South America. The Amazon rain forest in South America, for example, is the world’s largest tropical rain forest. The Amazon river , which is the world’s second longest river also flows though this forest. Some other well known tropical rain forests are the Congo rain forest in Africa, the Harapan rainforest in Asia and the Daintree rainforest in Australia. Temperate rain forests lie between the tropics and polar circles of the globe. They are a lot cooler than tropical rain forests and less wet. Nice. So what creatures would we find in a rain forest? Let’s start with an interesting fact : Though rain forests cover only 6% of the earth, they contain more than 50% of the world’s plant and animal species. Scientists also believe that there are millions of plants and animals in rain forests that are YET to be discovered. These creatures are found in different layers of the rainforest. Layers : Now what does that mean? Imagine the rain forest as a 3 story building. The ground floor is dark and covered with leaves and dead plants. This floor or layer is also called the forest floor. And some families who live here are the jaguar family, gorilla family and elephant family. The first floor is a bit brighter. It is also called the understory layer. Some frog , butterfly, bird and snake families live here. And let me tell you, the snakes and frogs are sometimes not the best of neighbours. Then there are families who love the second floor or Canopy layer. These are bird and monkey families. Many insects live here too along with some snakes. Finally we have the penthouses on the 3rd floor. This is also called the Emergent Layer. Some Snake and Monkey families live here along with other families such as bats and bugs. Nice friendly neighbourhood, eh! And the sounds, sights and colours of rainforests are amazing. But we live in cities and towns. How do rainforests benefit us? This answer could be a very long one my friends. So let me keep it simple: Rain forests are called the lungs of the Earth. Now what does this mean? Our bodies have lungs, right? And our lungs provide us with Oxygen. And this Oxygen is critical to our survival. Now imagine the Earth as One BIG body. Rain forests act as the lungs of the Earth, providing it with Oxygen. And who uses the Earth’s Oxygen, you ask? Well, we humans do, thanks to our lungs! So as you can see, rain forests are critical for OUR very survival. Rain forests also have a huge influence on our diet. An astounding number of fruits, vegetables, nuts, drinks, oils and flavourings come from rainforests. Rainforests are also a rich source of medicine. And as I mentioned before, scientists are still discovering new things about rain forests. Fascinating right? So do you think we are protecting our rain forests? Well, rainforests used to cover 14% of the Earth’s surface but due to deforestation now only cover around 6%. This is an alarming statistic so we should all do our bit to help.

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