The rain forest is home to over 50% of all the animals in the world. There are millions of different species of animals in the world's rain forests.
Butterfly
Some kinds of butterflies
have special wing patterns that tell other animals that they are poisonous.
Other edible butterflies try to copy this same pattern, allowing them to
trick predators.
Chameleon
Chameleons are a kind of lizard
that can change color as the light or temperature changes, or when it is
scared. The chameleon has a very long sticky tongue that darts out
of its mouth to catch insects. Chameleons grow up to twenty-five inches
long.
Gorilla
Gorilla's live mostly in Zaire,
and are very large. They can be up to 5'6" tall and weigh 600 pounds, with
an arm span of 9 feet. Gorilla's have coarse black hair. Even though they
are very gentle animals, their scary appearance makes them disliked, so
they are portrayed as large (true), scary (false), and cruel (false).
Jaguar
Jaguars can climb trees and
swim to catch their prey, but they are known for their fast running. The
jaguar is large and orange with black or brown spots, but no stripes. It
likes to hunt weaker animals, so it can win without a fight.
Macaw
Macaws are mainly blue and
yellow and have strong hooked beaks. They have white faces and long, colorful
tails. They can be up to 39 inches long. Macaws live in South America,
and there are 11 species altogether.
SLOTH
There are two kind of sloths,
and both are very shy and quiet. The two kinds are the three toed sloth
and the two toed sloth. They are mammals and live for about ten years.
Sloths stay up in trees most of the day, almost never coming down. They
like to do things upside down, even sleep!