 Rain forests have four layers. The top layer is called the emergent layer. This is where the tallest trees are located. There are few trees in the emergent layer. But the trees that thrive here can be as tall as a 20 story building! The wind and the sunlight are strongest in the emergent layer, and the humidity is lower than in the other layers. The trees have to be strong to survive here. Toucans, kapok trees, brazil nut trees, and different types of butterflies and moths can be found here. The next layer is the canopy. The trees here form the roof of the rain forest, and almost become a type of umbrella for the rest of the rain forest. Sloths, howler monkeys, spider monkeys, and the red-eyed tree frog can be found in the trees that make up the canopy. The third layer is the understory. Little sunlight is able to reach the understory because of the thick trees and plants above. It is very hot and wet here. Animals such as bats, hummingbirds, snakes, skinks, and different types of insects live in the understory. The bottom layer is called the forest floor. There is hardly any sunlight, so is seems almost like nighttime here. There are few plants that grow on the forest floor, but there is lots of rotting material on the wet ground because of decomposition.
To find out more about the layers of the rain forest, click here.  The graph above shows how much rainfall there is in Missouri and how much rainfall there is in Costa Rica, where there is rain forests. We can see that Costa Rica gets lots of rain year-round. The red-eyed tree frog likes to live in an area with lots of water and with high temperatures, which is why the red-eyed tree frog is suited for tropical rain forests where humidity levels hover around 80%. In tropical rain forests, there is often more than 100 inches of rain per year and the temperature stays around 80 degrees all year long! Extras |
The red-eyed tree frog is found in the tropical rain forests of Central America, Southern Mexico, and Northern South America. Costa Rica is one of the Central American countries where the red-eyed tree frog is found. Rain forests cover only 6% of the Earth's surface, but 50% of the plant and animal species found on the Earth are located in the rain forests.
 The red-eyed tree frog is not endangered. But, its habitat is shrinking. The rain forests are quickly disappearing because of farming and logging. Rain forests are being destroyed at the rate of 4000 football fields per hour. That is a lot of trees! The problem is that there are so many animals and plants that are only found in the rain forests. Without the rain forests,certain plants and animals may disappear from the Earth. There are ways to slow down the loss of rain forests. One way would be to plant new trees when old trees are cut down. Also, setting aside reserves where no hunting or logging takes place can preserve the rain forest habitat for many plants and animals. Some of the things we get from rain forests chocolate sugar pineapple coffee lumber rubber many medicines lots of oxygen for us to breathe  If the rain forest disappears, what will happen to the red-eyed tree frog? |
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