Rainforest In Costa Rica

• Covering less than 2 percent of the Earths total surface area, the world's rainforests are home to 50 percent of the Earths plants and animals.

• Rainforests can be found all over the world, from as far north as Alaska and Canada to Latin America, Asia and Africa.

• Rainforests are found on every continent across the Earth except Antarctica.

• There are two major types of rainforest: temperate rainforests (with season changes) and tropical rainforests (hot and rainy).

• Rainforests are very important in keeping the Earth's limited supply of drinking and fresh water.

• Tropical rainforests also supply medicine as well as keeping

the air clean.

Costa Rica

• The Central American country of Costa Rica, despite its small size, has high levels of biological diversity with some:– 12,000 species of plants– 1,239 species of butterflies– 838 species of birds– 440 species of reptiles and amphibians– 232 species of mammals

Poison-dart frog

• Poison-dart frogs derive their name from the fact the toxins they secrete for defense have been used in hunting by indigenous peoples in South America.

• This species has a fascinating life history in which it carries its eggs from the forest floor high into the canopy where they are placed in the water of a tank bromeliad.

• After the eggs hatch, the frog provides food for the tadpoles by laying unfertilized eggs in the water.

Vested Anteater

• Like all anteaters, this Tamandua (Tamandua Mexicana) or vested anteater has no teeth.

• It uses the long sticky tongue in its tube-like snout to entrap insects in the narrow fissures of termite or ant nests.

• Its forepaws have large hooked claws to rip open these nests or for defense, while the prehensile tail allows it to climb easily.

• These solitary animals can be seen foraging in the canopy or on the ground, often in thick tangled vegetation.

Squirrel monkey

• Central-American Squirrel Monkeys is sometimes considered a subspecies of the common squirrel monkey

• These highly active monkeys travel in groups and feed on fruits and insects.

• They are endangered due to habitat destruction; only a few isolated populations remain.

Mating Heliconids Butterflies

• These heliconid butterflies are mating. • Their coloration, although standing out in

this photo, makes them difficult to see against the sun-dappled greenery in which they feed.

River Turtles

• These river turtles were found in Costa Rica's Atlantic costal rainforest.

• They are always highly vigilant and drop into the water at the first sign of danger.

• For that reason they are difficult to approach closely unless concealed (these turtles repeatedly took to the water whenever someone got within sixty feet!).

Monkeys• There are four species of

monkeys in Costa Rica, all of which are descendants of Asian and African monkeys that evolved into the New World monkeys about 40 million years ago.

• Sloths live in the canopy story of the rainforest.

• They are arboreal folivores, which means that they eat the young leaves at the tops of mature trees.

• Toucans are common residents in the various regions in which they occur, except where there is extensive deforestation. None of the family are currently threatened in Costa Rica.

Plant Life

• Costa Rica is home to over 9000 identified species of vascular plants, including over 900 different species of trees, and more are being described each year!

Emergent

• The tallest trees are the emergent, towering as much as 200 feet above the forest floor with trunks that measure up to 16 feet around.   Most of these trees are broad-leaved, hardwood evergreens. Sunlight is plentiful up here.  Animals found are eagles, monkeys, bats and butterflies.

Canopy

• This is the primary layer of the forest and forms a roof over the two remaining layers.   Most canopy trees have smooth, oval leaves that come to a point. It's a maze of leaves and branches.  Many animals live in this area since food is abundant.   Those animals include: snakes, toucans and tree frogs.

• Canopy trees can grow up to 250 feet tall. Under these trees there are thousands of species of smaller trees, like the prehistoric fern-tree, as well as shrubs (understory).

• Canopy trees adapt by reaching up to sky for light. The vines adapt by cling to the trees and working their way up.

Understory

• Little sunshine reaches this area so the plants have to grow larger leaves to reach the sunlight.   The plants in this area seldom grow to 12 feet.  Many animals live here including jaguars, red-eyed tree frogs and leopards.  There is a large concentration of insects here.

Forest Floor• The forest floor receives only about 1-2% of the light that

falls onto the trees of the canopy. • There are few plants down at that level. Instead, the floor

is littered with dead leaves, twigs, and fallen fruit, which help to feed insects and lizards.

• They eat whatever has fallen from above. • There is no underbrush for them to deal with, so travel in

this dim world is easy.• It's very dark down here.  Almost no plants grow in this

area, as a result.  Since hardly any sun reaches the forest floor things begin to decay quickly.  A leaf that might take one year to decompose in a regular climate will disappear in  6 weeks.   Giant anteaters live in this layer.

• Let’s Sing• Let’s Make a Rainforest