Tropical rainforests are located around the equator where temperatures stay near 80 degrees year round. The Tropical Rainforest is a forest occurring in tropical areas of heavy rainfall. It is abundant with many species of wildlife and vegetation. Rainforests cover less than two percent of the Earth's surface. They are home to some 50 to 70 percent of all life forms on our planet.
Rainforests are the most productive and most complex ecosystems on Earth.
The image above shows a typical cross section in the rainforest. Emergents are the tallest trees and are usually over 50 metres tall. The Kapok tree is an example of an emergent. The sea of leaves blocking out the sun from the lower layers is called the canopy . This includes birds, snakes and monkeys.