There is plenty of water, shelter and food, and it is warm all year. These conditions mostly benefit the insects which can grow and reproduce the year round, unlike the annual cycle in colder climates. Some insects grow very large. Beetles can be as large as your hand and some moths are the size of small birds. But the really amazing thing about them is their variety.
Scientists believe many insect types have yet to be named and catalogued.
Tropical birds are also very numerous. Over 500 species are found in one small reserve in Costa Rica which is almost as many as the entire number of bird species found in the United Kingdom. The Toucan is one of the best known tropical birds with its huge and colourful beak for picking and eating fruit. Other fruit eaters are parrots, macaws, lorikeets and hornbills. These birds are all large, colourful and noisy, and the rainforest echoes with their calls.