Hobbies And Interests
Tree Design
Trees usually have branches growing out at a certain height. At that height, the branches move outward and upward to capture as much moisture and sunlight as possible. In the rain forest, however, trees have evolved to grow to immense heights. This general tall height means that most of the trees have little to no branches the closer you get to the forest floor. Most of the branches are up at the top of the trees with only smooth bark and flowers appearing on the body of the tree. The bark is also extra thick, allowing many of the trees to survive damages inflicted by animals.
Plant and Animal Interaction
To protect against insect consumption, most trees in the rain forest create toxic chemicals in their flowers to kill off insects. However, the human race has benefited from the toxic chemicals in the rain forest flowers, usually by harnessing the toxins and manufacturing vaccines and medicines against rare diseases. This can be thought as an example of how animals and plants interact in the rain forest. Another interaction seen between the plants and animals in the rain forest is through water consumption. According to National Geographic, the trees of the rain forest are so close together, a precipitation event called transpiration occurs. This creates a dense fog around the trees, which emits 200 gallons of clean water per year to the rain forest ground.
Food Eating Adaptions
To consume the assortment of food in the rain forest, many animals developed unique ways to eat. For example, many birds in the rain forest have strong, large beaks that can crush the extra thick shells of nuts; the most popular example of this is the toucan. For other animals, insects, like ants, are the main diet, so the anteater developed a proboscis-like tongue that can reach into every corner of an insect settlement to consume the bugs. Insects in the rain forest are typically stronger than other insects across the world. Many ant species, for example, can carry objects over 50 times their own weight. This helps the insects carry everything from small fruits to leaves for food.
Protections
Many animals in the rain forest protect themselves through a number of defenses. One common defense adaptation is camouflage. Many insect species can mimic their surroundings so mammals or birds cannot differentiate between the insect or a tree leaf or a rock. Another protection is poison. Like plants, which can emit poison through their flowers, many animals have poisonous skin. The skin of these animals are covered with deadly poisons that can kill an animal just through touch. As a way to avoid confrontation, many poisonous animals have vibrant colored skin as a way to warn other animals.