The Rainforest

The Rainforest supports a largest number and greatly diverse variety of animals. Many plants and animals in the rainforest must adapt to survive the warm temperatures and a large amount of constant rainfall year around. Plants are important for the rain forest because they enable the survival of many other species. In fact, since plants must reach the sunlit areas they must adapt and wrap around trees in order to take nutrients and collect water when it rains. These plants also give rise to animals because they store water, thus allowing a drinking area for animals. Due to the continual rain fall within in the rainforest, the bedrock is old and weathered which results in the depletion of minerals and nutrients in the soil. The soils within the rainforest have high aluminum and iron oxide. Soils that are highly weathered tend to be acidic but are less abundant in minerals such as
The animal usually mates year round and cares the offspring for about 8 to 9 months. An average lifespan for these animals live to be approximately 30 years of age. In order to survive in the rainforest, the animal must maintain a consistent body temperature by consuming food. Like an Orangutan, the animal has a low metabolism and spends most of the day hunting for food and resting. The animal shares many similar characteristics found in the Proboscis monkey including a unique digestive system. Their unique digestive system that allows them use leaves as their main source of food. Their stomachs are divided into compartments and filled with cellulose digesting bacteria that help digest leaves and neutralize toxins found in the plants and soils of the rainforest. Our animal can eat other animals as well as plants. Their ability to eat mainly leaves makes them the only medium sized mammal living in the canopy of the