Although the forest floor may seem dark, damp and dank, it plays an extremely important part in keeping the rainforest in perfect harmony, and we must do what we can to protect and preserve it as well as the rest of the rainforest.

Another animal that is often associated with tropical rainforests is the toucan. Toucans are brightly-colored birds with large bills. They are often seen in pairs or small groups, and they make a distinctive call that sounds like they are saying “tou-can”. When drawing a toucan, be sure to include its bright colors and large bill. Game hunted by the Yanomami include deer, tapirs (an animal similar to a pig), monkeys, birds, and armadillos. The Yanomami have hunting dogs to help them search the understory and forest floor for game. One approach is to start with the trees. The tallest trees in a tropical rainforest can reach up to 60 metres (200 feet) in height, so it’s important to get the proportions right. Start by drawing the trunk of the tree, and then add the branches and leaves. Many biologists expect rainforests will lose 5-10% of their species each decade. Rampant deforestation could cause many important rainforest habitats to disappear completely within the next hundred years. Animals often maneuver through the emergent layer’s unstable topmost branches by flying or gliding. Animals that can’t fly or glide are usually quite small—they need to be light enough to be supported by a tree’s slender uppermost layers.Start by drawing a large oval with a smaller oval slightly overlapping to the right side. Use a light pencil as you will erase these later.

Animals in the highest layers of the rainforest developed interesting adaptations to manoeuvre through the emergent layer’s unstable branches. They fly or glide between the trees. Animals that can’t glide are usually very light to be able to be supported by the branches.The trees in the rainforest also play an important role in the water cycle. They help to regulate the temperature and humidity of the air and also help to prevent soil erosion. As their name implies, temperate rainforests are much cooler than their tropical cousins, averaging between 10° and 21°C (50° and 70°F). They are also much less sunny and rainy, receiving anywhere between 150-500 centimeters (60-200 inches) of rain per year. Rainfall in these forests is produced by warm, moist air coming in from the coast and being trapped by nearby mountains. Get colourful with your class using this rainforest leaves colouring resource. Everybody enjoys colouring, so use this activity to get the creative juices flowing! Plants in the understory layers only receive 5% of the rainforest’s sunlight, and their leaves tend to be large. Large leaves allow plants to capture light in the dark understory layer of a rainforest. The plants of the understory layer also help provide food and shelter for the animals living within the rainforest. Fine motor skills - all the little muscles in the wrists, hands and fingers of a child are developed when colouring. It also helps a child learn the correct way of holding a pencil or pen.