Rainforest

jungle · biodiversity · climate · moisture

Dense tree canopy. Rainforests have so many trees growing close together that their leaves form a thick roof called a canopy that blocks most of the sunlight from reaching the forest floor below.

Always wet and steamy. Rainforests need lots of moisture to survive, which means they get tons of rain and stay incredibly humid all year long, creating a damp, dripping world full of water.

Vines and hanging plants. Lianas are thick vines that climb up trees, and epiphytes are plants like orchids and ferns that grow right on the tree branches, turning the forest into a stacked apartment building for plants.

No wildfires here. Unlike drier forests, rainforests are so wet that wildfires basically never happen, which helps these forests stay protected and keep growing for thousands of years.

Two main types. Tropical rainforests are near the equator where it's hot year-round, while temperate rainforests are in cooler places like the Pacific Northwest and stay green but get less rain.