Blue Church Art grade K-3 students display their Madagascar Sunset Moths
Tropical rainforests are found close to the equator where temperatures and rainfall are very high all year round. The major areas of tropical rainforests are in South East Asia, West Africa and South and Central America. They are called "rain" forests because they get at least 100 inches of rain annually, and often much more! As many as 30 million species of plants and animals live in tropical rainforests. To learn more about the tropical rainforests and the important role they play in our ecosystem, check out Enchanted Learning's rainforest webpage.
 Tropical Rainforests of the World |  rainforest ferns by Janet |
The students at Blue Church Art had fun drawing and painting some of the rainforest's unusual creatures:
Toucan
 Mikayla |  Lauren B. |  Corinne |
Toucans have the largest beaks of any birds relative to their body size. Their beaks are very light in weight because they are made of keratin (the same material our finger nails are made of). Charles Darwin thought that the toucan's large colorful beak was all about courtship. Other experts suggest that the long beak is a fruit-picking device, to improve the birds' reach up in the trees. The toucan's large beak may actually help them cool off, just like sweating helps us cool off.
 Ava |  Liam |  Chrissy |
Beautiful Butterflies & Magnificent Moths
Blue Doctor Butterfly by Olivia Butterflies and moths can be found all over the world, but the world's greatest diversity of these creatures can be found in tropical rainforests. In a rainforest, there are over 150 species of butterflies & moths in a typical four square mile patch. They live in the emergent and the understory layer of the rainforest. Moths are nocturnal, while butterflies are active during the day.
Blue Doctor Butterfly:
 Eric |  Makenna |  Nathan |  Sarah B. |
 Sydney |  Ethelmae |  Kenzie |  Chrissy |
Scarlet Peacock Butterfly:
 Amelia |  Aidan |  Grace |
Madagascar Sunset Moth:
 Sherri |  Leighann |  Abby |
 Neo |  Gabriel |  Teghan |
Ocelot
ocelot by Mia Ocelots live in the Brazilian rainforests in South America and also in the Amazonian rainforest.The ocelot is also known as the painted leopard because of the distinctive markings on it's fur: dark rosettes, along with spots and stripes. They eat a variety of things, including fish, rodents, and monkeys. And they are great climbers and swimmers. Like many wild cats, ocelots are occasionally kept as pets. (Artist Salvador Dali had a pet ocelot named Babou).
 ocelot by Kyle |  ocelot cub by Corinne |
Red-Eyed Tree Frog
| The red-eyed tree frog is one of the rainforest's most well-known inhabitants. These tiny amphibians sleep hidden away during the day, stuck to the underside of leaves, with eyes closed and legs tucked in to cover body markings. This makes them almost invisible to other creatures that are hunting for prey. Scientists believe that these colorful frogs developed bright red eyes to momentarily shock predators, giving them a chance to get away. |  Gabby B.  Caroline O. |
 Albert |  Jessica |  Catherine |  Kaitlyn |
 Caroline O. |  origami frog by Liam |  Gabby B. |
 Caroline C. |  Alex |  Lauren K. |  Yan |
Blue Coral Snake
blue coral snake by Morgan The venomous Malaysian blue coral snake is as beautiful as it is dangerous! This slender snake measures about 5 feet long and is a deep blue/black color with patterns of light blue or white, and a bright red head, tail and underbelly. It defends itself by displaying its brightly colored body, turning upside down to show its red belly to warn away predators. Hiding its head under the coils of its body, the blue coral snake raises its tail to mimic a head, confusing its enemies.
 Shayla  Ryan  Emilia | Blue Church Art's youngest students created wonderful paintings of this very colorful snake.  Carter |  Madison  Matthew  Trent |
Scarlet Macaws
Leighann Macaws are the largest parrots in the world. The scarlet macaw has a wide distribution throughout Central and South America, east of the Andes, from Mexico south to Peru, Bolivia and Brazil. From beak to tail this magnificent bird can be as long as 33 inches! With wide strong wings and hollow bones that aid flight, they can reach speeds of 35 miles per hour.
 Thomas |  Liam |  Mia |  Lynn |
 Chrissy |  Lauren L. |  Jack |  Siobhan |
Ring-Tailed Lemurs
Last but not least, the feisty lemur. The ring-tailed lemur dwells in both the dry forest area in southern Madagascar and the rainforests of west Madagascar.
 Dominic |  Gabriella L. |
 Lauren S. |  Emilia |  Emma W. |  Ella |
Male ring-tailed lemurs have stink fights! They rub their tail on scent glands located on their wrists and shoulders, then arch their tail over their head and wave it so the "fragrance" is wafted toward their opponent.
 Ada |  Lauren D. |  Ashlee |  Landon |
The lemur of Madagascar is one of the oldest species on Earth. Unfortunately, they are also one of the most critically endangered species on Earth.
 Jessica |  Kyle |  Jill |  Teghan |
The rarest lemur of all is the rainbow ring-tailed lemur, which exists only in the imagination of very creative people like the students at Blue Church Art :)
 Ise |  Alaina |
Other Exotic Animals...
These animals are not rainforest inhabitants, but their beautiful portraits were also created by Blue Church Art students in April:
 red panda by Bridgette |  red panda by Emma S. |  red panda by Mikayla |
 siberian tiger by Lauren L. |  red panda by Sierra |  siberian tiger by Sierra |
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