. The nearly perfect conditions for life also help contribute to the great number of species. With temperatures constant at about 75-80 degrees Fahrenheit the whole year, the animals don’t have to worry about freezing during the cold winters or finding hot shade in the summers. They rarely have to search for water, as rain falls almost every day in tropical rainforests. Some rainforest species have populations that number in the millions. Other species consist of only a few dozen individuals. Living in limited areas, most of these species are found nowhere else on earth. For example, the maues marmoset, a species of monkey, wasn’t discovered until recently. It’s entire tiny population lives within a few square miles in the Amazon rainforest. This species of monkey is so small that it could fit into a persons hand! In a rainforest, it is difficult to see many things other than the millions of insects creeping and crawling around in every layer of the forest. Scientists estimate that there are more than 50 million different species of invertebrates living in rainforests. A biologist researching the rainforest found 50 different of ants on a single tree in Peru! A few hours of poking around in a rainforest would produce several insects unknown to science. The constant search for food , water, sunlight and space is a 24-hour pushing and shoving match. With this fierce competition, it is amazing that that so many species of animals can all live together. But this is actually the cause of the huge number of the different species. The main secret lies in the ability of many animals to adapt to eating a specific plant or animal, which few other species are able to eat. An example of such adaptations would be the big beaks of the toucans and parrots. Their beaks give them a great advantage over other birds with smaller beaks. The fruits and nuts from many trees have evolved with a tough shell to protect the...
