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Animals of the Rainforest Objectives Students will be able to: 1. Tell what endangered species means. 2. Name one way that rainforest animals are becoming endangered. 3. Give the names of three endangered rainforest animals. 4. Define biodiversity. Materials 1. Pictures of some of the endangered animals living in the rainforest 2. Rainforest Resources 3. Teacher resources: videos/slides, pictures in books and magazines such as Ranger Rick, National Geographic, Nature Conservancy Unit Background Information Many animals living in the rainforest are in danger of becoming extinct. Those animals are divided into groups called species. The animals that are in danger of being lost forever are called endangered species. Rainforests are being cut down and burned to make the land into farms and pastures. Outsiders have come to mine and to cut trees down for logs. When this happens, the animals' homes are destroyed. Some animals are captured and taken to other parts of the world where they are sold as pets or put into animal shows. Ninety percent of all monkeys, apes and their relatives live in rainforests. Over 2,500 birds of many species live there. Some of the endangered animals include: orangutans, rhinoceros, jaguars, spider monkeys, pygmy anteaters, and ocelots. There are many others. Scientists are discovering new animal species all the time. Some of these are insects, birds, and different kinds of monkeys. Many of them are only found in the tropical forests. Biodiversity is about how many species are living together in the forest. Much biodiversity can be found in rainforests, where there are more different species of plants and animals than anywhere else on Earth. One of the very unusual animals of the forest is the sloth. Sloths spend about 18 hours a day hanging from the branches of the canopy—fast asleep. Many birds live in the canopy, such as macaws and many species of parrots. These birds add beauty to the forest with their bright colors and unusual designs. Procedure 1. Warm-up Tell students: Today we are going to talk about the animals who live in the rainforest. Ask: Do you know the name of one endangered animal that lives in the rainforest? (Make a list of names on the board.) Discuss these animals for a few moments. Tell students: Next, I will give you some writing paper and you can tell what it would be like to be an animal in the rainforest. (After about 10 minutes, ask the students to share what they have written with the class.) Read a book to introduce some more endangered animals to the students. Let the students tell something new that they learned from the book. Additional information is that many groups of species that live together are called biodiversity. Explain concept. Have students draw a picture of animals living together in their booklets. 2. Wrap-up Ask: Now we have been talking about the rainforest and the people, animals and plants that live there. Can you think of any way that the problem of endangered species can be solved? (Let students respond. Write these responses on the board and then discuss them.) Tell students: I think you would agree that we have learned some very important things about the animals of the tropical forest. Next lesson we will be discussing the plants. Homework: Draw a picture of your favorite endangered rainforest animal and bring it in to share with the class. Post pictures on the bulletin board or around the classroom. |
 © Don Bason/TNC |