By Shamim Oire
sylvapluviali
Encounter an ecosystem that is utterly pure, powerfully primal, and perfectly balanced when you visit the tropical rainforest.
12thApril2025|$375
RAINFORST
Fradel and Spies
12th April, 2025
INTREASTINGFACTS
Tropical rainforests have many different kinds of life; more than half of all the world's known plants and animals live there. Because of this, they are an important natural source for medicine, as many helpful medicines come from rainforest plants. People also believe there are millions of living things in these forests that we haven't found yet Also, the trees are very important for water They release water into the air, which helps create the heavy rain that often falls there But when it does rain, the thick cover of leaves slows the raindrops down, making them drip slowly to the ground, which can take several minutes
Tropical rainforests are mostly found near the Earth's middle line (the equator), in large parts of Central and South America, Africa, and Southeast Asia. These important natural places are known for always being hot, damp, and very rainy The average temperature stays warm all year, usually between 21°C and 30°C (70°F to 85°F). It rains a lot too, usually more than 2,000 mm (80 inches) per year, and sometimes much more. Because it's always warm and wet, many different kinds of plants and animals live there. The plant life is thick, with very tall trees like Mahogany and rubber trees, lots of plants like orchids growing on tree branches, and many ferns covering the ground This rich plant life provides food and homes for many different animals, like jaguars (top hunters), sloths and monkeys (which live in trees), bright birds like parrots, lots of snakes, and huge numbers of insects.
HARPY EAGLE
INTERESTING FACTS
The Harpy Eagle is a very strong hunter that lives at the top of the tropical rainforest trees. You can easily know it by its huge wings, which can stretch up to 7 feet wide, and its special feathered legs with very strong claws This amazing bird mostly hunts big animals that live in trees, grabbing monkeys and sloths right from the branches. Even though it's a top hunter, the Harpy Eagle is considered almost endangered This is mainly because its forest home is being lost or broken up into smaller pieces It’s lifespan is 25 to 35 years
The Harpy Eagle is easy to recognize. It has a special gray head, wide and rounded wings, and a white chest and belly. A wide black stripe goes across the top part of its chest, making it look very different. These birds only eat meat. They mostly hunt animals that live in trees, like sloths and monkeys.
About
The Harpy Eagle lives well in the rainforest because of some special helpful traits. It has very strong claws made for grabbing and killing the large animals it eats, like sloths and monkeys. It also has really good eyesight to see these animals from far away in the thick trees. Plus, its feathers blend in with the leaves, helping it hide when it hunts and keeping it safe. Because of these things, grownup Harpy Eagles are top hunters with almost no enemies. But, their nests and young eagles that aren't safe yet can sometimes be caught by hunters like jaguars and ocelots that move through the forest below.
FOOD CHAIN/ FOOD WEB
This food web shows that Fruit Trees are the food source for Howler Monkeys and Green Iguanas. Both the Ocelot and the Harpy Eagle hunt these monkeys and iguanas. The Harpy Eagle is the top hunter here because it can also hunt the Ocelot.
This food chain shows how energy moves in the rainforest: the Cecropia tree makes the food, the sloth eats the tree, the ocelot eats the sloth, and the Harpy Eagle is the top hunter that eats the ocelot. The fungi help break down dead things, and the King Vulture eats animals that are already dead.
POPULATION OVER THE YEARS
Right now, the count for Harpy Eagles is said to be 50,000 birds. If we look back over the last twenty years using these numbers, we see a really big change. Twenty years ago, there were only about 10,001 eagles counted, which is the lowest number in this count history and much, much lower than today. From that low point, the number started to go up slowly. Fifteen years ago, the count was up to 15,000 eagles. Then, ten years ago, it reached 18,000. Five years ago, the number climbed a little more to 20,000 eagles. So, for many years, the number of eagles grew, but not super fast. However, in just the last five years, something amazing happened according to these numbers. The count jumped all the way from 20,000 up to 50,000 today. That means the number of eagles more than doubled in a very short time! Overall, these numbers show the Harpy Eagle population going from very low to much higher over twenty years, with the biggest growth happening very recently.