Plants and Animal Life
Rain forest ecosystems contain more plant and animal species than virtually any other habitat in the world. Although their range has contracted and expanded with climate changes over the last several million years, in general, rain forests are some of the oldest ecosystems on Earth. As a result of this continuity, rain forests boast millions of different species, many of which are endemic, or unique, to rain forest habitats.
Plants 
Although they contain numerous species, rain forests are remarkably uniform
in their general appearance. Most trees have tall,
slender trunks that do not branch until near the crown.
Rain forest tree bark
tends to be thin and smooth. Notable exceptions are palms,
which are common in some rain forests and virtually absent in other types of
forests. Rain forest plants have many unique physical
characteristics that exploit the particular habitat, or niche, that a species
occupies. Understory and midstory plants, such as relatives of the
banana tree, tend to have particularly large leaves to capture as much light as
possible-what little light that is not intercepted by the canopy above. These
large leaves do not dry out as they would high in the
canopy, where the intense
sunlight creates a drier environment. Rain forests also feature insectivorous
plants, which derive some of their nutrients by trapping
animals, particularly insects, in their leaves.
Animals
Almost 90 percent of the rain forest animal species are
insects, and of these, most are beetles.
A
Among the most fascinating rain forest insects yet encountered are leafcutter ants, remarkable because they actually cultivate their own food. These ants cut the leaves of particular plants and carry them back to their underground nests, where they fertilize them with saliva. This careful tending causes growth of a particular fungus, which the ants harvest and rely on as their sole source of food.
In 15 sq km (6 sq mi) of rain forest, as many as 100 different mammal species may be found. These animals occupy every available niche, from burrows in the forest floor to the branches of emergent trees. Most rain forest mammals are nocturnal (active during the night) or crepuscular (active during the twilight of dusk or dawn), and they spend the heat of the day sleeping. In fact, almost half the mammals of the rain forest are bats, flying mammals notorious for their nighttime activity. Some rain forest mammals, including gorillas, elephants, tapirs, agoutis, and wild pigs, are ground-dwellers, but most, like their insect counterparts, live high
in the treetops in the forest canopy. Canopy-dwellers have evolved an array of fascinating traits to survive inthe branches of trees. For instance, some Asian rain forests are especially known for animals with the ability to glide. Borneo alone has more than 30 species of mammals, reptiles, and amphibians that can glide from one tree to another. Most rain forest monkeys in Central and South America use their specialized tails, which are capable of grasping branches, like a fifth limb while climbing, feeding, and even playing high above the forest floor.
