Jungles are dense forests of plants and trees located in tropical climates where there is plenty of rain.
Jungles can be full of life and activity, yet can be dangerous and hard to navigate. Additionally, “jungle” can refer to any wild or risky area where people engage in illicit practices to achieve their goals.
1. Animals
Jungles provide shelter to an abundance of animal species. Found worldwide in regions with plenty of rainfall, jungles provide refuge to predators such as tigers, Asian wild dogs and reticulated pythons; herbivores such as forest antelopes and Sumatran rhinos; aquatic creatures like Piranhas, Green Ancondas and Crocodiles as well as monkeys and apes including bonobos and chimpanzees that we are closely related to.
Jungles provide home for many animals and plants alike, from lush floors that allow for walking or hiding to fruit trees, cacao (used for chocolate making) and the liana vine.
Encourage children’s creativity and fine motor skills with jungle-themed art projects! Animal masks, leaf rubbings and paintings of jungle scenes can help children explore their creativity while developing literacy and cognitive development simultaneously. Or print pictures of different jungle animals matching them up to letters of the alphabet will develop matching and sorting skills!
2. Plants
Jungles are overgrown, wild places filled with an abundance of plants. Additionally, jungles serve as home for various animal species including monkeys, gorillas and poison dart frogs; found predominantly in tropical regions around the globe and producing over half of Earth’s oxygen production.
Jungle plants include exotic foliage such as bananas and ferns, with leaves that range in colors, textures, and shapes – ideal for creating an enchanting oasis look in gardens and other spaces. Some jungle plants can survive outdoors year-round in warmer environments while others need to be brought inside during colder climates during wintertime.
Jungles offer endless fascination. Not only are they home to diverse plants and animals, but their dense foliage makes for fascinating exploration. You might spot anything from Bengal tigers and snakes to reptiles and even Kapok trees and Strangler figs (vines that wrap around tree tops up to 1.6km long!). Additionally, you might spot hummingbirds and green iguanas flying about.
3. Trees
Jungles are dense forests of trees and plants covered with wild tangles of vines that thrive in tropical climates, often housing exotic wildlife such as tigers, gorillas, and hummingbirds. Though home to an array of plant and animal species such as these three animals (Tigers Gorillas Hummingbirds etc), jungles can often be overgrown places that make moving through them very difficult even for their animal inhabitants!
Jungle trees often release poisonous toxins to defend against animals that might eat them and also help ensure the survival of all other forms of life in the jungle. Furthermore, they symbiotically fix nitrogen from the air which contributes to its cycle and thus makes life possible for other forms of life to flourish in this environment.
One of the world’s best-known jungles is known as the Amazon rainforest in South America, while others can be found on Borneo and Southeast Asia as well as India and West Africa.
4. Flowers
Jungle plants are an explosion of colors and have many purposes in nature. From providing animal homes and food sources, to helping cleanse the air through photosynthesis and turning carbon dioxide from animal waste into nutrients that benefit plants directly.
Flowers can be found throughout the jungle, serving both as decoration and a food source for hummingbirds and green iguanas. Corpse flowers utilize their horrible smell to draw flies and other insects which pollinate them allowing it to reproduce; Bees Ballroom flower draws bees which produce honey while Chill Nettle plants can help numb and cool skin.
There are also epiphytic plant species found throughout the jungle, such as Monkey Brush. With their bright orange hue and unique form, these epiphytes make for easy identification among dense vegetation in the jungle and act as natural food sources for hummingbirds.
5. Poisonous Plants
The jungle is home to numerous dangerous plants and animals that pose risks or poisons to human life, and can even kill us outright. Because these plants cannot run away like other creatures can, they have developed various defensive mechanisms to ward off herbivorous predators such as camouflaging themselves with foliage that looks similar to foliage eaten by predators such as humans – camouflage techniques as well as poisonous compounds in their leaves make these unappetizing or deadly for herbivores.
Oleander, poison ivy, prickly pear and coral snakeroot all possess needle-like hairs that inject formic acid into the skin when touched; this causes burning, reddening and itching sensations when touched or ingestion may lead to nausea, vomiting, diarrhea convulsions and possibly even death.
Belladonna plants, also referred to as night-blooming cereus or devil’s flower, pose another dangerous hazard. Their seeds and berries contain toxic chemicals while their flowers can trigger respiratory failure, while their leaves and roots contain cicutoxin, which has been known to cause convulsions and death. Commonly found near rainforests, belladonna plants also possess hallucinogenic properties which some use spiritually while witchcrafters utilize them for inducing visions and spells.
6. Fruits
Jungles are home to an abundance of fruits. Additionally, jungles boast an assortment of plants and trees which provide animals with food and shelter while contributing to oxygen production – some such as Brazil Nut Trees, Bamboo plants, Devil’s Tongue plants, Heliconia flowers and Strangler figs can all help contribute.
Jungles are home to an abundance of vegetables and plants besides fruits. Some are used as medicine – like the increasingly popular antioxidant-rich acai berry; others like Peruvian cuisine’s beloved chirimoya fruit have long been considered staples.
The jungle can be an exciting and captivating place, yet can also be deadly if not approached properly. To stay safe in its depths, one must understand its dangers and protect themselves accordingly – wild animals, bacteria in collected water sources or poisonous plants could all pose threats of imminent harm and take your life if left unprotected.
7. Birds
Jungles and rainforests boast high biodiversity, hosting some of the rarest animals on the planet. Unfortunately, however, these fragile ecosystems are vulnerable to environmental changes as well as human activity such as deforestation.
Bengal tigers reign as the undisputed monarchs of jungles, yet many other animals call the jungle their home, such as anteaters, poison dart frogs, red ants and monkeys.
One of the most iconic jungle birds, found both in America and Africa, is the toucan. With their long beak and strong bill for picking fruit and other foods from trees and flowers, these toucans are known to steal food from other birds’ nests or eggs!
The red jungle fowl is another beloved jungle bird native to Asia that shares many traits with domestic chickens – an example of convergent evolution where two unrelated species develop similar adaptations. Another popular jungle species found throughout South America can be the green oropendola which feeds on insects, fruits, flower nectar, and colorful plumage with bright olive-yellow feathers.
8. Water
Jungles are dense forests filled with diverse plant and animal life. Usually located in hot climates with plenty of rainfall, jungles thrive as trees and vines quickly flourish there.
Jungles can be difficult to navigate unless you’re an animal! Any misstep could result in becoming lost or even dying – making finding water one of the key tasks of exploring any jungle environment.
Jungle plants play an integral part in keeping soil alive by providing essential nutrients to other plants and absorbing rainwater to control erosion. Other jungle plants serve as decomposers – breaking down dead animals and plants into nutrients for other organisms to use – including fungus and mushrooms that decompose organic material into nutrients that they use themselves.
The jungle canopy provides shelter to monkeys, birds, and tree-dwelling mammals as well as tropical plants such as Brazil-nut trees, palm trees, and those known as epiphytes that only grow on other trees.