Rainforests are magical places. They are home to a tremendous number of different plants and animals. They are home to many people. They are important places for all people.

Come with us, as we visit some rainforests around the world in this Photo Journal!

(Note to parents/educators: you can find more detailed information about each photograph in the image captions.)

Here are some rainforest landscapes and habitats. Water is important in rainforests. Trees and other plants grow closely together.

This is old-growth tropical rainforest in Sabah’s Imbak Canyon, Malaysia. Photographer: Rhett A. Butler
This is the Kinabatangan River in Malaysian Borneo. Photographer: Rhett A. Butler
Flooded forest in the Amazon. Photographer: Rhett A. Butler
Here, the mist is rising from the Amazon rainforest in Peru. Rainforests generate much their own rainfall through the process of transpiration. Photographer: Rhett A. Butler
Clouds over a tributary of the Amazon. Photographer: Rhett A. Butler
Rainforest in Madagascar. Photographer: Rhett A. Butler
Lowland tropical rainforest in Sulawesi, Indonesia. Photographer: Rhett A. Butler
A waterfall in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, which is home to critically endangered mountain gorillas. Photographer: Rhett A. Butler
A blackwater lake in the Peruvian Amazon. Tannins in the water from decaying leaves make blackwater highly reflective, almost like a mirror in some cases. Photographer: Rhett A. Butler

Indigenous peoples live in rainforests, which supply their shelter, food, and medicines.

Shaman, or traditional medicine-men, use plants to heal people. But shaman are disappearing as the Amazon rainforest is cut down. Photographer: Rhett A. Butler
Dani man in Indonesian New Guinea. Photographer: Rhett A. Butler

Rainforests are biodiverse, meaning that they are home to many types of plants and animals.

Here are some plants that live in the rainforest:

Living dipterocarp tree in Sumatra, Indonesia. Photographer: Rhett A. Butler
The interior of a strangler fig in China’s Yunnan Province. Photographer: Rhett A. Butler
A cacao pod in the Amazon. Cacao is used to make chocolate. Photographer: Rhett A. Butler
A yellow flower in Vietnam’s Cuc Phong. Photographer: Rhett A. Butler

Here are some mammals that live in the rainforest:

An Indri lemur, the largest lemur species, in Madagascar. Photographer: Rhett A. Butler
A mother Sumatran orangutan carries its baby in Gunung Leuser National Park. Photographer: Rhett A. Butler
This is a male silverback gorilla in Gabon. Photographer: Rhett A. Butler
A bat in the Amazon rainforest. Photographer: Rhett A. Butler
A three-toed sloth in Panama. Photographer: Rhett A. Butler
Borugo (Agouti taczanowskii), a large Amazon rainforest rodent.
This is a borugo (Agouti taczanowskii), a large Amazon rainforest rodent. Photographer: Rhett A. Butler

Many types of birds live in the rainforest. Some of them have striking colors:

Knobbed hornbill from Sulawesi, Indonesia. Photographer: Rhett A. Butler
Male cock-of-the-rock birds in the Amazon. Photographer: Rhett A. Butler
A male green kingfisher in Costa Rica. Photographer: Rhett A. Butler
The harpy eagle is the world’s largest bird of prey. It lives in Latin American rainforests. Photographer: Rhett A. Butler
Blue-and-yellow macaw in Peru. Photographer: Rhett A. Butler

The rainforest is home to many kinds of reptiles, too:

A green iguana in Colombia. Photographer: Rhett A. Butler
Uroplatus fimbriatus gecko in Madagascar's rainforest.
This Uroplatus fimbriatus gecko is found in Madagascar’s rainforest. Photographer: Rhett A. Butler
Panther chameleon in Eastern Madagascar.
A panther chameleon in Eastern Madagascar. Photographer: Rhett A. Butler
 
Asian Vine Snake in South Kalimantan, Indonesia. Photographer: Rhett A. Butler
Monitor lizard (Varanus salvator) emerging from a tree hollow in West Malaysia. Photographer: Rhett A. Butler

Lots of amphibians call the rainforest home:

Glass frog in Costa Rica. Photographer: Rhett A. Butler
Strawberry poison-dart frog (Oophaga pumilio) in Costa Rica. Photographer: Rhett A. Butler
Clown tree frog (Dendropsophus leucophyllatus) in the Colombian Amazon. Photographer: Rhett A. Butler

The rainforest is also home to many fascinating insects. Here are just a few:

Pink katydid in the Amazon rainforest. Photographer: Rhett A. Butler
Praying mantis in the rainforest in Suriname. Photographer: Rhett A. Butler
A leaf insect in Madagascar.
A leaf insect in Madagascar. Photographer: Rhett A. Butler
This interesting caterpillar lives in Bolivia. Photographer: Rhett A. Butler
A colorful grasshopper in Costa Rica’s rainforest. Photographer: Rhett A. Butler

Thanks for visiting the rainforest! We hope you come back soon and check out more facts and fun on Mongabay Kids.