Expert: Walter Hintz - 9/2/2005

Question
I am doing a project for AP Biology and need some interesting facts/information on Tropical Forest Biomes to make an FAQ section.

Answer
There are some differences in tropical rain forests or jungles depending on where they are. The animals vary in African and Central and South American jungles.  I have done a lot of study of jungles and have been in the central american jungles in Belize and Ecuador.  I could write a book about them but time will permit me to give you only a few facts. Some of them are amazing.
 80% of the biomass of the rain forest consists of ants and termites.
 No biomes on Earth have a greater biodiversity than the jungle.
 There are thousands of species of insects in the jungle that have never been identified.
 One of the most dangerous animals in the rain forests is the army ants. Army ant colonies can contain 10 million ants and they eat everything in their path.
 Animals in the canopy of the rain forest never leave it. Amphibians in the canopy complete their life history there.
 There are medicines for almost all ailments in the rain forest plants, many yet to be discovered.
 There is a tree in the rain forest called the strangler fig that over time actually kills and consumes other trees.
 There are honey bees in the rain forest that are not much bigger that fruit flies.
  There are tropical fireflies that attract other fireflies with phony signals and consume them.
  There is a tiny beetle in the rain forest that enters an ant nest, addicts them to a chemical and destroys the whole colony.
   The leafcutters ants of the jungle have soldiers that guard them but if ant tries to enter the nest without a leaf he bites off their heads. The Maya of central America use soldier jaws to close minor wounds.
   There is a a species of wasp the nests under palm leaves.  If it stings you you will lose your voice.
    The blue morpho butterfly of the rain forest has cyanide in its body.
    Hope this helps.