Daintree Rainforest
By Lauren Bristow
Location
The Daintree rainforest is located north of Cairns, Queensland. It covers 20% of Australia's landmass.The Daintree is 135 million years old and is Australia's oldest and biggest rainforest.
Animals
The Daintree rainforest is home to 50% of the worlds animals and plants.It has over 700 species that can only be found there. Here are 4 interesting animals that can be found in the Daintree rainforest.
The Cassowary
They can grow from 1.5- 2.0 metres high. It is the heaviest bird in Australia. Unfortunally these birds are endangered and there is only about 2,000 left in the world.
Amethysti-n python
It is a dark brown to black with zig-zag patterns. This snake has been recorded, at length, to be up to 8.5 metres! It is Australia largest snake.
Ulysses Butterfly
It is found on every continent except Antarctica. Their wingspan is 100- 130mm (9cm). They have metallic blue wings with a black border.
Buff-breasted Paradise Kingfisher
They have a thick red bill and two long, white central tail feathers. They have a black line across their eyes and blue ontop of their head and back. It's diet includes insects, lizards and frogs.
Plants
There is about 3000 species of plants found in the Daintree. There is many plants there, but these are just 3 of them.
Strangler fig
The Strangler plant grows upon trees. This often results in the other trees death. They are found in tropical forests around the world
Fan palm
It has pleated leaf segments, which combine to create the shape of a Chinese fan. These leaves grow up to two metres wide!
Selaginell-a
One of the first plants to evolve with a vascular system. With the ability to transport water and nutrients intrinsically plants were able to colonise the land.