Tropical climate
Tropical climate can be found
on all of the continents
except Antarctica!
What does it mean that a climate is Tropical? Tropical climates often have monthly temperatures over 18 degrees. They usually have only two seasons- the dry season and the rainy season. But their average temperature changes very little throughout the year. Due to their location being close to the equator, they also experience a lot of sunlight.
Tropical places are found on every continent except Antarctica! But most of the tropical regions are located in South America, Africa and Asia.
Nature
There are many types of nature found in tropical climates. This is how some of them look.
Rainforest in Malaysia
This is a tropical rainforest in Malaysia. It's very humid! And even though it's located in a very sunny place, if you walk inside the forest it can get quite dark. It's because the trees grow tall and lush to catch as much sunlight as possible.
Swamp in the USA
Swampy ground means there is a high water content, like this tropical swamp in Florida. As the ground is covered in water, people who live in tropical regions build their houses on stilts. That way their houses stay dry even in the rainy season!
Rainforest in Brazil
The Amazon rainforest is the largest tropical rainforest in the world. It's located in South America. It's also known as 'the lungs of the Earth' because it provides oxygen for the planet!
Animals
There are so many animals that live in a tropical climate! They can be very different from one another, depending the region which they live in. Here are some fun facts about a couple of them.
Lemur
Lemurs are very important for keeping the forests alive. They help spread the seeds for new plants. In lemur societies it's females who lead the pack.
Flying squirrel
Flying squirrels live mostly in Asia. Thanks to their wings they can glide in the air up to 100m. And scientists recently discovered that they glow in the dark!
Elephant
Elephants are the world's largest land animals and they can eat up to 150 kg of food every day! They communicate with their trunks but also through vibrations.
Sloth
Sloths usually live on trees but they move faster when put in water. Sloths poop once a week and they get rid of up to 1/3 of their body weight in the process!
Jaguar
The population of jaguars is shrinking really fast. Now they are mostly confined to the Amazon Basin. Jaguars also enjoy water and are really good swimmers.
