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Daintree Rainforest Facts & Worksheets

The Daintree Rainforest in Queensland, Australia, is a stunningly complex ecosystem.

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The Daintree Rainforest in Queensland, Australia, is a stunningly complex ecosystem. From thick rainforests and mountain ranges to fast-flowing streams, waterfalls, and gorges, it is a rich and colorful world with a diverse variety of flora and fauna.

See the fact file below for more information on the Daintree Rainforest or alternatively, you can download our 25-page Daintree Rainforest worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

HISTORY OF THE RAINFOREST

  • When Australia became more arid, rainforests found themselves in fewer and fewer areas. However, the climate and topography in the Daintree region were perfect, and the area became the last remaining rainforest refuge. Many organisms were able to live safely without the need to adapt inside this refuge.
  • The Kuku Yalanji people live in the Daintree Rainforest. The Kuku Yalanji have existed in this region for thousands of years, and their songs and legends continue to give this landscape unique significance. For the Kuku Yalanji people, this is a spiritual and culturally significant place.
  • When European settlers arrived in the 1800s, the local Kuku Yalanji people experienced a drastic transformation. In 1873, an early colonist named George Elphinstone Dalrymple visited the area and found a beautiful river. Richard Daintree, a friend and early government geologist, was the inspiration for the river’s name. The Daintree name has now been given to the entire region, not just the river.
  • The Idiospermum australiense, also known as the Idiot Fruit, is one of the most primitive and unusual flowering plants. Its discovery in 1970 was arguably Australia’s most important botanical find, bringing to light the degree to which these forests are ancient.

NATURAL HABITAT

  • The Daintree Rainforest is home to a number of ancient plants known as ‘Green Dinosaurs’. In the Wet Tropics, there are approximately 920 different types of trees, with 120 to 150 different types of trees contained in a single hectare. This diversity separates this region from other rainforest areas around the world, making it special and unique.
  • Some trees in the forest stand higher than the canopy’s “normal” height. ‘Emergents’ are the name given to these large trees. The ability to achieve full exposure to the sun is a big advantage of growing above the surrounding canopy, as any pollinating animals would be able to spot the trees.
  • Although there are many plants to admire and appreciate, the rainforest is a wild setting, so there are some plants to avoid. In the rainforest, there are two major plants to stay away from. The Wait-A-While vine is a spiky plant with sharp thorns that can pierce clothing. There’s also the stinging tree, which is covered in small, invisible pricks that can itch.
  • The Daintree Rainforest receives a significant amount of rainfall to preserve its natural environment. The rainforest receives around 2000mm (79 inches) of rainfall annually on average. In certain regions, up to 9000 mm (345 inches) of rain has fallen in a single year. The rainy season lasts from December to March. During this rainy season, over 60% of the rain falls.
  • The mangrove forest system that surrounds the mouths of creeks and rivers in the Daintree is a fantastic fish nursery that is important to the area’s ecology. Many young fish species that migrate to the Great Barrier Reef later in life depend on mangroves. They also have the highest species diversity of any Australian ecosystem of this kind.

WILDLIFE

  • When visiting the Daintree Rainforest, cassowaries are a must-see. There are about 4,000 cassowaries in Australia’s Wet Tropics.
  • The Daintree Rainforest has the largest concentration of bird species in Australia. This natural center is home to nine of Australia’s ten kingfishers, seven of Australia’s nine owls, and more than half of the country’s pigeons, to name a few.
  • In the Daintree Rainforest, a large variety insects can be found. Butterflies can also be found in the forest. This tropical Queensland forest is home to 60% of Australia’s 400 butterfly species.
  • The Daintree Rainforest has a large and diverse reptile population. There are 131 reptile species found in this habitat. These include slender goannas, lizards without legs, tiny skinks, and two forms of crocodiles
  • Both venomous and non-venomous snakes can be found in the Daintree Rainforest. When viewing snakes in the wild, tourists should always be vigilant.
  • The Tropical North East Queensland region is home to all five Australian frog species. The Daintree Rainforest is home to the world’s largest tree frog, the great White-lipped Tree Frog.

BUSH TUCKER IN THE RAINFOREST

  • For thousands of years, the Kuku Yalanji people hunted and collected food in the Daintree Rainforest. For medicinal purposes, the Kuku Yalanji people used a number of insects found in the rainforest. Some of these insects are edible and have even been considered delicacies in the culinary world.
  • Witchetty grubs are rich in nutrients, and the raw innards were successful in treating sores and reducing pain.
  • The native bees were also a great source of food. Honeycomb, larvae, and honey were all highly prized, and honey was also used as a curing agent. This is just a tiny sampling of the Daintree Rainforest’s wealth of bush tuckers and medicinal products.

Daintree Rainforest Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about the Daintree Rainforest across 25 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Daintree Rainforest worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about the Daintree Rainforest in Queensland, Australia, which is a stunningly complex ecosystem. From thick rainforests and mountain ranges to fast-flowing streams, waterfalls, and gorges, it is a rich and colorful world with a diverse variety of flora and fauna.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Daintree Rainforest Facts
  • Flowery Friends
  • Exploration Excitement
  • Wildlife All Around
  • Advocating Nature
  • Into the Wilderness
  • Exploring History
  • Notes on Nature
  • Lost in the Forest
  • Save the Forest
  • Rain, Rain, Go Away

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Link will appear as Daintree Rainforest Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, March 10, 2021

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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