Jungle vs Rainforest: 6 Key Differences
Have you ever wondered if jungles and rainforests are similar? Is a rainforest just a humid jungle? Is a jungle a type of rainforest? If every jungle is a forest but not every forest is a jungle, then what is a rainforest? Are the terms ever interchangeable?
You may have guessed that a jungle is a term used to refer to any dense rainforest. However, it also specifically refers to the lower part of the forest, while the rainforest includes all living creatures above the trees. Also, a rainforest can become a jungle. We’ll explore their differences below!
Comparing Jungle vs Rainforest
| Jungle | Rainforest | |
|---|---|---|
| Climate | Tropical, high rainfall | Tropical or temperate, high rainfall, dark, humid, damp |
| Temperature | 20 to 25 °C deviating 5 to 10° up to 30° and 10 to 20°C at night | 20 to 25 °C deviating 5 to 10° up to 30° and 10 to 20°C at nigh; temperate 50 to 70°Ft |
| Location | Near earth’s equator | Near earth’s equator |
| Vegetation | Impenetrable, thick, varied undergrowth, shrubs, moss, predatory plants | Thick with the world’s tallest, largest trees |
| Canopy? | No; the forest is parted | Yes; light cannot reach the forest floor |
| Size | Smaller than rainforest and nowhere near as high | Large and high-reaching |
| Appearance | Rainforest without canopy | Covered area with tall trees; surrounded by jungle |
| Typical flora & fauna | Vines, shrubbery, insects, reptiles, rodents | Over half of all flora and fauna |
| Location of most animals | On forest floor | Emergent layer and canopy; trees |
| Terminology | Any type of tropical forest with thick vegetation and forest parting | Closed tree canopy with heavy rainfalls and no wildfires |
The 6 Key Differences Between Jungle vs Rainforest
1. Jungle vs Rainforest: Climate
A jungle always has tropical weather. A rainforest, on the other hand, can be either temperate or tropical. They also both have heavy rainfall, but while a jungle is warm, humid, and has sunlight, a rainforest is humid, damp, and dark.
2.Jungle vs Rainforest: Vegetation
The type of vegetation growth is a huge difference between jungles and rainforests. A jungle is so thick, it is impenetrable. It has a great variety of ground-dwelling plants from shrubs, vines, moss, and undergrowth to predatory plants, but there is a parting to allow sunlight to reach the forest floor. A rainforest, on the other hand, has the world’s largest and tallest trees that create a canopy. The canopy receives the most sunlight, resulting in making the lower half of the forest dark and inhibiting plant growth on the forest floor.
3. Jungle vs Rainforest: Size
A jungle is always smaller than a rainforest. It can be very thick and even impenetrable, but it can’t be as high as the trees of the rainforest.
4. Jungle vs Rainforest: Typical Flora & Fauna
Besides vegetation, the variety of plants and animals matters. Jungles have mostly vines, shrubbery, insects, reptiles, and rodents, but rainforests have more than half of the world’s birds, insects, and other fauna along with flora, even though they cover only 6% of the earth’s surface. They also produce 20% of the earth’s oxygen.
5. Jungle vs Rainforest: Location of Most Animals
Most animals in a jungle are ground or tree-dwelling, often on the forest floor. In a rainforest, most animals are tree-dwelling, living in the emergent layers and canopy.
6.Jungle vs Rainforest: Terminology
A jungle is a type of dense rainforest and the term can refer to any type of tropical forest with thick vegetation, including rainforests. Today, a jungle means either an undeveloped tropical forest with impenetrable vegetation, the bottom half of a rainforest, or the outer edges of one. A rainforest refers to a temperate or tropical forest with a closed tree canopy, but it can also mean simply the upper half of the forest, including the canopy and all living creatures above the trees. All rainforests have jungles, but jungles can also be the remains of or result from cleared-away rainforests.
Next up: Hog vs Pig: 6 Main Differences
FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
What is the difference between a jungle and a rainforest?
A jungle is a tropical forest and a rainforest is a temperate or tropical forest with a canopy.
More from A-Z Animals
Have you ever wondered if jungles and rainforests are similar? Is a rainforest just a humid jungle? Is a jungle a type of rainforest? If every jungle is a forest but not every forest is a jungle, then what is a rainforest? Are the terms ever interchangeable?
You may have guessed that a jungle is a term used to refer to any dense rainforest. However, it also specifically refers to the lower part of the forest, while the rainforest includes all living creatures above the trees. Also, a rainforest can become a jungle. We’ll explore their differences below!
Comparing Jungle vs Rainforest
| Jungle | Rainforest | |
|---|---|---|
| Climate | Tropical, high rainfall | Tropical or temperate, high rainfall, dark, humid, damp |
| Temperature | 20 to 25 °C deviating 5 to 10° up to 30° and 10 to 20°C at night | 20 to 25 °C deviating 5 to 10° up to 30° and 10 to 20°C at nigh; temperate 50 to 70°Ft |
| Location | Near earth’s equator | Near earth’s equator |
| Vegetation | Impenetrable, thick, varied undergrowth, shrubs, moss, predatory plants | Thick with the world’s tallest, largest trees |
| Canopy? | No; the forest is parted | Yes; light cannot reach the forest floor |
| Size | Smaller than rainforest and nowhere near as high | Large and high-reaching |
| Appearance | Rainforest without canopy | Covered area with tall trees; surrounded by jungle |
| Typical flora & fauna | Vines, shrubbery, insects, reptiles, rodents | Over half of all flora and fauna |
| Location of most animals | On forest floor | Emergent layer and canopy; trees |
| Terminology | Any type of tropical forest with thick vegetation and forest parting | Closed tree canopy with heavy rainfalls and no wildfires |
The 6 Key Differences Between Jungle vs Rainforest
1. Jungle vs Rainforest: Climate
A jungle always has tropical weather. A rainforest, on the other hand, can be either temperate or tropical. They also both have heavy rainfall, but while a jungle is warm, humid, and has sunlight, a rainforest is humid, damp, and dark.
2.Jungle vs Rainforest: Vegetation
The type of vegetation growth is a huge difference between jungles and rainforests. A jungle is so thick, it is impenetrable. It has a great variety of ground-dwelling plants from shrubs, vines, moss, and undergrowth to predatory plants, but there is a parting to allow sunlight to reach the forest floor. A rainforest, on the other hand, has the world’s largest and tallest trees that create a canopy. The canopy receives the most sunlight, resulting in making the lower half of the forest dark and inhibiting plant growth on the forest floor.
3. Jungle vs Rainforest: Size
A jungle is always smaller than a rainforest. It can be very thick and even impenetrable, but it can’t be as high as the trees of the rainforest.
4. Jungle vs Rainforest: Typical Flora & Fauna
Besides vegetation, the variety of plants and animals matters. Jungles have mostly vines, shrubbery, insects, reptiles, and rodents, but rainforests have more than half of the world’s birds, insects, and other fauna along with flora, even though they cover only 6% of the earth’s surface. They also produce 20% of the earth’s oxygen.
5. Jungle vs Rainforest: Location of Most Animals
Most animals in a jungle are ground or tree-dwelling, often on the forest floor. In a rainforest, most animals are tree-dwelling, living in the emergent layers and canopy.
6.Jungle vs Rainforest: Terminology
A jungle is a type of dense rainforest and the term can refer to any type of tropical forest with thick vegetation, including rainforests. Today, a jungle means either an undeveloped tropical forest with impenetrable vegetation, the bottom half of a rainforest, or the outer edges of one. A rainforest refers to a temperate or tropical forest with a closed tree canopy, but it can also mean simply the upper half of the forest, including the canopy and all living creatures above the trees. All rainforests have jungles, but jungles can also be the remains of or result from cleared-away rainforests.
Next up: Hog vs Pig: 6 Main Differences