Scotland's rainforest has glow worms and slime moulds

Glow worms and slime moulds might sound like something from outer space, but they're actually organisms found in Scotland's rainforest.

According to NatureScot, the country has about 30,000 hectares of "internationally important" rainforest.

A new survey to understand what creatures live in the habitat has revealed some interesting results.

Read on to find out what they found.

The survey was done by volunteers on the West Cowal peninsula, who used a mobile app to photograph, log and record species while they were walking through the forest.

The app also recorded their GPS location, which allowed the experts know where the organisms are living.

Volunteers have found rare lichens and mosses, as well as glow-worms and fungi.

NatureScot says it's the high levels of rainfall and consistent mild temperatures that create the right environment for the species.

Despite finding many species in the survey, Scotland's rainforest faces lots of challenges.

Scotland is one of the most nature depleted countries in the world and its rainforests face two main threats, deer and a plant called rhododendron.

The over-population of deer means the animals eat lots of young plants and tree saplings before they have a chance to fully grow.

Rhododendron is a non-native shrub that grows so quickly, it overpowers native species.

It's such a problem, that teams are sent around Scotland to remove the plant to allow native trees to grow.

The Scottish government is preparing to set new targets for restoring nature in the country.