For most people, the term rainforest may be related to tall trees with hanging vines and orchids. Besides, it may be inhabited by animals, such as monkeys, noisy parrots, crocodiles and others.
For the tropical Amazon rainforest, yes, this image may be true. However, there are different types of rainforests which have different conditions. Make sure you know the characteristics of animals in rainforest.
Are you curious of the animals inhabiting rainforest biome? Here they are the 8 amazing rainforest species which are inhabiting rainforest. These are the animal species we all need to protect.
- Mountain Gorilla
Mountain gorilla is known to be the largest living primate on earth. Together with chimpanzees, orangutans and bonobos, they are the closest living relatives to humans. Mountain gorillas also have the most developed brain among the four.
Mountain gorillas live mostly on the lush mountain sides of national parks in Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, Central Africa. They live in groups consisting of 30 members, with one dominant. The male troop leader is called a “silverback” as he has the silver color in his coat.
- Okapi
Okapi may not sound familiar to you. This creature is the closest living relative of the giraffe. Okapi lives in the dense tropical Ituri Forest of Central Africa.
It is known as the master of camouflaged by its striped hindquarters and brown hide, which help it “disappear” into the filtered light of the forest.
- Jaguar
Being famous for its beautiful spotted coat, jaguar is another inhabitant of the rainforest biomes. Its beautiful spotted coat helps it camouflage among grasses, bushes and trees where it lives.
Black panther is also a species of jaguar, which is rare and all-black. Unfortunately, jaguar is also listed as one of the endangered animals in the Amazon rainforest due to its declining population.
Jaguars are known to eat more than 85 different species of prey, including capybara, deer, tapir, squirrels, fish, turtles and young caiman from the water.
- Capybara
Capybara is known to be the largest rodent on Earth. It weighs more than 100 pounds and standing 2 feet tall. It has strong resemblance to guinea pig, but it is incredibly larger in size.
Capybaras live in the dense vegetation that surrounds water, and frequently leap into the water to hide from predators. Amazingly, they can hold their breath for up to 5 minutes inside the water.
- Scarlet Macaw
You may see scarlet macaw as one of the most iconic rainforest species. Scarlet macaw is species of parrot which has striking colors and large body. It has various colors, bright red plumage, brilliant blue and yellow wing feathers. It is really colorful! Scarlet macaws also have powerful beak that is able to open hard nuts and seeds.
Don’t you know that scarlet macaw is also listed as one of the most colorful animals on Earth? Its color is amazingly beautiful!
- Brown-throated Three-toed Sloth
Sloth is known to be one of the slowest animals in the world. The slow-moving sloth is only 8 to 9 pounds in weight. They live exclusively in trees, feeding mostly on leaves, twigs and fruits.
Its fur takes on a green tinge from the algae that grows on it because it moves so slowly. To digest a single meal, a sloth can take even a month! Everything is slow for sloth!
- Poison Dart Frog
This colorful species of frog may look beautiful but watch out! Its bright and colorful skin is actually a warning for its predators that it is poisonous. Poison dart frogs have toxic venom which lies inside the skin.
The poison of a dart frog is enough to kill around 10 humans! Poison dart frog is also one of the members of smallest but deadliest animals.
- Green Anaconda
Green anaconda is popular as one of the largest snakes in the world. It is over 30 feet in length, 12 inches in diameter and weighing over 550 pounds. Anacondas live in swamps, marshes and slow-moving streams, mainly in the tropical rainforests of the Amazon and Orinoco basins.
They are bulky on land, but sleek in the water. Their eyes and nasal openings are located on top of their heads, which allow them to lie in wait for prey while remaining submerged.
When their prey passes by or stops to drink, the green anacondas strike directly and coil around it with their body. They don’t eat or swallowing it first, instead, they then constrict their prey has been suffocated.
Regarding to their prey, the green anacondas eat almost anything, including fish, birds, amphibians, variety of mammals, and other reptiles as well. They may also eat large prey, such as tapirs, deer, capybaras and caimans, though they are not regularly consumed.