24.10.2019

What animals live in rain forests. Animals of the tropical forest. List of tropical animals of Asia

There's nothing sweeter than good old stories about animals. But today I will not talk about pets, but about those that live in tropical forests. In the ecosystem tropical forests is home to a greater variety of animals than any other ecosystem. One of the reasons for such great diversity is the constant warm climate. Rainforests also provide an almost constant supply of water and a wide variety of food for animals. So here are 10 amazing rainforest animals and some facts about their lives.

1. Toucans
Toucans can be found in South and Central America under the canopies of tropical forests. While sleeping, toucans turn their heads inside out and tuck their beaks under their wings and tail. Toucans are very important to rainforests because they help disperse seeds from the fruits and berries they eat. There are about 40 different species of toucans, but unfortunately, some species are endangered. The two main threats to the existence of toucans are the disappearance of their habitat and increasing demand in the commercial pet market.
They vary in size from approximately 15 centimeters to just over two meters. Large, colorful, light beaks are the hallmarks of toucans. These are noisy birds with their loud and creaky voices.

2. Flying dragons.
Tree lizards, called flying dragons, actually glide from tree to tree on their flaps of skin that look like wings. On each side of the body, between the fore and hind limbs, there is a large flap of skin supported by expanded movable ribs. Usually these "wings" are folded along the body, but they can open so that the lizard can glide for many meters in an almost horizontal state. The flying dragon feeds on insects, particularly ants. To reproduce, a flying dragon descends to the ground and lays 1 to 4 eggs in the soil.

3. Bengal tigers
The Bengal tiger lives in the Sundarbans regions of India, Bangladesh, China, Siberia and Indonesia, and is seriously endangered. Today, about 4,000 individuals remain in the wild, down from more than 50,000 at the turn of the century in 1900. Poaching and habitat loss are the two main reasons for the decline in Bengal tigers. They were never able to adapt to harsh conditions, despite being a dominant species. Tigers, also known as the Royal Bengal tiger, which is a subspecies of tiger, can be found in the Indian subcontinent. The Bengal tiger is the national animal of Bangladesh and is considered the second largest tiger in the world.

4. South American harpies.
One of the largest and most powerful of the world's fifty eagle species, the South American harpy eagle lives in the tropical lowland forests of the Central and South America: from southern Mexico south to eastern Bolivia, and southern Brazil to northern Argentina. This is an endangered species. The main threat to its existence is the loss of habitat due to constant deforestation, destruction of nesting sites and hunting.

5. Tree frogs.
These are frogs found in Central and South America. They are known for their bright colors, which warn other animals that they are poisonous. The frogs' venom is one of the most powerful poisons known and can cause paralysis or death. It is so powerful that one millionth of 30 grams of poison can kill a dog, and less than a crystal of salt can kill a person. One frog has a supply of poison sufficient to send up to 100 people to the next world. Local hunters used poison for their arrows, which is where the frog got its name in English language Poison-Arrow Frog (poisoned arrow frog).

6. Sloths
Sloths are extremely slow-moving mammals that can be found in the tropical forests of Central and South America. There are two types of sloths: two-toed and three-toed. Most sloths are the size of a small dog. They have short, flat heads. Their fur is grey-brown, but sometimes they appear grey-green because they move so slowly that tiny camouflage plants have time to grow all over their fur. Sloths are nocturnal and sleep curled up with their heads between their arms and legs turned close together.

7. Spider monkeys
Spider monkeys are large. An adult monkey can grow almost 60 centimeters tall, not including the tail. The tail is very powerful. Monkeys use it as an extra limb. Spider monkeys like to hang upside down, clinging to branches with their tail and legs, making them look like spiders, which is where they get their name. These monkeys also know how to jump from branch to branch. high speed. Their coat color can be black, brown, gold, red or bronze. Spider monkeys are the object of close attention among hunters, which is why they are on the verge of extinction. This photo is probably your only chance to ever see this monkey. Not to mention our species...

8. Wine snakes.
Just about a centimeter in diameter, vine snakes are a surprisingly “slender”, elongated species. If the snake lies among the branches of forest trees, its proportions and green-brown color make it almost indistinguishable from dense vines and vines. The head of a snake is just as thin and oblong. A slow-moving predator, active during the day and at night, the wine snake feeds mainly on young birds, which it steals from nests, and on lizards. If the snake is threatened, it inflates the front of its body, revealing the bright coloring that would normally be hidden, and opens its mouth wide.

9. Capybaras
The capybara spends a lot of time in the water and is an excellent swimmer and diver. She has webbed toes on her front and back paws. When she swims, only her eyes, ears and nostrils are visible above the water. Capybaras eat plant foods, including aquatic plants, and these animals' molars grow throughout their lives to counteract wear and tear from chewing. Capybaras live in families and are active at dawn and dusk. In areas where they are frequently disturbed, capybaras can be nocturnal. Males and females look the same, but males have a gland on their nose that is larger than females. They mate in the spring, and after 15-18 weeks of pregnancy there may be 2 babies in the litter. Babies are well developed at birth.

10. Brazilian tapirs.
Brazilian tapirs can almost always be found near bodies of water. These animals are good swimmers and divers, but they also move quickly on land, even over rough and mountainous terrain. Tapirs are dark brown in color. Their fur is short, and a mane grows from the back of the neck down. Thanks to its movable snout, the tapir feeds on leaves, buds, shoots and small branches that the tapir plucks from trees, as well as fruits, herbs and aquatic plants. The female gives birth to a single spotted-striped baby after a pregnancy that lasts from 390 to 400 days.

Tropical rainforests stretch over large areas on both sides of the equator, but do not extend beyond the tropics. Here the atmosphere is always rich in water vapor. The lowest average temperature is about 18°, and the highest is usually no higher than 35-36°.

With abundant warmth and moisture, everything here grows with remarkable speed. In these forests spring and autumn are invisible. All year round, some trees and shrubs bloom in the forest, while others fade. All year round It's summer and the vegetation is turning green. There is no leaf fall in our understanding of the word, when the forest is exposed for winter.

The change of leaves occurs gradually, and therefore it is not noticed. Young leaves bloom on some branches, often bright red, brown, and white. On other branches of the same tree, the leaves were fully formed and turned green. A very beautiful range of colors is created.

But there are bamboos, palm trees, and some types of coffee trees, which all bloom on the same day over an area of many square kilometers. This amazing phenomenon makes a stunning impression with the beauty of its blooms and aromas.

Travelers say that in such a forest it is difficult to find two neighboring trees belonging to the same species. Only in very rare cases do tropical forests have a uniform species composition.

If you look at the tropical forest from above, from an airplane, it will appear surprisingly uneven, sharply broken, not at all similar to the smooth surface of the forest of temperate latitudes.

They are not similar in color either. When viewed from above, oak and other forests of ours appear uniformly green, only with the arrival of autumn they dress up in bright and variegated colors.

The equatorial forest, when viewed from above, appears to be a mixture of all tones of green, olive, yellow interspersed with red and white spots of flowering crowns.

Entering a tropical forest is not so easy: it is usually a dense thicket of plants, where, at first glance, they all seem tangled and intertwined. And it is difficult to immediately figure out which plant this or that trunk belongs to - but where are its branches, fruits, flowers?

Damp twilight reigns in the forest. The rays of the sun weakly penetrate the thicket, so the trees, bushes, and all the plants here stretch upward with amazing force. They branch little, only three to four orders of magnitude. One involuntarily recalls our oaks, pines, and birches, which produce five to eight orders of branches and spread their crowns widely in the air.

In equatorial forests, trees stand in thin, slender columns and somewhere at a height, often 50-60 meters, small crowns reach towards the Sun.

The lowest branches begin twenty to thirty meters from the ground. To see leaves, flowers, fruits, you need good binoculars.

Palm trees and tree ferns do not produce branches at all, throwing out only huge leaves.

Giant columns need good foundations, like the buttresses (slopes) of ancient buildings. And nature took care of them. In African equatorial forests, ficus trees grow, from the lower parts of whose trunks additional plank roots up to a meter or more in height develop. They hold the tree firmly against the wind. Many trees have such roots. On the island of Java, residents make table covers or cart wheels from plank roots.

Between the giant trees, smaller trees grow densely, in four or five tiers, and even lower - shrubs. Fallen trunks and leaves rot on the ground. The trunks are entwined with vines.

Hooks, thorns, mustaches, roots - in all ways, vines cling to tall neighbors, wrap around them, crawl over them, use devices popularly known as “devil’s hooks”, “cat’s claws”. They intertwine with each other, then as if merging into one plant, then again dividing in an uncontrollable desire for light.

These thorny barriers terrify the traveler, who is forced to take every step among them only with the help of an axe.

In America, along the valleys of the Amazon, in the virgin tropical forests, vines, like ropes, are thrown from one tree to another, climb up the trunk to the very top and settle comfortably in the crown.

Fight for the light! In a tropical rainforest there are usually few grasses on the soil, and shrubs are also few in number. Everything that lives must receive some amount of light. And many plants succeed in this because the leaves on the trees are almost always vertical or at a significant angle, and the surface of the leaves is smooth, shiny and perfectly reflects light. This arrangement of leaves is also good because it softens the impact of rain and downpours. And it prevents water from stagnating on the leaves. It is easy to imagine how quickly the leaves would fail if water were retained on them: lichens, mosses, and fungi would colonize them immediately.

But there is not enough light for plants to fully develop in the soil. How then can we explain their diversity and splendor?

Many tropical plants are not connected to the soil at all. These are epiphytic plants - lodgers. They don't need soil. Trunks, branches, even leaves of trees provide them with excellent shelter, and there is enough warmth and moisture for everyone. A little humus forms in the axils of the leaves, in the crevices of the bark, and between the branches. The wind and animals will bring the seeds, and they germinate and develop well.

A very common fern bird's Nest"gives leaves up to three meters long, forming a rather deep rosette. Leaves, bark flakes, fruits, and animal remains fall from the trees into it, and in a humid, warm climate they quickly form humus: the “soil” is ready for the roots of the epiphyte.

IN Botanical Garden in Calcutta they show such a huge fig tree that it is mistaken for a whole grove. Its branches have grown above the ground in the form of a green roof, which is supported by pillars - these are adventitious roots growing from the branches. The crown of the fig tree spreads over more than half a hectare, the number of its aerial roots is about five hundred. And this fig tree began its life as a parasite on a date palm. Then she entwined her with her roots and strangled her.

The position of epiphytes is very advantageous compared to the “host” tree, which they use, making their way higher and higher towards the light.

They often carry their leaves above the top of the “host” trunk and deprive it of the sun’s rays. The “owner” dies, and the “tenant” becomes independent.

The words of Charles Darwin best apply to tropical forests: “The greatest sum of life is produced by the greatest variety of structure.”

Some epiphytes have thick, fleshy leaves and some swellings on the leaves. They have a supply of water in case there is not enough water.

Others have leathery, hard leaves, as if varnished, as if they didn’t have enough moisture. The way it is. In the hot season of the day, and even with a strong wind, in a highly raised crown, the evaporation of water increases sharply.

Another thing is the leaves of bushes: they are tender, large, without any adaptations to reduce evaporation - in the depths of the forest it is small. The grasses are soft, thin, with weak roots. There are many spore-bearing plants here, especially ferns. They scatter their leaves on the edges of the forest and in rare illuminated clearings. There are brightly flowering shrubs, large yellow and red cannas, and orchids with their intricately arranged flowers. But grasses are much less diverse than trees.

Overall green tone herbaceous plants pleasantly interspersed with white, red, gold, silver leaf spots. Whimsically decorated, they are not inferior in beauty to the flowers themselves.

It may seem at first glance that the tropical forest is poor in flowers. In fact, there are not so few of them,
they are simply lost in the green mass of foliage.

Many trees have self- or wind-pollinated flowers. Large, bright and fragrant flowers are pollinated by animals.

In the tropical forests of America, tiny hummingbirds with brilliant plumage hover over flowers for a long time, licking honey from them with a long tongue folded in the form of a tube. In Java, birds often act as pollinators. There are honeybirds there, small, similar in color to hummingbirds. They pollinate flowers, but at the same time they often “steal” honey without even touching the stamens and pistils. In Java there is the bats, pollinating vines with brightly colored flowers.

In cocoa trees, breadfruit trees, persimmons, and ficus trees, flowers appear directly on the trunks, which then turn out to be completely covered with fruits.

In equatorial rain forests there are often swamps and flowing lakes. The fauna here is very diverse. Most animals live in trees, eating fruits.

Tropical forests of different continents have many common features, and at the same time, each of them is different from the others.

In Asian forests there are many trees with valuable wood, plants that produce spices (pepper, cloves, cinnamon). Monkeys climb in the treetops. An elephant wanders on the outskirts of the tropical thicket. The forests are home to rhinoceroses, tigers, buffalos, and poisonous snakes.

The equatorial rain forests of Africa are famous for their impenetrable thickets. It is impossible to get through here without an ax or knife. And there are many tree species with valuable wood. The oil palm is often found, from the fruits of which oil, coffee tree and cocoa are extracted. In some places, in narrow valleys where fog accumulates and the mountains do not let them pass, tree ferns form entire groves. Heavy, dense fogs slowly creep upward and, cooling, pour heavy rains. In such natural greenhouses, spore plants feel at their best: ferns, horsetails, mosses, and curtains of delicate green mosses descend from the trees.

Gorillas and chimpanzees live in African forests. Monkeys tumble in the branches; baboons fill the air with their barks. There are elephants and buffalos. Crocodiles hunt all kinds of living creatures in rivers. Encounters with hippopotamus are common.

And mosquitoes and mosquitoes fly in clouds everywhere, hordes of ants crawl. Perhaps even this “little thing” is more noticeable than large animals. It bothers the traveler at every step, filling the mouth, nose and ears.

The relationship between tropical plants and ants is very interesting. On the island of Java, one epiphyte has a tuber at the bottom of its stem. Ants live in it and leave their excrement on the plant, which serves as fertilizer.

In the rain forests of Brazil there are real ant gardens. At a height of 20-30 meters above the ground, ants make their nests, dragging them onto branches and trunks along with soil, leaves, berries and seeds. Young plants sprout from them, fastening the soil in the nest with their roots and immediately receiving soil and fertilizers.

But ants are not always harmless to plants. Leaf-cutter ants are a real scourge. They attack coffee and orange trees and other plants in hordes. Having cut pieces from the leaves, they put them on their backs and move towards the nests in solid green streams, exposing the branches,

Fortunately, other types of ants can settle on plants and destroy these robbers.

The tropical forests of America along the banks of the Amazon River and its tributaries are considered the most luxurious in the world.

Vast flat areas, regularly flooded with water when rivers flood, are covered with riparian forests. Huge virgin forests stretch above the flood line. And the drier areas are occupied by forests, although less dense and lower.

There are especially many palm trees in coastal forests, forming entire groves that run in long alleys along the banks of rivers. Some of the palm trees spread their leaves like a fan, others stretch out feathery leaves 9-12 meters in length. Their trunks are straight and thin. In the undergrowth there are small palm trees with clusters of black and red fruits.

Palm trees give people a lot: the fruits are used for food, stems and leaves local residents fibers are obtained, the trunks are used as building material.

As soon as the rivers enter their channel, grasses develop in the forests with extraordinary speed, and not only on the soil. Green garlands of climbing and climbing herbaceous plants, colored bright flowers. Passion flowers, begonias, “day beauties” and many other flowering plants form drapes on the trees, as if laid out by the hand of an artist.

Myrtles, Brazil nuts, flowering ginger and cannas are beautiful. Ferns and graceful feathery mimosas support the overall green tone.

In the forests above the river flood line, the trees are perhaps the tallest of all tropical representatives, stand in a tight, closed formation on supports. Famous among them are Brazil nut and mulberry cotton with its huge plank supports. The most beautiful trees The Amazons consider laurel trees. There are a lot of leguminous acacias here, a lot of araceae. Philodendron and monstera are especially good with fantastic cuts and cuts on the leaves. There is often no undergrowth in this forest at all.

In lower, non-flooded forests, lower tree layers of palms, shrubs and non-flooded trees appear. tall trees, sometimes very thick and almost impassable.

The herbaceous cover cannot be called luxurious: a few ferns and sedges. In some places there is not a single blade of grass over a significant area.

Almost the entire Amazonian lowland and part of the northern and east coast The mainland is occupied by rain forests.

Rovnaya heat and the abundance of precipitation make all days similar to one another.

Early in the morning the temperature is 22-23°, the sky is cloudless. The leaves are glistening with dew and fresh, but the heat is quickly increasing. By noon or a little later it is already unbearable. Plants drop leaves and flowers and appear completely withered. There was no air movement, the animals hid. But now the sky is filled with clouds, lightning flashes, and the thunderclaps are deafening.

Sharp gusts of blowing wind shake the crowns. And a blessed downpour revives all nature. There's a lot of float in the air. It's stuffy, hot and wet night. Leaves and flowers blown by the wind are flying.

A special type of forest covers tropical countries sea coasts, protected from waves and winds. These are mangrove forests - dense thickets of evergreen bushes and low trees on flat banks near river mouths, in lagoons, and bays. The soil here is a swamp with black, foul-smelling silt; in it, with the participation of bacteria, there is a rapid decomposition of organic substances. At high tide, such thickets appear to emerge from the water.

With the ebb of the tide, their so-called roots are exposed - stilts, which extend far across the silt. Supporting roots go from the branches into the silt.

This root system anchors trees well in muddy soil and is not carried away by the tide.

Mangroves push the coast onto the sea, because plant debris accumulates between the roots and trunks and, mixing with silt, gradually forms land. Trees have special respiratory roots, which are very important in the life of these plants, since silt contains almost no oxygen. Sometimes they are serpentine in shape, in other cases they resemble an elbowed pipe or stick out from the mud like young stems.

The method of reproduction found in mangroves is curious. The fruit is still hanging on the tree, and the embryo is already sprouting in the form of a long pin, up to 50-70 centimeters. Only then does it break away from the fruit, fall into the silt, burying its end in it, and is not carried away by the water into the sea.

These plants have leathery, shiny, often fleshy leaves covered with silvery hairs. The leaves are arranged vertically, the stomata are reduced. All these are signs of plants in dry places.

It turns out to be a paradox: the roots are immersed in silt, they are constantly under water, and the plant lacks moisture. It is assumed that sea water, being saturated with salt, cannot be easily absorbed by the roots of trees and shrubs - and therefore they must evaporate sparingly.

Together with seawater, plants receive a lot of table salt. The leaves are sometimes almost completely covered with its crystals, secreted by special glands.

The richness of species in tropical forests is exceptionally great, and it is achieved primarily by the fact that the use of space by plants is brought here by natural selection to the extreme.

Species of narrow-nosed monkeys live in India and Africa, and broad-nosed monkeys live in America. Their tail and limbs allow them to expertly climb trees, where they get their food.

Mammals

It is home to predators such as leopards and pumas.

Interesting view is an American tapir, somewhat reminiscent of a rhinoceros.

Nutria can be found in ponds. People hunt this type of large rodent because they have valuable fur.

Nutria

In South America you can find sloths that resemble in appearance. They have fairly long and flexible limbs with which they cling to trees. These are slow animals; they move slowly along the branches.

Armadillos, which have a powerful shell, live in the forests. During the day they sleep in their burrows, and at nightfall they come to the surface and lead a nocturnal lifestyle.

The inhabitant is . It moves without problems on the ground, climbs trees, eats ants and various insects.

Among marsupial species Possums can be found here.

Opossums

Elephants and elephants, which are relatives of giraffes, live in Africa.

Elephant

Lemurs, which are considered prosimians, live in Madagascar.

Lemurs

Some reservoirs are home to crocodiles, among which the Nile crocodile is the most famous. In Asia, long-snouted crocodiles are known, which mainly swim in the Ganges. The length of its body reaches 7 meters.

Rhinoceroses are found in tropical forests, and hippos are found in ponds.

Rhinoceros

Hippopotamus

In Asia you can find a tiger, a sloth bear and.

Birds of the rainforest

Many birds fly in the forests. South America is home to hoatzins, hummingbirds, and more than 160 species of parrots.

Africa and America have large populations of flamingos. They live near salt lakes and on sea coasts, feed on algae, worms and mollusks, and some insects.

There are peacocks in Asia and on nearby islands.

Wild bush chickens are found in India and the Sunda Islands.

Bush chickens

Insects and reptiles of forests

In tropical forests there are many snakes (pythons, anacondas) and lizards (iguanas).

The reservoirs are home to a variety of amphibian and fish species, among which the most famous in South America are piranhas.

Piranha

The most important inhabitants of the tropical forest are ants.

Spiders, butterflies, mosquitoes and other insects also live here.

Insect

Students get acquainted with brief encyclopedic information, answer questions, and test their erudition. The lesson is developed based on teaching aid For additional education Paul Dowswell "The unknown about the known". Recommended by the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation in accordance with the Federal State Educational Standard.

Type of lesson: combined

Target: development of erudition, cognitive and creativity students; developing the ability to search for information to answer questions.

Tasks:

Educational: the formation of cognitive culture, mastered in the process of educational activities, and aesthetic culture as the ability to have an emotional and value-based attitude towards objects of living nature.

Educational: development of cognitive motives aimed at obtaining new knowledge about living nature; cognitive personality traits associated with mastering the basics scientific knowledge, mastering methods of studying nature, developing intellectual skills;

Educational: orientation in the system of moral norms and values: recognition of the high value of life in all its manifestations, the health of one’s own and other people; environmental awareness; nurturing love for nature;

Personal: understanding of responsibility for the quality of acquired knowledge; understanding the value of adequately assessing one’s own achievements and capabilities;

Cognitive: ability to analyze and evaluate the impact of factors environment, health risk factors, consequences of human activities in ecosystems, the impact of one’s own actions on living organisms and ecosystems; focus on continuous development and self-development; ability to work with various sources information, convert it from one form to another, compare and analyze information, draw conclusions, prepare messages and presentations.

Regulatory: the ability to organize independent completion of tasks, evaluate the correctness of work, and reflect on one’s activities.

Communicative: the formation of communicative competence in communication and cooperation with peers, understanding the characteristics of gender socialization in adolescence, socially useful, educational and research, creative and other types of activities.

Technologies: Health conservation, problem-based, developmental education, group activities

Progress of the lesson

Learning new material (teacher's story with elements of conversation)

Questions and tasks for discussion

What does a tropical forest look like? (layers of tropical forest)

Who lives on the upper “floors”?

Are sloths really lazy?

Who lives on the lower “floor”?

How do animals adapt to life in trees?

How do animals manage to fly without wings?

Why are the rainforests so noisy?

Did you know this?

Animalworldtropicalforests

Presentation Animalworldtropicalforests

What does a tropical forest look like?

Rainforests located in the tropical, equatorial and subequatorial belts between 25°N and 30° S, as if “surrounding” the surface of the Earth along the equator. Rainforests are broken only by oceans and mountains.

The vegetation of tropical forests is very diverse, depending mainly on the amount of precipitation and its distribution over the seasons. When abundant (more than 2000 mm), and relatively uniform distribution develop humid tropical evergreen forests .

Classification of tropical forests

Tropical rainforest, tropical rain forest these are forests with specific biomes located in equatorial (wet equatorial forest ), subequatorial and humid tropical areas with a very humid climate (2000-7000 mm of precipitation per year).

Tropical rainforests are characterized by enormous biodiversity. This is the most conducive natural area for life. It is home to a large number of native, including endemic species of animals and plants, as well as migratory animals. Two-thirds of all animal and plant species on the planet live in tropical rainforests. It is estimated that millions of animal and plant species remain undescribed.

These forests are sometimes called "jewels of the earth" And "the largest pharmacy in the world"as a large number of natural medicines have been found here. They are also called “the lungs of the Earth,” but this statement is controversial because it has no scientific basis, since these forests either do not produce oxygen at all or produce very little of it.

Understory formation in tropical forests is severely limited in many places due to the lack of sunlight in the understory. This allows humans and animals to move through the forest. If for some reason the deciduous canopy is absent or weakened, the lower tier is quickly covered with a dense thicket of vines, bushes and small trees - this formation is called a jungle.

The largest areas of tropical rainforest are found in the Amazon Basin (“ rain forests Amazon"), in Nicaragua, in the southern part of the Yucatan Peninsula (Guatemala, Belize), in most of Central America (where they are called "selvas"), in equatorial Africa from Cameroon to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in many areas South-East Asia from Myanmar to Indonesia and New Guinea, in the Australian state of Queensland.

Fortropical rainforestscharacteristic:

variety of flora,

presence of 4-5 tree layers, absence of shrubs, large number of vines

predominance evergreen trees with large evergreen leaves, poorly developed bark, buds not protected by bud scales, in monsoon forests - deciduous trees;

the formation of flowers and then fruits directly on trunks and thick branches

Trees in tropical rainforests share several characteristics that are not seen in plants in less humid climates.

The base of the trunk in many species has wide, woody projections. Previously, it was assumed that these protrusions help the tree maintain balance, but now it is believed that water with dissolved nutrients flows along these protrusions to the roots of the tree. The broad leaves of trees, shrubs and grasses of the lower tiers of the forest are characteristic. Wide leaves help plants better absorb sunlight under the edges of the trees of the forest, and they are protected from the wind from above.

Tall young trees that have not yet reached upper tier, also have wider foliage, which then decreases with height. The leaves of the upper tier, which form the canopy, are usually smaller and heavily cut to reduce wind pressure. On the lower floors, the leaves are often narrowed at the ends so that this facilitates the rapid drainage of water and prevents the growth of microbes and moss on them, which destroy the leaves.

Tree tops are often very well connected with each other using vine or epiphytic plants, fixed on them.

The trees of the tropical rainforest are characterized by unusually thin (1-2 mm) tree bark, sometimes covered with sharp thorns or prickles, the presence of flowers and fruits growing directly on the tree trunks, and a wide variety of juicy fruits that attract birds and mammals.

In tropical rainforests there are a lot of insects, especially butterflies (one of the richest faunas in the world) and beetles, and in rivers there are a lot of fish (about 2000 species, approximately a third of the world's freshwater fauna).

Levels (tiers) of tropical rainforest

The rainforest is divided into four main levels, each of which has its own characteristics, has different flora and fauna.

Top level

This layer consists of a small number of very tall trees rising above the forest canopy, reaching a height of 45-55 meters ( rare species reach 60-70 meters). Most often the trees are evergreen, but some shed their leaves during the dry season. Such trees must withstand harsh temperatures and strong winds. This level is home to eagles, bats, some species of monkeys and butterflies.

Crown level (forest canopy)

The crown level is formed by most tall trees, usually 30-45 meters high. This is the densest layer known in all of Earth's biodiversity, with neighboring trees forming a more or less continuous layer of foliage.

Real exploration of this layer only began in the 1980s, when scientists developed techniques to reach the forest canopy, such as shooting ropes into the treetops with crossbows. Forest canopy research is still underway early stage. Other research methods include travel on balloons or aircraft. The science of reaching treetops is called dendronautics.

Sren level

Between the forest canopy and the forest floor there is another level called the understory. It is home to a number of birds, snakes and lizards. Insect life at this level is also very extensive. The leaves in this tier are much wider than at the crown level.

forest floor

Away from river banks, swamps and open spaces where dense, low-growing vegetation grows, the forest floor is relatively free of plants. At this level, you can see rotting plants and animal remains, which quickly disappear thanks to the warm, humid climate that encourages rapid decomposition.

The selva is formed on vast low-lying areas of land under conditions of constant freshwater moisture, as a result of which the selva soil is extremely poor in minerals washed away by tropical rains. Selva is often swampy.

Flora and fauna of the jungle- a riot of colors and a variety of species of plants, birds and mammals.

Mangrove plants They live in sedimentary coastal environments, where fine sediments, often with a high organic content, accumulate in places protected from wave energy.

Mangroves provide habitat for wildlife, including a range of commercial fish and crustacean species, and in at least some cases the export of carbon stored by mangroves is important in the coastal food web.

Foggy forest formed by trees with abundant lianas, with a dense cover of epiphytic mosses.

Tree ferns, magnolias, and camellias are typical; the forest may also include non-tropical vegetation.

Wildlife of the rainforest

Because tropical forests are typically very hot and humid, they are home to some of the world's largest trees and plants. There is so much food and opportunities to hide from enemies that many more animals live in these forests than in other areas of the Earth.

Most of the animals depicted here live in South America, where the world's largest forest area is located. Tropical forests are shown in white on the map.

Occupying only 6% of the landmass, the jungle is home to 50% of living species. Many of them are archaic and ancient. The constant heat and humidity of the jungle have allowed them to survive to this day.

The crowns of the tropics close together so tightly that those living here (1. hornbills, 2. turacos, 3. toucans) Almost forgot how to fly. But they jump well and climb branches. It’s easy to get lost in the intricacies of trunks and roots. The 2007 expedition to the island of Borneo alone gave the world 123 previously unknown tropical animals.

Inhabitants of the forest floor

The lower layer of the tropics is called the litter. There are fallen leaves and branches here. The overgrowth blocks the light. Therefore, only 2% of the litter is illuminated total number sun rays. This limits vegetation. Only shade-tolerant representatives of the flora survive in the litter. Some plants reach for the light, climbing tree trunks like vines.

These kinds of lianas also exist among animal litter. Many of them are large and long necks. This allows you to come out of the shadows, so to speak. The remaining inhabitants of the lower tier of the tropics do not need lighting, but depend only on heat. We are talking about snakes, frogs, insects and soil inhabitants.

Tapir

Looks like a pig long trunk. In fact, the tapir is a relative of rhinoceroses and horses. Together with the trunk, the length of the animal’s body is about 2 meters. Tapirs weigh approximately 3 quintals and are found in Asia and America.

Being nocturnal, the pig-like creatures are camouflaged. Black and white coloring makes tapirs invisible in the dark jungle floor, illuminated by the moon.

Animals living in the tropical forest acquired a long nose in order to hide from the heat and predators under water. When diving, tapirs leave the tip of their “trunk” on the surface. It serves as a breathing tube.

Cuban slittooth

It was declared extinct at the beginning of the 20th century. At the beginning of the 21st century, the animal was found again. The insectivore is a relict species. Externally, its representatives are something between a hedgehog, a rat and a shrew. Living in the mountain tropics of Cuba, the slittooth is the largest of the insectivores. The body length of the animal is 35 centimeters. The slit tooth weighs about a kilogram.

These are flightless birds. Honored as the most dangerous on earth. In Australia, 1-2 people die every year from the powerful paws and clawed wings of cassowaries. How can a bird's wings have claws?

The fact is that the flying “vehicles” of cassowaries are transformed into such rudiments. On their central finger there is a sharp claw. Its size and strength are frightening, considering the bird's 500-kilogram weight and 2-meter height.

Okapi

Found in tropical Africa. The appearance of the animal combines the characteristics of a giraffe and a zebra. The body structure and coloring were borrowed from the latter. Black and white stripes adorn the okapi's legs. The rest of the body is brown. Head and neck like a giraffe. According to the genome, okapi is precisely his relative. Otherwise, representatives of the species are called forest giraffes.

Okapi's neck is shorter than that of savannah giraffes. But the animal has a long tongue. It is 35 centimeters long and bluish in color. The organ allows okapi to reach foliage and clean its eyes and ears.

Western gorilla

It is the largest among primates and lives in the jungles of central Africa. The animal's DNA is almost 96% identical to human DNA. This applies to both lowland and mountain gorillas. The latter live in the tropics. They are few in number. There are less than 700 individuals left in nature.

There are about 100 thousand lowland gorillas. Another 4 thousand are kept in zoos. There are no mountain gorillas in captivity.

Being able to walk on their hind legs, gorillas prefer to move on all fours at once. In this case, the animals place their hands sideways, leaning on back side fingers. Monkeys need to keep the skin of their palms thin and tender. This is necessary for proper sensitivity of the brushes and fine manipulation of them.

Sumatran rhinoceros

He is the smallest among rhinoceroses. There are generally few large animals in the jungle. Firstly, it is easier for small creatures to get through the thickets. Secondly, the diversity of tropical species must fit into fertile but small areas.

Among rhinoceroses, the Sumatran is also the most ancient and rare. Animal life in the rainforest limited to territories borneo islands and Sumatra. Here rhinoceroses reach one and a half meters in height and 2.5 in length. One individual weighs about 1300 kilograms.

Animals of the undergrowth

The undergrowth is slightly higher than the litter and already receives 5% of the sun's rays. To capture them, plants grow wide leaf blades. Their area allows them to capture maximum light. The height of representatives of the undergrowth flora does not exceed 3 meters. Accordingly, the tier itself is the same minus half a meter from the ground.

They fall on the canopy. Rainforest Animals in the undergrowth they are often medium-sized, sometimes medium-sized. The tier is inhabited by mammals, reptiles, and birds.

Jaguar

Lives in the tropics of America. The weight of the animal is 80-130 kilograms. In America this is the most big cat. The color of each individual is unique, like human fingerprints. The spots on the skins of predators are compared to them. Jaguars- excellent swimmers. Cats prefer to move through water by clinging to logs. On land, jaguars are also associated with trees. Cats drag prey onto them, hiding other contenders for meat in the branches.

Binturong

Belongs to the viverrid family. Externally, the binturong is something between a cat and a raccoon. The animal's relatives are genets and lysangs. Like them, the binturong is a predator. However, the touching appearance seems to cast off the fear of the animal.

Binturong lives in the tropics of Asia. Mostly Indian population. When dividing territories, binturongs mark their possessions with a liquid that smells like roasted corn.

South American nose

Represents raccoons. The animal has a long and mobile nose. It, like the head of the beast, is narrow. The name of the species is associated with the nose, as a distinctive feature. You can meet its representatives in the tropics of South America.

There, noses, like jaguars, are excellent tree climbers. The noses have short, but flexible and mobile paws with tenacious claws. The structure of the limbs allows animals to descend from trees both backwards and forwards.

The nosoha climbs into the trees to get fruit and hide from danger. In her absence, the beast is not averse to strolling through the jungle floor. Digging with its clawed paws, the nose finds reptiles and insects. Being an omnivore, the animal hunts them.

dart frog

Among the existing reptiles, poison dart frogs are the most colorful. On photo of tropical forest animals stand out with their indigo coloration. There are also turquoise and blue-black colors. It’s not for nothing that they highlight the frog in the background surrounding nature like a tropical bud.

The poison dart frog has no need to camouflage itself. Among reptiles, the animal produces the most powerful poison. They don’t touch the frog, even if they see it in front of their nose. More often, predators and people recoil from the blue beauty, fearing poison. One frog injection is enough to kill 10 people. There is no antidote.

Dart frog venom contains 100 non-protein substances. It is believed that the frog gets them by processing the tropical ants that it feeds on. When poison dart frogs are kept in captivity on other food, they become harmless and non-poisonous.

Common boa constrictor

Similar to a python, but slimmer. The boa constrictor also does not have a supraorbital bone. Finding out what animals live in the tropical forest, it is important to “discard” the Argentine boa constrictor. It settles in arid and desert places. Other subspecies live in the tropics.

Some snakes hunt in water. In America, where rivers and lakes are occupied by anacondas, boa constrictors obtain food on the ground and trees.

The common boa constrictor in the tropics often replaces the cat. Residents of jungle settlements lure snakes, allowing them to live in barns and warehouses. There are boa constrictors catching mice. Therefore, the snake is considered partially domesticated.

flying dragon

This is a lizard with skin projections on the sides. They open when the animal jumps from the tree, resembling wings. They are not attached to the paws. Movable, rigid ribs open the folds.

The flying dragon descends into the jungle floor only to lay eggs. There are usually from 1 to 4 of them. Lizards bury their eggs in fallen leaves or soil.

Rainforest Canopy Dwellers

A tropical canopy is otherwise called a canopy. It is composed of tall, broad-leaved trees. Their crowns form a kind of roof over the litter and undergrowth. The height of the canopy is 35-40 meters. Many birds and arthropods hide in the treetops. There are 20 million species of the latter in the tropical canopy. There are fewer reptiles, invertebrates and mammals at altitude.

Kinkajou

Represents the raccoon family. Kinkajou lives in America. In the tropics, the animal settles in the crowns of trees. The kinkajou moves along their branches, clinging to its long tail.

Despite the slight similarity and lack of relationship with clubfoot, the animals are called tree bears. It's about diet. Kinkajou loves honey. The animal obtains it using its tongue. It reaches 13 centimeters in length, allowing it to climb into hives.

Malayan bear

Among the bears, he is the only one who almost never descends to the ground; he lives in the trees. The Malayan clubfoot is also the smallest in its order. The bear's fur is shorter than that of other Potapychs. Otherwise, representatives of the Malayan species would not be able to live in the tropics of Asia.

Among bears, the Malayan clubfoot has the longest tongue. It reaches 25 centimeters. The animal's claws are also the longest. How else to climb trees?

Jaco

One of the most smart parrots. Like a real intellectual, Gray is modestly “dressed.” The bird's plumage is gray. Only the tail has red feathers. Their shade is not flashy, but rather cherry. You can see birds in the jungle Africa. Rainforest Animals continent are successfully kept in captivity and often become news heroes.

Thus, a Gray Gray named Baby from the USA remembered the names of the robbers who broke into his owner’s apartment. Birds gave the thieves' information to the police. Jaco, who knew about 500 words, is listed in the Guinness Book of Records. different languages. The bird spoke in coherent sentences.

Koata

Otherwise called spider monkey. The animal has a tiny head, a massive body against its background, and long, thin limbs. When the koata extends them between the branches, it looks like a spider waiting for prey. The black, shiny fur of the animal, like fluff on the bodies of arthropods, is also confusing. The coata lives in South and Central America. With a 60-centimeter body length of a monkey, its length

the tail is 90 centimeters.

Rainbow toucan

A large bird up to 53 centimeters long. With its massive and long beak, the toucan reaches for fruits on thin branches. If a bird sits on them, the shoots will not survive. A toucan weighs about 400 grams. The animal's beak is colored green, blue, orange, yellow, and red. The body is mostly black, but there is an extensive lemon-colored patch on the head with a red scarlet border on the neck. Even the irises of the toucan’s eyes are colored, turquoise. It becomes clear why the species is called rainbow. The colorful appearance of the toucan is combined with the fruit variety of the tropics. However, the bird can also feast on protein food, catching insects, tree frogs. Sometimes toucans eat the chicks of other birds.

Golden-helmed kalao

The largest among the birds of the tropics of Africa. The bird weighs approximately 2 kilograms. The golden-helmeted animal is named due to the feathers sticking out on its head. They seem to be raised, forming a semblance of armor from the times of the Roman Empire. The color of the feathers is golden.

There is a patch of bare skin on the neck of the kalao. It is slightly drooping and wrinkled, like that of a vulture or turkey. The kalao is also distinguished by its massive beak. It is not for nothing that the bird belongs to the hornbill family.

Three-toed sloth

What animals are in the rainforest the slowest? The answer is obvious. On land, sloths move at a maximum speed of 16 meters per hour. Animals spend most of their time on tree branches African jungle. There are sloths hanging upside down. The animals sleep most of the time, and leisurely chew the leaves for the rest.

Sloths not only feed on vegetation, but are also covered in it. Animal fur is covered with microscopic algae. That's why sloths are greenish in color. Algae are plants of water bodies. From there the sloths took “tenants”.

Slow mammals are good swimmers. During the rainy season, sloths have to

melt from tree to tree

Upper tropics

Animals of the tropical rainforest the upper tier live at an altitude of 45-55 meters. At this mark there are single crowns of particularly tall trees. Other trunks do not strive higher, because they are not adapted to stand alone in the face of the winds and heat of the sun.

Some birds, mammals, and bats also fight them. The choice is determined either by the proximity of the food supply, or by the availability of an overview of the area, or by moving to a safe distance from predators and dangers.

Crowned eagle

Among birds of prey he is the largest. The animal's body length exceeds a meter. The wingspan of the crowned eagle is more than 200 centimeters. Distinctive feature The species is a crest on the head. In moments of danger or fighting spirit, the feathers rise, forming something like a crown.

The crowned eagle lives in the jungles of Africa. You rarely see birds alone. Crowned birds live in pairs. Animals even fly around their territories together. The “allotment” of eagles, by the way, is approximately 16 square kilometers.

Giant flying fox

The muzzle of this bat looks like a fox. Hence the name of the animal. His fur, by the way, is reddish, which also reminds of foxes. Soaring in the sky, the flyer opens his wings to 170 centimeters. The giant fox weighs more than a kilogram.

Giant flying foxes are found in Asian countries such as Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia. Fruit bats live in flocks. Flying in groups of 50-100 individuals, foxes terrify tourists.

Royal colobus

Belongs to the monkey family. It differs from other colobus monkeys by white markings on the chest, tail, and cheeks. The monkey lives in the jungles of Africa, growing to 60-70 centimeters in length, excluding the tail. He is 80 cm.

Colobuses rarely descend to the ground. Monkeys spend most of their lives on

treetops where they feed on fruits.

Conclusion:

Wildlife of the rainforest- this is fierce competition not only for space, light, but also food. Therefore, it is in the jungle that species are found that eat food that the inhabitants of other places do not even consider as food.

What about eucalyptus leaves, for example? They contain a minimum of nutrients, but there are enough poisons, and only koalas have learned to neutralize them. Thus, the animals of the species provided themselves with an abundance of food, for which they did not have to fight.

The crowns of the tropics close together so tightly that the hornbills, turacos and toucans that live here have almost forgotten how to fly. But they jump well and climb branches. It’s easy to get lost in the intricacies of trunks and roots. The 2007 expedition to the island of Borneo alone gave the world 123 previously unknown tropical animals.

Inhabitants of the forest floor

The lower layer of the tropics is called the litter. There are fallen leaves and branches here. The overgrowth blocks the light. Therefore, only 2% of the total amount of sunlight illuminates the litter. This limits vegetation. Only shade-tolerant representatives of the flora survive in the litter. Some plants reach for the light, climbing tree trunks like vines.

These kinds of lianas also exist among animal litter. Many of them are large and have long necks. This allows you to come out of the shadows, so to speak. The remaining inhabitants of the lower tier of the tropics do not need lighting, but depend only on heat. We are talking about snakes, frogs, insects and soil inhabitants.

Tapir

Looks like a pig with a long trunk. In fact, the tapir is a relative of rhinoceroses and horses. Together with the trunk, the length of the animal’s body is about 2 meters. Tapirs weigh approximately 3 quintals and are found in Asia and.

Being nocturnal, the pig-like creatures are camouflaged. Black and white coloring makes tapirs invisible in the dark jungle floor, illuminated by the moon.

The tapir is a primitive animal that looks today the same as it did a thousand years ago, which is rare for animals

Cuban slittooth

Living in the mountain tropics of Cuba, the slittooth is the largest of the insectivores. The body length of the animal is 35 centimeters. The slit tooth weighs about a kilogram.

Cassowary

These are flightless birds. Honored as the most dangerous on earth. 1-2 people die every year from the powerful paws and clawed wings of cassowaries. How can a bird's wings have claws?

The cassowary has a dense, leathery growth on its head. Its purpose is not clear to scientists. Externally, the growth resembles a helmet. There is an assumption that it breaks branches when the bird runs in the thick of the tropics.

The cassowary is an extremely irritable bird, it flies into a rage without visible reasons, attacking people

Okapi

Found in the tropics. The appearance of the animal combines the characteristics of a giraffe and a zebra. The body structure and coloring were borrowed from the latter. Black and white stripes adorn the okapi's legs. The rest of the body is brown. Head and neck like a giraffe. According to the genome, okapi is precisely his relative. Otherwise, representatives of the species are called forest giraffes.

Western gorilla

There are about 100 thousand lowland gorillas. Another 4 thousand are kept in zoos. There are no mountain gorillas in captivity.

Being able to walk on their hind legs, gorillas prefer to move on all fours at once. In this case, the animals place their hands sideways, resting on the back of their fingers. Monkeys need to keep the skin of their palms thin and tender. This is necessary for proper sensitivity of the brushes and fine manipulation of them.

Sumatran rhinoceros

He is the smallest among them. There are generally few large animals in the jungle. Firstly, it is easier for small creatures to get through the thickets. Secondly, the diversity of tropical species must fit into fertile but small areas.

Among rhinoceroses, the Sumatran is also the most ancient and rare. Animal life in the rainforest limited to the territories of the islands of Borneo and Sumatra. Here rhinoceroses reach one and a half meters in height and 2.5 in length. One individual weighs about 1300 kilograms.

Rhinoceros picks up berries and fruits fallen from careless birds

Animals of the undergrowth

They fall on the canopy. Rainforest Animals in the undergrowth they are often medium-sized, sometimes medium-sized. The tier is inhabited by mammals, reptiles, and birds.

Jaguar

Lives in the tropics of America. The weight of the animal is 80-130 kilograms. This is the largest cat in America. The color of each individual is unique, like human fingerprints. The spots on the skins of predators are compared to them.

Jaguars are excellent swimmers. Cats prefer to move through water by clinging to logs. On land, jaguars are also associated with trees. Cats drag prey onto them, hiding them in the branches from other contenders for meat.

The jaguar is the third largest of the big cats after lions and tigers.

Binturong

Binturong lives in the tropics of Asia. Mostly Indian population. When dividing territories, binturongs mark their possessions with a liquid that smells like roasted corn.

South American nose

dart frog

Among the existing reptiles, poison dart frogs are the most colorful. On photo of tropical forest animals stand out with their indigo coloration. There are also turquoise and blue-black colors. It is not without reason that the frog stands out against the background of the surrounding nature, like a tropical bud.

The singing of poison dart frogs does not at all resemble the usual croaking, but rather resembles the sounds made by a cricket

Common boa constrictor

Some hunt in the water. In America, where rivers and lakes are occupied by anacondas, boa constrictors obtain food on the ground and trees.

flying dragon

This is a lizard with skin projections on the sides. They open when the animal jumps from the tree, resembling wings. They are not attached to the paws. Movable, rigid ribs open the folds.

The flying dragon descends into the jungle floor only to lay eggs. There are usually from 1 to 4 of them. Lizards bury their eggs in fallen leaves or soil.

The dragon can dive long distances while landing silently

Rainforest Canopy Dwellers

Kinkajou

Represents the raccoon family. Kinkajou lives in America. In the tropics, the animal settles in the crowns of trees. The kinkajou moves along their branches, clinging to its long tail.

Kinkajous are easily tamed, very friendly and are often kept at home.

Malayan bear

Among bears, the Malayan clubfoot has the longest tongue. It reaches 25 centimeters. The animal's claws are also the longest. How else to climb trees?

Jaco

One of the smartest parrots. Like a real intellectual, Gray is modestly “dressed.” The bird's plumage is gray. Only the tail has red feathers. Their shade is not flashy, but rather cherry. You can see birds in the jungle Africa. Rainforest Animals continent are successfully kept in captivity and often become news heroes.

Thus, a Gray Gray named Baby from the USA remembered the names of the robbers who broke into his owner’s apartment. Birds gave the thieves' information to the police.

Jaco, who knew about 500 words in different languages, is included in the Guinness Book of Records. The bird spoke in coherent sentences.

Koata

The coata lives in South and Central America. With a 60-centimeter body length of the monkey, the length of its tail is 90 centimeters.

Koats very rarely come down to the ground, sometimes spider monkeys fall and get injured, which heal quickly

Rainbow toucan

The body is mostly black, but there is an extensive lemon-colored patch on the head with a red scarlet border on the neck. Even the irises of the toucan’s eyes are colored, turquoise. It becomes clear why the species is called rainbow.

The colorful appearance of the toucan is combined with the fruit variety of the tropics. However, the bird can also feast on protein foods, catching insects and tree frogs. Sometimes toucans eat the chicks of other birds.

Golden-helmed kalao

The largest among the birds of the tropics. The bird weighs approximately 2 kilograms. The golden-helmeted animal is named due to the feathers sticking out on its head. They seem to be raised, forming a semblance of armor from the times of the Roman Empire. The color of the feathers is golden.

Long beaks make it convenient for birds to collect fruits from branchy trees.

Three-toed sloth

What animals are in the rainforest the slowest? The answer is obvious. On land, sloths move at a maximum speed of 16 meters per hour. Animals spend most of their time on the branches of trees in the African jungle. There are sloths hanging upside down. The animals sleep most of the time, and leisurely chew the leaves for the rest.

Slow mammals are good swimmers. During the rainy season, sloths have to swim from tree to tree.

Upper tropics

Crowned eagle

It is the largest among birds of prey. The animal's body length exceeds a meter. The wingspan of the crowned eagle is more than 200 centimeters. A distinctive feature of the species is the crest on the head. In moments of danger or fighting spirit, the feathers rise, forming something like a crown.

The crowned eagle lives in the jungles of Africa. You rarely see birds alone. Crowned birds live in pairs. Animals even fly around their territories together. The eagles’ “allotment,” by the way, is approximately 16 square kilometers.

Giant flying fox