What animals live in the African jungle? Jungle Animals All Jungle Animals

On Earth, which supports a huge amount of fauna. One of the reasons for such a wide variety is constant heat. tropical rain forests also contain huge reserves of water (from 2000 to 7000 mm of precipitation falls annually) and a variety of food supply for animals. Many small animals, including monkeys, birds, snakes, rodents, frogs, lizards and insects, are found in tropical forests never set foot on the ground. They use tall trees and undergrowth for hiding from predators and foraging.

Since there is a huge variety of animals (40-75% of the Earth's animal species) competing for food, many species have adapted to eat certain foods that others do not. For example, toucans have a long, large beak. This adaptation allows the bird to reach fruit on branches that are too small to support the weight of the bird. The beak is also used to extract fruit from the tree.

Sloths use behavioral adaptations and camouflage to survive in the rainforest. They move very, very slowly and spend most of their time hanging upside down. Blue-green algae grow on their fur and give sloths their greenish coloration and protect them from predators.

This article examines the structure of the rainforest and some of the animals that live in its layers, from the litter to upper tier.

forest floor

The forest floor is the most bottom layer rainforest, which receives only about 2% of sunlight. Thus, the plants growing here are adapted to low light conditions. So at the bottom level rainforest relatively large animals such as okapis, tapirs, Sumatran rhinos, etc. live in this layer. a large number of reptiles, insects and. Organically, substances (of plant and animal origin) are collected in the forest floor, where they decompose, such as and.

Okapi

Okapi (Okapia johnstoni listen)) is a unique mammal species that is native to rainforests Democratic Republic Congo in Central Africa. Although okapi have distinctive zebra-like stripes on their limbs, they are more closely related to giraffes. Okapi are diurnal and solitary in nature. These rainforest animals feed on tree leaves and buds, fruits, ferns, and fungi.

Tapir

Tapir ( Tapirus sp.) - pig-like herbivorous mammals with a short, tenacious muzzle. These rainforest animals are found in the forests of South and Central America, as well as in Southeast Asia.

Sumatran rhinoceros

One of five surviving rhino species, ( Dicerorhinus sumatrensis) lives in the tropical forests of Borneo and Sumatra. It is the smallest species of rhinoceros in the world and has two horns. The Sumatran rhinoceros is on the verge of extinction as poachers actively hunt for its horns, which are used to make traditional medicines in China and Vietnam.

western gorilla

Western gorilla ( gorilla gorilla) is found in the forests of Central Africa. These animals are extremely intelligent and can use tools to obtain large amounts of food. The western gorilla is critically endangered today. Hunting for gorilla meat and the reduction of their natural habitat are two of the main threats to these amazing primates.

Undergrowth

The rainforest undergrowth is between the forest floor and the canopy, and it only receives about 5% of the sunlight. This level is home to a large number of small mammals, birds, reptiles and predators such as the jaguar. Small trees, shrubs and herbs grow in the undergrowth. As a rule, plants at this level rarely reach 3 m in height and usually have broad leaves to provide a large surface area for.

Jaguar

(Panthera onca) - most great view in North and South America, and the third largest in the world after and. The jaguar prefers to live in tropical forests and is distributed from Central America to Argentina and Paraguay. It is very similar to a leopard, but more muscular and larger. The jaguar is a solitary superpredator in which it dwells.

Dart frogs

About three species of frogs from the poison dart frog family are deadly. The terrible leaf climber is considered the most dangerous among the three species and one of the most poisonous animals on Earth. These frogs are painted in bright colors including gold, red, green, blue and yellow to protect them from predators. This feature is known as aposematic coloration.

South American nosoha

Also known as coati ( Nasua nasua), this animal lives in the tropical forests of South America. Most of the range is in the lowlands east of the Andes. It is a diurnal animal that lives both on the ground and in trees. The diet includes fruits, other small animals and bird eggs.

common boa constrictor

common boa constrictor (Boa constrictor ) is a massive snake that is found in forests throughout America, as well as on the islands of the Caribbean. Although boas live in the most different places, they prefer rainforests due to the high humidity and suitable temperature. In addition, rainforests provide ample cover and many food sources for these snakes.

forest canopy

The forest canopy (or canopy) is the most distinctive level of the rainforest, forming a roof over the undergrowth and forest floor. In the canopy are most of the most big trees rainforest, growing up to 30-45 m in height. Broad-leaved evergreen trees dominate the canopy, making it the densest part of the rainforest. It is home to over 20 million species and a large number of birds, as well as mammals, invertebrates and reptiles.

Jaco

Jaco, or African gray parrots ( Psittacus erithacus) are medium, gray-black birds common in equatorial Africa. Birds are currently classified as Near Threatened and number between 120,100 and 259,000.

rainbow toucan

Rainbow Toucan ( Ramphastos sulfatus) is common in the tropical forests of Latin America. In this environment, it settles in tree holes, often with other toucans. Overcrowded roosting sites force toucans to tuck their beaks and tails under their bodies to save space.

coats

Koats are a genus belonging to the family of spider monkeys. They live in the tropical forests of Central and South America, from Mexico to Brazil. All seven coat species are endangered to some extent. These primates live in large groups about 35 individuals and are divided into smaller groups to search for food during the day.

Three-toed sloths

Three-toed sloths are a family of arboreal mammals found in South and Central America. These rainforest animals are so named because of their slow gait, which is an adaptation to conserve energy. Sloths have the body size of a small dog or a large cat, and have three clawed toes on each limb.

Gold-helmed kalao

Golden Helmet Kalao ( Ceratogymna elata) lives in the rainforests of West Africa. It is one of the largest birds in this environment and lives in forest canopies and rarely feeds on the ground. Birds of this species live in small family groups consisting of an adult pair and several chicks.

kinkajou

The kinkajou is one of the rainforest animals that is mistaken for a monkey or a ferret. The kinkajou is native to the tropical forests of Central and South America. These nocturnal animals are arboreal and have an omnivorous diet. Unfortunately, they are hunted for their valuable wool.

Upper tier

At this level of the rainforest there are several giant trees reaching a height of about 45-55 m or even higher. Thus, these trees rise above the canopy. They are well adapted to withstand strong winds and high temperatures over the canopy. When such trees die, holes are formed in the canopy, allowing sunlight to reach lower layers tropical forest.

crowned eagle

crowned eagle ( Stephanoaetus coronatus) is a massive and fierce predatory predator, common in the upper tier of tropical forests. The eagle primarily feeds on mammals, including small ungulates, small primates, birds, and lizards. It is one of the largest eagles in Africa, but is now classified as Near Threatened by the IUCN due to large-scale habitat destruction.

royal colobus

Royal Colobus ( Colobus polykomos) is one of the rainforest animals that is found in the African rainforests in countries such as Senegal, Liberia, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Guinea-Bissau and Ivory Coast. The king colobus lives in the upper tier of the forest, but feeds, usually on the ground 3 to 4 females and 1 to 3 males form together one social group.

Giant flying fox

Giant flying fox ( Pteropus vampyrus) is one of largest species bats in the world. It lives in tropical forests, where it feeds exclusively on nectar, fruits and flowers. Although these the bats do not have the ability to echolocate, they use their sharp eyesight to locate food sources.

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

The crowns of the tropics are so tightly closed that the hornbills, turacos and toucans that live here have almost forgotten how to fly. But they are excellent at jumping and climbing branches. It is easy to get lost in the intricacies of trunks and roots. Only one expedition in 2007 to the island of Borneo gave the world 123 previously unknown tropical animals.

Inhabitants of the forest floor

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

There are such creepers among animal bedding. Many of them are large and with long necks. This allows, so to speak, to come out of the shadows. The rest of the 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 inhabitants of the soil.

Tapir

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

Leading night image life, pig-like creatures disguised themselves. Black and white coloration makes tapirs invisible in the dark jungle floor, illuminated by the moon.

Animals that live in the rainforest got a long nose in order to hide from the heat and predators under water. When diving, tapirs leave the tip of the "trunk" on the surface. It serves as a breathing tube.

Tapir is a primitive animal that looks today like it did a thousand years ago, which is rare for animals.

Cuban flint tooth

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. Outwardly, its representatives are something between a hedgehog, a rat and a shrew.

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

Cassowary

These are flightless birds. Awarded the most dangerous on earth. In from the powerful paws and clawed wings of cassowaries, 1-2 people die annually. How can feathered wings be clawed?

The fact is that the flying "devices" of the cassowaries have been transformed into such rudiments. On their central finger is a sharp claw. Its size and strength are frightening, given the bird's 500-kilogram weight and 2-meter height.

On the head of the cassowary there is a dense leathery outgrowth. Its purpose is not clear to scientists. Outwardly, the outgrowth resembles a helmet. There is an assumption that he breaks the branches when the bird runs in the thick of the tropics.

The cassowary is an extremely irritable bird, goes into a rage for no apparent reason, attacking people

Okapi

Found in the tropics. In the appearance of the animal, the signs of a giraffe and a zebra are combined. The body structure and coloration are borrowed from the latter. Black and white stripes adorn the legs of the okapi. The rest of the body is brown. Head and neck like those of a giraffe. According to the genome, it is his relative that the okapi is. Otherwise, representatives of the species are called forest giraffes.

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

western gorilla

Among primates, it is the largest, lives in the jungles of the center of Africa. The DNA of an animal is almost 96% identical to that of a human. This applies to both lowland and mountain gorillas. The latter live in the tropics. They are few in number. Less than 700 individuals remain in nature.

There are about 100,000 lowland gorillas. Another 4,000 are kept in zoos. There are no mountain gorillas in captivity.

Knowing how to walk on their hind legs, gorillas prefer to move on 4 at the same time. In this case, the animals put their hands sideways, leaning on back side fingers. Monkeys need to keep the skin of their palms thin and delicate. This is necessary for the proper sensitivity of the brushes, subtle manipulations with them.

Sumatran rhinoceros

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

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

The rhinoceros picks up berries and fruits that have fallen from sloppy birds

undergrowth animals

The undergrowth is just above the litter, already receives 5% of the sun's rays. In order to capture them, plants grow wide leaf plates. Their area allows you to capture the maximum light. In height, representatives of the flora of the undergrowth do not exceed 3 meters. Accordingly, the tier itself is the same minus half a meter from the ground.

They fall on the floor. rainforest animals in the undergrowth 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. Spots on the skins of predators are compared with them.

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

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

Binturong

Belongs to the civet family. Outwardly, the binturong is something between a cat and a raccoon. The relatives of the animal are genets and lisangs. Like them, the binturong is a predator. However, the touching appearance, as it were, discards the fear of the animal.

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

South American nosoha

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

There, noses, like jaguars, climb trees perfectly. The noses have short, but flexible and mobile paws with tenacious claws. The structure of the limbs allows animals to descend from trees both forward backwards and muzzle.

Nosuha climbs trees for fruit and hiding from danger. In her absence, the beast is not averse to walking on the jungle floor. By digging with its clawed paws, nosukha finds reptiles and insects. Being omnivorous, the animal preys on them.

dart frog

Among the existing reptiles, poison dart frogs are the brightest. On photo rainforest animals distinguished by coloring in tones of indigo. There are also turquoise and blue-black colors. They make a frog stand out against the background for a reason. surrounding nature like a tropical bud.

A dart frog has no need to disguise itself. Among reptiles, the animal produces the most powerful poison. The frog is not touched, even when seen in front of one's nose. More often, predators and people bounce off the blue beauty, fearing poison. One frog shot is enough to kill 10 people. There is no antidote.

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

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

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

Some hunt in the water. In America, where rivers and lakes are occupied by anacondas, boas feed on the ground and trees.

An ordinary boa constrictor in the tropics often replaces a cat. The inhabitants of the jungle settlements lure snakes, allowing them to live in barns and warehouses. There boas catch mice. Therefore, the snake is considered partially domesticated.

flying dragon

This is a lizard with skin outgrowths on the sides. They open when the animal jumps from the tree like wings. They are not attached to the paws. Moveable, rigid ribs plow open the folds.

A flying dragon descends into the jungle floor only to lay eggs. They are usually from 1 to 4 ex. Lizards bury their eggs in fallen leaves or soil.

The dragon can dive for long distances while landing silently

Rainforest canopy dwellers

A tropical canopy is otherwise called a canopy. It is made up 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 crowns of trees. The last in the canopy of the tropics are 20 million species. There are fewer reptiles, invertebrates and mammals at altitude.

kinkajou

Represents the raccoon family. Lives kinkazhu in America. In the tropics, the animal settles in the crowns of trees. On their branches, the kinkajou moves, clinging long tail.

Despite the small similarity and lack of relationship with clubfoot, animals are called tree bears. It's a matter of diet. Kinkajou loves honey. His animal extracts with the help of the tongue. In length, it reaches 13 centimeters, allowing you to climb into the hive.

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

Malayan bear

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

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

Jaco

One of the smartest parrots. Like a real intellectual, Zhako is modestly “dressed”. The plumage of the bird is grey. Only on the tail there are red feathers. Their shade is not flashy, but rather cherry. You can see birds in the jungle Africa. rainforest animals Continents are successfully kept in captivity and often become news heroes.

So, a Jaco nicknamed Baby from the USA remembered the names of the robbers who entered his owner's apartment. Birds gave out the data of the thieves to the police.

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

coata

Otherwise known as the spider monkey. The animal has a tiny head, a massive body against its background, and long, thin limbs. When the koata stretches them between the branches, it seems like a spider waiting for prey. The black, shiny coat of the animal is also confusing, like fluff on the bodies of arthropods.

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

Koats very rarely descend to the ground, sometimes spider monkeys fall and get injured that heal quickly

rainbow toucan

Large bird up to 53 cm long. With a massive and long beak, the toucan reaches the fruits on thin branches. Sit on them a bird, the shoots will not stand. The toucan weighs about 400 grams. The beak of the animal is painted in green, blue, orange, yellow, red.

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

The colorful appearance of the toucan is combined with the fruity variety of the tropics. However, a bird can also feast on protein food, catching insects, tree frogs. Sometimes toucans feed on the chicks of other birds.

Golden Helmet Kalao

The largest among the birds of the tropics. The bird weighs approximately 2 kilograms. The animal is named gold-helmeted due to the feathers sticking out on its head. They are, as it were, raised, forming a kind 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 saggy and shriveled, like a vulture or a turkey. Kalao is also distinguished by a massive beak. No wonder the bird belongs to the family of hornbills.

With long beaks, it is 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 with maximum speed 16 meters hour. Most of the time the animals spend on the branches of African jungle trees. There the sloths hang upside down. Most of the time the animals sleep, and the rest is slowly chewing on the leaves.

Sloths not only feed on vegetation, but are also covered in it. Animal fur is covered with microscopic algae. Therefore, the color of sloths is greenish. Algae are water plants. From there, the sloths took the "tenants".

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

Upper tier of the tropics

Tropical rainforest animals the upper tier live at a height of 45-55 meters. At this mark, there are single crowns of especially tall trees. Other trunks do not aspire higher, because they are not adapted to stand alone in front of the winds and the heat of the sun.

Some birds, mammals, and bats also fight them. The choice is due either to the proximity of the food base, or the presence of a view of the area, or the removal to a safe distance from predators and dangers.

crowned eagle

Among birds of prey he is the largest. The body length of the animal exceeds a meter. The wingspan of a 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 a kind of crown, crown.

The crowned eagle lives in the jungles of Africa. You rarely see birds alone. Crowned birds live in pairs. Even their possessions animals fly around together. "Put on" the eagles, by the way, is about 16 square kilometers.

Giant flying fox

The muzzle of this bat is similar to 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 its wings by 170 centimeters. The giant fox weighs over a kilogram.

There are gigantic flying foxes in Asian countries such as Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia. Bats live in flocks. Flying 50-100 individuals, foxes terrify tourists.

royal colobus

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

Colobus rarely descend to the ground. Monkeys spend most of their lives on the tops of trees, where they feed on fruits.

Fauna of the rainforest- this is a fierce competition not only for space, light, but also food. Therefore, it is in the jungle that there are species that dine on what the inhabitants of other places do not even consider food.

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

This material tells about the life of animals in the tropical zone. The article is illustrated with photographs of tropical forest animals.

In the African forest.

Most of the African forests are located between two tropics: the North (Tropic of Cancer) and the South (Tropic of Capricorn). In this part of the earth all the seasons are alike; during a year average temperature and the amount of rainfall is almost unchanged. Therefore, almost all animals of this zone lead a sedentary lifestyle - because, unlike the inhabitants of the temperate and cold climatic zones, they do not need to make seasonal migrations in search of places suitable for life.

Hippopotamus.

The name of this animal in Greek means "river horse". It weighs over three tons.

Water is the natural habitat of this huge mammal, in which the hippo spends most of its time. However, with such a thick, squat figure, it is not easy to swim, so usually hippos do not go far into the water, but stay in shallow water, where they can reach the bottom with their paws. The sense organs - movable ears, nostrils equipped with closing membranes, and eyes with protruding overeyes - are located on the upper part of the muzzle, so that the hippopotamus can almost completely submerge in water, continuing to breathe air and carefully monitor everything around. In the event of a danger threatening him or his cubs, he becomes very aggressive and, no matter where - in water or on land, he immediately attacks the enemy.

Mothers give birth to cubs either on the shore, or more often right in the water. In the latter case, newborns, barely born, emerge to the surface so as not to suffocate. Childbirth in hippos takes place during the rainy season, at this time the mother's milk is in abundance due to the abundant and varied food. To feed the cubs, the female gets out on land and stretches comfortably on her side.

hippos never live alone; they gather in groups of several dozen individuals. Often, both in water and on land, adult males play with growing cubs. Moving on land. Hippos always follow the same paths they know.

Feeling in danger, the hippo emits a threatening roar, and opens its huge mouth as wide as possible, showing the enemy unusually long lower fangs. This menacing posture usually produces the desired result.

Crocodile.

Only sometimes crocodiles can swim in sea water; usually they settle along the banks of rivers and lakes in areas with a warm and hot climate. Crocodiles are much more comfortable and calmer in the water than on land. They swim with the help of paws and tail; Under water, large individuals can spend about an hour. In the hottest hours of the day, crocodiles lie on land with their mouths wide open: due to the lack of sweat glands, they can get rid of excess heat only in the same way as dogs sticking out their tongues in the heat.

The female crocodile lays her eggs in a hole specially dug on the shore, not far from the water. The cub breaks the shell with the help of a special horn located on the head, which soon falls off.

Young crocodiles feed mainly on fish, but also on birds and insects. Only as adults will they be able to cope with more large mammals, which need to be caught, dragged from the shore and held for some time under water.

Crocodile teeth are not needed for chewing food, but only to grab prey and tear off pieces of meat from it.

Even such terrifying reptiles as crocodiles have enemies - animals that hunt for crocodile eggs. The most dangerous of them is the monitor lizard, big lizard. Having found an egg, he begins to dig the ground near him unusually quickly, distracting the female crocodile, who usually stands guard, and stealing an egg from the nest, takes it to a place inaccessible to crocodiles and eats it.

Like many other land animals living in the water for a long time, the ears, nostrils and eyes of crocodiles are located on the top of the head, so that they remain above the water when the animal swims.

The smallest crocodile: Osborne's caiman, its length is 120 centimeters.

Chimpanzee.

Due to its intelligence and trainability, it is the most famous of all monkeys. Although chimpanzees are great climbers, they spend a lot of time on the ground and even travel on foot. But they still sleep in the trees, where they feel safer. This is one of the few animals that uses various tools: a chimpanzee puts a broken branch into a termite mound, and then licks insects off it. These monkeys are practically omnivores. Communities living in different regions often eat differently.

The "vocabulary" of chimpanzees consists of various sounds, but in communication they also use facial expressions; their faces can take on a variety of expressions, often very human-like.

As a rule, only one cub is born in a chimpanzee, twins are extremely rare. All childhood cubs spend literally in the arms of their mother, firmly clinging to her wool.

Chimpanzees live in fairly numerous societies, but not as closed as other apes, such as gorillas. In contrast, chimpanzees often move from one group to another.

The strongest males, defending their superiority, uproot small trees and brandish this club with a menacing look.

A tender friendship usually reigns between female chimpanzees. It is not uncommon for a mother to temporarily entrust her cub to another female; sometimes such nannies take for a walk, in addition to their own, two or three other people's cubs.

Gorilla.

Despite its intimidating appearance, this large, over two meters tall monkey is very friendly; males from the same flock usually do not compete with each other, and for the leader to obey him, it is enough to goggle his eyes and utter the appropriate cry, hitting his chest with his fingers. This behavior is just staged, it is never followed by an attack. Before a real attack, the gorilla looks into the eyes of the enemy for a long time and silently. Staring straight into the eyes is a challenge not only for gorillas, but for almost all mammals, including dogs, cats, and even humans.

Baby gorillas stay with their mother for nearly four years. When the next one is born, the mother begins to alienate the eldest from herself, but never does it rudely; she, as it were, invites him to try his hand at adulthood.

Waking up, gorillas go in search of food. The rest of the time they devote to rest and play. After the evening meal, a kind of bedding is arranged on the ground, on which they fall asleep.

Okapi.

These are relatives of the giraffe, its height is slightly less than two meters, and its weight is about 250 kilograms. Okapi are extremely timid animals and are distributed in a very narrow geographical area and therefore not well studied. It is known that they live in bushes, and their coloration, at first glance very unusual, actually makes them completely invisible from the outside. natural environment a habitat. Okapi live alone, and only mothers are not separated from their cubs for a long time.

With stripes on the back of the body and on the legs, the okapi resembles a zebra; these stripes serve as camouflage for them.

Okapis resemble some types of horses, but the differences are quite noticeable; for example, males have short horns. When playing, okapi lightly hit each other with their muzzles until the defeated one, as a sign of the end of the game, lies on the ground.

When a mother hears a special call made by a cub in case of danger, she becomes very aggressive and resolutely attacks any enemy.

Asian jungle.

Some species of animals that inhabit the Asian jungle, such as elephants, rhinos and leopards, are also found in Africa; however, over thousands of years of evolution, the inhabitants of the jungle have developed many features that distinguish them from their African "brothers".

Monsoons are the name given to the winds that periodically blow in tropical zones Asia. Usually they bring heavy rains, contributing to the rapid growth and renewal of vegetation.

The time of the monsoons is also favorable for animals: during these periods, plant foods are plentiful and varied, which provides the most Better conditions their growth and reproduction. Just like the forests of the Amazon, the Asian jungle is very dense and sometimes impassable.

Tapir.

The tapir is said to be a fossil animal; indeed, this species, which inhabits several distant regions one after another, has survived on earth since very ancient times, having survived several geological epochs.

black-backed tapir can walk on the bottom of the lake!

The female tapir is larger than the male. The most noticeable feature in the structure of the body is an elongated upper lip, which forms a small and very mobile trunk, with which tapirs can pick leaves and tufts of grass - their usual food. Black-backed tapirs live in Asia. Their coloration is very expressive: black with white. It may seem that these contrasting colors should make them very noticeable, but in fact, from afar, they are very similar to an ordinary pile of stones, which are many around. In cubs, on the contrary, the skin is pockmarked, with small specks and stripes. In the second year of life, this coloration will gradually change to an even black color with a characteristic white bandage - a saddlecloth.

Most tapirs eat leaves, shoots and stems. aquatic plants. They love the water and are excellent swimmers. They always walk along the same habitual paths, which eventually turn into well-trodden paths, ending, as a rule, in a "gutter" - a convenient descent to the water.

The most terrible enemies of tapirs are various types of cats on land and gharials in the water. Very rarely, a tapir tries to defend itself; he has practically no means for this and always prefers to run away.

The body of the tapir is squat, the paws are short, there is almost no neck. Movable trunk is a very sensitive organ of smell. - with its help, the tapir explores the surface of the earth and surrounding objects. Vision, on the other hand, is very poorly developed. Asian cats.

There are no felines living in groups in Asia, like lions or cheetahs in Africa. All types of Asian cats are loners, each animal is the owner of its own territory and does not allow strangers there. Only tigers sometimes go hunting in small groups. Representatives of the cat family live everywhere in Asia, even in areas with a climate that is not very suitable for them, such as, for example, in the Far East, where the Ussuri tiger reigns. A feature of tigers living in the jungle is their manner of hunting. It consists in sneaking up to the victim as close as possible, remaining unnoticed, and at the last moment rushing at him with one jump from a place or a short run.

The royal, or Bengal, tiger is now quite rare. Found in India and Indochina.

Leopard or black panther.

The panther also has spots characteristic of a leopard, although they are completely invisible against a black background. The black panther is a dark-colored leopard.

Smoky leopard. He jumps from branch to branch like a monkey. These cats are sometimes called tree tigers.

Spotted cat.

I also call her the fishing cat. In fact, she loves to live near the water and swims well. In addition to fish and shellfish, it catches small vertebrates on land. The habits of this animal are little studied.

Tiger.

Tigers adapt to a variety of climatic conditions; they live in flat tropical areas, but are also found in the mountains at an altitude of up to 3000 m and in very cold areas; in the latter case, a thick, more than five centimeters, layer of fat forms under the skin, which protects against heat loss.

Almost all the inhabitants of the jungle are at risk of becoming the prey of the tiger. Only large and warlike thick-skinned, and even bulls and buffaloes with strong horns, can feel safe.

Contrary to popular belief, the tiger is not a very dexterous hunter; he is so heavy. That for a successful jump, he needs to start the run from a distance of 10 - 15 meters; if the tiger comes closer to its prey, it runs the risk of missing.

A tiger brood usually consists of two, three or four cubs. For eight weeks, the mother feeds them exclusively with milk; then solid food is gradually added to their milk. Only six months later, the female begins to go hunting, leaving the cubs for more than a day.

Tigers, like all wild animals, are afraid of humans. However, it happens that an old or sick animal, for which ordinary hunting becomes too difficult, overcomes its innate fear and attacks people.

Monkey.

Among the numerous species of monkeys, there are animals that weigh no more than 70 grams, and there are those whose mass reaches 250 kilograms. In Asian monkeys, the tail does not have a grasping function, i.e. the monkey cannot, having caught it on a branch, support its body so that its arms and legs remain free; this is typical only for monkeys living on the American continent.

Orangutan.

The most common monkey in Asia is the orangutan. This is a large monkey that spends most of its time among the branches and only occasionally descends to the ground.

Female orangutans, perhaps, more than all other monkeys care about the upbringing of their children. Mothers bite their nails, bathe them in rainwater, yell at them if they start acting up. The upbringing received in childhood subsequently determines the character of an adult animal.

Nosach.

This monkey owes its name to a huge ugly nose, which in males sometimes goes down to the very chin. The proboscis not only climbs trees very well, but also swims very well and can sit under water for a long time.

Thin lory.

The pointed muzzle and huge eyes that can see in the dark make this half-monkey very cute. During the day, the lory hides in the branches, and at night it gets its own food.

Indian pachyderms.

The differences between Indian thick-skinned animals and African ones are imperceptible at first glance. The behavior of both of them is also very similar: they do not stay in one place for a long time, but move over fairly long distances in search of suitable food, mostly young foliage. They love water and swim well, sometimes for a long time. They often rest near the water's edge, bathing in silty mud, which is very good for their skin.

Rhinoceros.

He is respected by all other animals who try to avoid meeting him. Only elephants do not feel fear of them and easily put them to flight if they interfere with them. Newborn Indian rhinoceros weighs about 65 kilograms.

Unlike the African rhinoceros, it has only one horn and its body is covered with thick skin shields. Usually he moves slowly, but if necessary, speeds up to 40 kilometers per hour.

Elephant.

Although his skin looks rough, it is actually very sensitive due to a cover of short and flexible bristles that respond to even the lightest touch.

The mother never lets the baby elephant leave her. She watches the cub all the time and begins to call him as soon as she notices that he is a little behind.

The female Indian elephant carries the fetus for about 20 months!

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

toucans

flying dragons

Bengal tigers

South American harpies

Dart frogs

Sloths

spider monkeys

wine snakes

capybaras

Brazilian tapirs

The rainforest is very rich in animals. There are many different kinds of monkeys living in the Amazon and Orinoco basins. In their structure, they differ from the Old World monkeys living in Africa and India. Old world monkeys are called narrow-nosed, American monkeys are called broad-nosed. A long tenacious tail helps the monkeys deftly climb trees. The spider monkey has a particularly long and tenacious tail. Another monkey, the howler monkey, wraps its tail around the branch and holds it like a hand. Howler was named for its powerful, obnoxious voice.

Most strong predator tropical forest - jaguar. This is a large yellow cat with black spots on the skin. She is good at climbing trees.

America's other big cat is the cougar. It is common in North America to Canada, in South America it is found in the steppes to Patagonia. The cougar is colored yellowish gray and somewhat resembles a lion (without a mane); this is probably why it is called the American lion.

Near reservoirs in the thicket of the forest you can meet an animal that resembles a little horse and even more - a rhinoceros. The animal reaches 2 m in length. His muzzle is elongated, as if elongated into a trunk. This is an American tapir. He, like a pig, loves to wallow in puddles.

Coypu lives on lakes in reed beds on the plains of Patagonia and on the mountain slopes of the Andes - swamp beaver, or koipu, is a large rodent the size of our river beaver. The life of a nutria is connected with water. Nutria feeds on the roots of succulent aquatic plants; nests are made of reeds and reeds. The animal gives valuable fur. The nutria was transferred to Soviet Union and released in the swampy thickets of Transcaucasia. They have acclimatized and breed well. However, they suffer greatly during the cold winters that occur in Azerbaijan and Armenia, when the lakes freeze.

Unadapted to life in freezing reservoirs, nutria, diving under the ice, do not find a way out. At the same time, their habitats become accessible for jungle cats and jackals, which pass through the ice to nests of nutrias.

Armadillos, sloths and anteaters live in the forests of South America.

The body of the armadillo is covered with a shell, a bit reminiscent of a turtle shield. The shell consists of two layers: inside it is bony, outside - horny - and is divided into belts, movably connected to each other. Lives in Guiana and Brazil giant armadillo. The largest of the armadillos reach one and a half meters in length. Armadillos live in deep burrows and come out to prey only at night. They feed on termites, ants and various small animals.

Sloths have a monkey-like face. The long limbs of these animals are armed with large sickle-shaped claws. They got their name for slowness and slowness. The dull greenish-gray protective coloration of the sloth reliably hides it from the eyes of the enemy in the branches of trees. The color of the sloth is given by green algae that live in its rough and shaggy coat. This is one of the great examples of the cohabitation of animal and plant organisms.

Several species of anteaters are found in the forests of South America. The average anteater is very interesting - tamandua, with a tenacious tail. It runs superbly along sloping trunks and climbs trees, looking for ants and other insects.

Marsupials in the forests of Brazil are eared and water opossums. The water opossum, or swimmer, lives near rivers and lakes. It differs from the eared one in color and swimming membranes on the hind legs.

There are many different types of bats in South America. Among them are blood-sucking leaf-beetles that attack horses and mules, and vampires.

Despite their sinister name, vampires feed exclusively on insects and plant fruits.

Of the birds of great interest is the hoatzin. It's brightly colored, pretty large bird with a big crest on his head. The nest of the hoatzin is placed above the water, in the branches of trees or thickets of shrubs. Chicks are not afraid to fall into the water: they swim and dive well. Hoatzin chicks have long claws on the first and second fingers of the wing, which help them climb branches and branches. It is curious that the adult hoatzin loses the ability to quickly move through the trees.

Studying the structure and lifestyle of hoatzin chicks, scientists came to the conclusion that the ancestors of birds also climbed trees. After all, the fossil first bird (Archaeopteryx) had long fingers with claws on the wings.

There are over 160 species of parrots in the rainforests of South America. The most famous are green Amazonian parrots. They are good at speaking.

Only in one country - in America - live the smallest birds - hummingbirds. These are unusually bright and beautifully colored fast-flying birds, some of them the size of a bumblebee. There are over 450 species of hummingbirds. They, like insects, hover around flowers, sucking flower juice with a thin beak and tongue. In addition, hummingbirds also feed on small insects.

There are many different snakes and lizards in the rainforests. Among them are boas, or boa, anaconda, reaching 11 m in length, bushmaster - 4 m in length. Many snakes, due to the protective coloration of the skin, are hardly noticeable among the forest greenery.

There are especially many lizards in the tropical rainforest. Big broad-toed geckos are sitting on the trees. Among other species of lizards, the most interesting is the iguana, which lives both in trees and on the ground. This lizard has a very beautiful emerald green color. She eats plant foods.

In the forests of Brazil and Guiana lives a large frog - the Surinamese pipa. It is interesting in a special way of reproduction. The eggs laid by the female are distributed by the male on the back of the female. Each egg falls into a separate cell. In the future, the skin grows, and the cells close. The frogs develop on the back of the female; when they grow up, they leave the cells. Nutrients necessary for frogs during development are transferred from the mother's body by blood vessels branching in the walls of skin cells.

in the rivers tropical America found big fish - electric eel having special electrical organs. With electric shocks, the eel stuns its prey and scares away its enemies.

In many rivers of South America, an unusually predatory fish lives - piranha, 30 cm long. In her strong jaws sit sharp, like knives, teeth. If you lower a piece of meat into the river, piranhas immediately appear from the depths and instantly tear it apart. Piranhas feed on fish, attack ducks and domestic animals that inadvertently entered the river. Even such large animals as tapirs suffer from piranha. Fish damage lips drinking water animals. Piranhas are also dangerous to humans.

In tropical forests, the world of insects is diverse. Very large diurnal butterflies are numerous. They are very beautiful and richly colored, varied in shape and size. In Brazil, there are over 700 species of diurnal butterflies, while in Europe there are no more than 150 species.

Ants are very numerous. Penetrating into human dwellings, they eat his reserves and thereby cause significant harm. Umbrella ants live in underground galleries. They feed their larvae with mushroom mold, which is grown on finely chopped foliage. Ants bring pieces of leaves to the anthill, moving along strictly constant paths.

There are many spiders in the tropical belt of South America. Among them, the largest is the tarantula. Its size is more than 5 cm. Lizards, frogs, insects serve as food for it; apparently, it also attacks small birds. The same large earthen spiders are found in New Guinea and Java.

Elephants, a variety of monkeys, okapi, an animal related to the giraffe, live in the tropical forests of Africa; in the rivers - hippos and crocodiles. The great apes are the gorillas and chimpanzees. The gorilla is a very large monkey, the growth of males reaches 2 m, weight - 200 kg. They live in the most deaf, inaccessible parts of the rainforest and in the mountains. Gorillas make their lair in trees or on the ground in dense thickets. Gorillas are heavily exterminated by man and are now preserved only in two areas of the tropical forests of Africa - south of Cameroon to the river. Congo and in the country of lakes Victoria and Tanganyika.

Chimpanzees are smaller than gorillas. An adult male is not higher than 1.5 m. They live in families, but sometimes they gather in small herds. Descending from trees, chimpanzees walk on the ground, leaning on their hands clenched into fists.

There are many species of monkeys in the tropical forests of Africa. The fur of these long-tailed little monkeys is greenish in color. Of interest are fingerless monkeys (colobus), which lack thumb on hands. The most beautiful of these monkeys is the Gverets. She lives in Ethiopia and in the forests to the west of that country. Macaques, related African monkeys live in tropical Asia.

Dog-headed monkeys - baboons - are very characteristic of the African continent. They live in the mountains of Africa.

The fauna of Madagascar has some peculiarities. So, for example, lemurs live on this island. Their body is covered with thick fur. Some have fluffy tails. The muzzles of lemurs are more animal than monkey; hence they are called semi-monkeys.

There are many different types of parrots in the rainforests of Africa. The most famous gray parrot is a jaco, which imitates the human voice very well.

Crocodiles have been preserved in large numbers in places. They are especially fond of rivers, the banks of which are overgrown with dense tropical forest. Nile crocodile reaches 7 m in length.

Large, up to 6 m long, boas - pythons live in the forests of Africa.

Among the fish attracts attention lungfish protopterus inhabiting muddy lakes and swamps. These fish, in addition to gills, have lungs that they breathe during a drought. The lungfish lepidosiren lives in South America, and the ceratodes live in Australia.

In the humid dense forests of the islands of Sumatra and Borneo (Kalimantan), the orangutan ape lives. This is a large monkey, covered with coarse red hair. Adult males grow large beards.

Close to the great apes, the gibbon is smaller in size than the orangutan, its body length is 1 m. The gibbon is distinguished by long limbs; with their help, swinging on the branches, he very easily jumps from tree to tree. Gibbons live on the island of Sumatra, on the Malay Peninsula and in the mountain forests of Burma.

A variety of macaques live in the forests of the Greater Sunda Islands - Sumatra and Borneo - and in Eastern India. On island of Borneo the nosed monkey lives. Her nose is long, almost proboscis-shaped. In older animals, especially in males, the nose is much longer than in young monkeys.

In the forests of India and the nearest big islands often found Indian elephant. Since ancient times, it has been tamed by man and used in various jobs.

The common Indian rhinoceros is well known - the largest one-horned rhinoceros.

In Asia, a relative of American tapirs lives - the black-backed tapir. It reaches 2 m in height. His back is light, and other parts of the body are covered with short black hair.

Among the predators of southern Asia, the Bengal tiger is the most famous. Most tigers survived in India, Indochina, on the islands of Sumatra and Java.

The tiger is a twilight animal; he hunts for large ungulates. A tiger, in the event of a hunter, illness or headman being wounded by an unsuccessful shot, or in general for any reason who has lost the ability to hunt ungulates that make up his main food, attacks people, becomes a "cannibal".

We have tigers in Transcaucasia, Central Asia, Primorye and in the south of the Ussuri Territory.

The leopard is distributed in southern Asia, in the forests of the Greater Sunda Islands and in Japan. It is found in the Caucasus, in the mountains of Central Asia and in Primorye. We call him a bar. Leopard attacks domestic animals; he is cunning, bold, and dangerous to humans. On the Greater Sunda Islands, black leopards are often found; they are called black panthers.

South Asia is home to the sloth bear and the Malay bear, the biruang. Gubach is a large, heavy beast, armed with long claws, allowing him to climb trees well. The color of his fur is black, on the chest there is a large White spot. His big lips mobile, they can be pulled out with a tube, and with a long tongue the bear takes out insects from the cracks of trees. Gubach lives in tropical forests on the peninsula of Hindustan and on the island of Ceylon. It feeds on plants, fruits, berries, insects, bird eggs and small animals.

The Malayan bear has short, black fur. It spends most of its life in trees, feeding on fruits and insects.

There are many birds in tropical Asia. One of the most beautiful is considered a peacock living in the wild in Java, Ceylon and Indochina.

In the forests of the Sunda Islands, in Ceylon and in India, there are banking, or bush, chickens - the wild ancestors of domestic chickens, many species of pheasants and other chickens.

The waters of South Asia are inhabited by long-snouted crocodiles - gharials. They live in r. Ganges.

On the Malacca peninsula, a reticulated python snake is found, reaching 10 m in length.

In the forests of India there are many poisonous snakes, from the bites of which a large number of people suffer every year. The most dangerous cobra, or spectacle snake. She got her name from the spots on the back of her head that look like glasses.

The tropics are inhabited by many amphibians, or amphibians. Among them is the Javan flying frog. Strongly developed webs between the toes of the front and hind paws allow it to jump from one tree to another when planning.

Having become acquainted with the distribution of animals on the globe, it is easy to see that on different continents similar animals live under similar living conditions. Some species have adapted to life in the tundra, others in the steppes and deserts, and others in the mountains and forests. Each continent has its own animal world- species of animals that live only on a given continent. Especially in this regard, the animal world of Australia is peculiar, which we will consider below.

Studying the past of the Earth from the fossil remains of animals that once inhabited the continents and islands, scientists came to the conclusion that the composition of the fauna, i.e., the animal world, has continuously changed in all geological epochs. Connections arose between the continents; For example, between Asia and North America there was a connection. Animals that inhabited Asia may have entered the Americas; therefore, in the fauna of America and Asia, we still see a lot of similarities at the present time. Geological history Earth helps to clarify some features in the distribution of animals on the continents. Thus, the remains of marsupials are found in the ancient layers of the earth in Europe and America. Nowadays, these marsupials live only in Australia and only a few species in America. Consequently, earlier marsupials on the globe were much more widespread. This confirms the opinion of geologists about the connection that existed between these continents.

Having studied the composition of the animal world of individual continents and islands, scientists have divided Earth into areas characterized by species of animals found only in this area.

The main areas are as follows: Australian, Neotropical (South and Central America), Ethiopian (Africa), Eastern, or Indo-Malayan, Holarctic (Northern Asia, Europe and North America).

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