Wet forest animals. Rainforests

The author, in love with his science - zoogeography, claims and proves that it is as interesting as everything connected with the life of animals in the wild. He talks surprisingly clearly about biological properties animals that help them exist in a certain environment, about the connections of fauna with plant formations, about the distribution of animals across to the globe and about the factors limiting their settlement, about the history of the development of fauna on various continents.

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Near the equator the sun is high in the sky all year round. The air is highly saturated with water vapor rising from the damp earth. Seasons of the year are not expressed. It's stiflingly hot.

In such a climate, lush vegetation develops, the most exotic formation of our earth - the tropical forest. Due to the large role of rain in the formation of this formation, it is also called tropical rain forest.

There are three large tracts of tropical forests in the world: in South America they occupy almost the entire vast Amazon River basin; in Africa they cover the Congo River basin and the coast of the Gulf of Guinea; in Asia, tropical forests occupy part of India, the Indochinese Peninsula, the Malacca Peninsula, the Greater and Lesser Sunda Islands, the Philippines and the island of New Guinea.

The rainforest seems fabulous to everyone who enters it for the first time. The abundance of moisture, mineral salts, and optimal temperatures create conditions under which plants form dense thickets, and deep shadow makes them stretch upward, toward the light. It is not for nothing that the tropical forest is famous for its huge trees, raising their crowns high.

Plants that are extremely characteristic of tropical forests are epiphytes, which appear on the trunks and branches of other plants. These include both flowering plants and many species of ferns, mosses and lichens.

Some epiphytes, such as numerous orchids, draw nutrients exclusively from air and rainwater.

Under the canopy of the tropical forest there are no grasses, only rotting remains of leaves, branches and huge trunks of dead trees lie here. This is the kingdom of mushrooms. In conditions of heat and moisture, decomposition and mineralization occur quickly dead remains plants and animals, which determines the high speed of the biological cycle of substances.

If in a deciduous forest temperate climate Three or four tiers are clearly defined, but here, in the tropical thickets, we immediately get lost in the multitude of tiers and half-tiers.

The richness of the flora is stunning. If in European mixed forests There are five to ten species of trees, but here on a hectare of forest there are many times more types than they grow in general throughout Europe. Here you need to spend a lot of time and effort to find at least two identical trees. In Cameroon, for example, there are about 500 species of trees and another 800 species of shrubs.

Tree wood equatorial forest, where seasons are not expressed, has no rings and is highly valued in industry, for example, ebony (ebony) wood and mahogany.

At any time of the year, the tropical forest blooms and bears fruit. It happens that on the same tree you can simultaneously see buds, flowers, ovaries and ripening fruits. And even if the harvest from one tree is completely harvested, there will always be another nearby, all hung with fruits.

In this amazing environment lives no less amazing world animals. Air saturated with water vapor allows many invertebrates that usually live in aquatic environment, live here on land. For example, Ceylon leeches are widely known (Haemadipsa ceylonica), which stick to the leaves of trees and lie in wait for prey (warm-blooded animals), a number of species of crustaceans, centipedes and even amphipods.

All invertebrate animals, whose skin is not covered with a dense chitinous shell, feel really good only in the tropical forest, but elsewhere they are constantly in danger of drying out. Even an experienced zoologist can hardly imagine how many, for example, gastropods lives in any corner of the tropical forest. Only one family Helicarionidae in Africa there are more species than all the mollusks in the whole of Poland. Gastropods live everywhere: underground, in fallen trees, on trunks, among branches and leaves, in various layers of the forest. They do not even descend to the ground to lay eggs. Some gastropods of the Philippines (Helicostyla leucophthalma) They build wonderful nests for their eggs from leaves glued together with mucus.

Here ideal conditions for amphibian habitat. In tropical forests there is a huge variety of species of frogs, tree frogs, and toads. Many species lay their eggs in the axils of huge leaves, where water accumulates. Other species lay their eggs directly on the leaves, and their tadpoles undergo accelerated development inside the gelatinous shells of the eggs. There are also species in which the eggs are carried by the male or female on the back. This lasts more than ten days, whereas in our conditions the caviar would dry in a few hours.

Insects in the tropical forest reproduce continuously and live here in huge numbers.

Perhaps it is in the insect fauna that one can most clearly see how the fauna of the tropical forest differs from the tundra. In the tundra, a few species create a population of billions. In tropical thickets, large zoomass is created due to the abundance of species. In the tropical forest it is much easier to catch one hundred specimens of different species for collection than the same number of representatives of the same species. Large number species and the paucity of individuals is a fundamental feature of both the flora and fauna of the tropical rain forest. For example, on the island of Barro Colorado in the Panama Canal, as a result of many years of research, about 20 thousand species of insects were discovered on several square kilometers, while in some European country the number of insect species reaches only two to three thousand.

In this diversity, the most fantastic-looking animals arise. Tropical forests are the homeland of all praying mantises that imitate the body shape of tree knots, butterflies that look like leaves, wasp flies and other skillfully camouflaged species.

Wasps and bumblebees form permanent swarms, living in huge and constantly growing nests. Ants and termites are as widespread in tropical forests as in savannas. There are many predators among ants, for example the famous Brazilian ants (Ecitony), not building anthills and migrating in a continuous avalanche. On their way, they kill and devour any animal they encounter. They can create a kind of nest from their own bodies, crowding into a tight ball. In the tropics there are rarely anthills or termite mounds on the ground. They are usually located high up - in hollows, in curled leaves and inside plant stems.

The year-round abundance of flowers explains why only in the tropics do birds live that feed exclusively on nectar or small insects found in the calyxes of flowers. These are two families: hummingbirds South America (Trochilidae) and African-Asian sunbirds (Nectariniidae). It’s the same with butterflies: in the rainforest they fly by the thousands throughout the year.

The continuously ripening fruits serve as food for many groups of frugivores typical of the tropics. Among the birds, the most numerous are parrots and large-billed American toucans. (Rhamphastidae) and hornbills (Bucerotidae), which replace them in Africa; and in Asia - turaco (Musophagidae) with bright plumage and many others leading a similar lifestyle. Dozens of monkey species compete with birds. Frugivores spend their lives in the crowns of trees, in the upper tiers of the forest. Large fruit bats are typical here (Megachiroptera)- flying dogs and flying foxes.

In a tropical forest, the higher the level, the more life there is.

The arboreal lifestyle is typical of many species of tropical forest animals. In this regard, small animals predominate here. Thus, various small monkeys - macaques and monkeys - live in trees, and a large gorilla (up to 200 kilograms in weight) is terrestrial, while chimpanzees, which are of medium size, are terrestrial. wood image life.

Of the three Brazilian anteaters, the smallest pygmy anteater (Cyclopes didactylus) leads an arboreal lifestyle, and the large anteater (Myrmecophaga jubata)- exclusively terrestrial animal. The average-sized anteater is the tamandua. (Tamandua tetradactyla) It moves awkwardly both on the ground and along the branches and obtains food both here and here.

Everyone knows tree frog tree frog (Hyla arborea), which, thanks to the suction cups on its fingers, feels confident both on the branches and on the smooth surface of the leaf. In the tropics, tree frogs are extremely widespread. But they are not the only ones who have suction cups on their fingers. They are also found in frogs of three other families: true frogs (Ranidae), copepods (Rhacophoridae) and whistlers (Leptodactylidae). The Indonesian tarsier also has suction toes. (Tarsius), arboreal porcupines and some bats from different parts light: from America (Thyroptera), Asia (Tylonycteris) and from Madagascar (Myzopoda). When moving along branches, the safest thing is to grasp the branch on both sides like pincers. Monkey hands and feet good, but not the best best device this type. It is better if half of the fingers wrap around the branch on one side, and the other fingers on the other side. This is exactly how the legs of the African snapping frog are designed. (Chiromantis), in some lizards and chameleons. Tree-climbing birds - woodpeckers, toucans, parrots and some cuckoos - have two toes turned forward and two back. Tenacious paws and suckers do not exhaust all possible adaptations for moving through trees. American sloth (Bradypus)- This is another fruit- and leaf-eating animal that lives in the crowns. Elongated, hook-shaped claws allow it to hang in the thickest branches without expending effort. Even when dead, the sloth does not fall to the ground, and its remains hang on the tree for a long time until the skeleton crumbles into separate bones. Parrots use their large curved beak to climb, clinging to tree branches like a claw.

Many animals use a spirally coiled tail for clinging. Chameleons, some lizards and mammals use such a “fifth paw”. American monkeys: howler monkeys (Alouatta), capuchins (Cebus) coats (Ateles), woolly monkeys (Lagothrix), as well as American tree porcupines (Erethizontidae) They make excellent use of their tail when climbing.

Another method of arboreal movement is used by Asian gibbons. (Hylobatidae). The animal, swinging strongly on one arm, flies forward and clings to another branch, then again swings pendulum-like and again flies to the next branch. These jumps sometimes reach 10–20 meters. With such movement, the legs do not work at all, and therefore the gibbons have short and weak ones. But the arms are very long and strong: after all, the longer the arm, the stronger the swing. The palms themselves have undergone corresponding changes: thumb small and hardly used, and the remaining four fingers are unusually elongated. These fingers form something like a movable hook that can catch on a passing branch when jumping.

Tropical birds are poor flyers. Both parrots and toucans fly slowly, but are able to maneuver well in the complex interweaving of branches. Nowhere in the world are there so many gliding animals, a kind of “parachutists,” as in the tropical forest. There's a flying frog here (Rhacophorus), making multi-meter jumps, during which it soars with the help of huge membranes, a flying lizard (Draco volans), in which the protruding processes of the ribs are connected by skin that serves for hovering. Flying squirrels (Sciuridae), dormouse (Aliridae) and some other animals glide on skin stretched between their limbs. When jumping, the front legs are stretched far forward and to the sides, and the hind legs are stretched back, while the skin stretches, increasing the load-bearing surface. The flying cat also uses gliding flight (Cynocephalus ) - strange creature, from the order of woolly wings, or kaguans (Dermoptera), somewhat similar to the lemur and partly to the insectivorous mammals of the tropical forests of Indochina, Indonesia and the Philippines.

In the dense vegetation of the tropical rain forest, orientation becomes a serious problem. Here, in front of a dense wall of trees, vines and other plants, vision is powerless. In the upper tiers of the forest it is difficult to see anything further than five meters away.

The sense of smell doesn't help much either. The air is still day and night. No wind penetrates the wilds or carries smells throughout the forest. However, the smell of decay and the heavy, intoxicating aroma of tropical flowers drowns out any other smell. In such conditions, hearing is most useful. Small groups of animals wandering in the crowns owe only to hearing that they do not lose each other. Travelers often mention noisy flocks of parrots and monkeys. They are really very noisy, they constantly call to each other, like children picking berries and mushrooms in the forest. But all solitary animals are silent, silent and listening to see if the enemy is approaching. And the enemy silently circles around and listens for possible prey to rustle somewhere.

Due to the dense tree canopy, the ground is not visible from above; In addition, the earth does not heat up much, and no upward currents form in the air, so soaring birds of prey are not found in the tropical forest.

A huge number of animals inhabit the upper tiers of the tropical forest, but at the very “bottom” of it, on the ground, life is also in full swing. In addition to numerous invertebrates, ungulates, predators and large anthropoid monkeys live here. It is in vain to look here for large deer with spreading antlers: it would simply be difficult for them to move in the thicket. Tropical forest deer have small antlers, often not branched at all. Most antelopes are also small, about the size of a chamois or hare. An example is the pygmy antelope (Neotragus pygmaeus) height at the withers about 30 centimeters, antelopes of the genus Cephalophus, or red-chestnut, with light stripes and spots, the size of a chamois bushbuck antelope (Tragelaphus scriptus). Of the large ungulates, the bongo antelope lives in the African forest. (Boocercus eurycerus) red-chestnut color, with thin sparse vertical stripes and, of course, with small horns.

Or finally okapi Okapia johnstoni - a species first discovered only in 1901 and more or less studied twenty years later. For many years this animal has been a kind of symbol of the mysteries of Africa. This is a distant relative of the giraffe, approximately the size of a donkey, with a body higher in front than in the back, compressed laterally, with a red-chestnut body, and legs black with white stripes.

Please note: again red-chestnut color with white spots and stripes. This type of protective coloring makes sense only in the depths of the forest, where against the reddish background of rotting vegetation, the sunlight breaking through the dense arch of the tropical forest appears as white spots and sliding highlights. All these are relative large animals lead a nocturnal, hidden lifestyle. If we meet two animals here at the same time, then it is either a couple or a mother and baby. Forest ungulates do not have a herd life. And this is understandable: in the forest nothing is visible even twenty steps away, and the herd loses its protective biological significance.

The elephant is the only animal that passes through the thicket, leaving behind a corridor cut through the living body of the forest. Where a herd of elephants feeds, a vast trampled space appears, like an arena under the arch of the crowns of untouched huge trees.

The Kaffir buffalo lives in the forests of Africa (Syncerus caffer), in Asia - gaur (Bibos gaurus). Both of these species readily use paths made by elephants.

The influence of the tropical forest also affected appearance elephants and buffalos. A subspecies of forest elephants, undoubtedly shorter than elephants living in the savannas, and the forest buffalo is not only smaller than the savanna buffalo, but its horns are disproportionately small.

Just as in the savannah lions are constantly followed by jackals, feeding on the remains of the lion's prey, in the tropical forest many animals accompany elephants. Different types boars from the family Hylochoerus And Potamochoerus perfectly adapted to life in the forest. Low, narrow, with a wedge-shaped forehead, with a powerful snout, they feel great in dense thickets. In places where elephants have knocked down trees or uprooted them, wild boars find edible roots and rhizomes, insect larvae, etc. When the elephants' feeding area is completely dug up by wild boars, herds of forest baboons appear on it. Among them are sphinx mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx) with brightly colored muzzles and buttocks and smaller black-snouted mandrills (M. leucophaeus), which dig in the dug up ground in search of food.

A special group of great apes here are gorillas and chimpanzees. The former lead a terrestrial, the latter a terrestrial-arboreal lifestyle. They move easily in the tropical forest, roaming in small groups and feeding on a variety of plant and animal foods.

Jungle, or scientifically, tropical forests, from the treetops to the forest floor, are filled with life. Found here animals, about each of which you can write a separate report: a crocodile, an anteater, a hippopotamus, a bat, a sloth, a koala, a chimpanzee, a porcupine, a gorilla, and an armadillo. Insects: termites, tropical butterflies, mosquitoes. Tarantula spiders, hummingbirds and parrots. Hundreds of species of plants, birds, and animals feel comfortable in the tropical forest.

Select a report about a tropical forest dweller:

What does "tropics" mean?

The tropics are the forests that grow near the equator. These forests are the most important ecosystem on Earth. The coast of the Gulf of Mexico and Brazil, the South American coasts, the islands of the West Indies, part of Africa, the island of Madagascar, and some Asian countries and islands Pacific Ocean- occupied by tropical thickets. The tropics make up only 6 percent of the landmass.

High humidity and hot climate- the main features of the fabulous diversity of forms of local life. Constant warmth, frequent, heavy, short-lived tropical showers contribute to the rapid growth and development of flora. And the fauna, thanks to the abundance of water, also does not suffer from drought. Tropical forests have red or spotted soils, and the forest itself is multi-tiered, with each level densely populated. Such a diversity of flora and fauna is possible due to ideal living conditions.

Who lives in the tropical forest and how?

The wilds of the forest are inhabited by a variety of animals. Giant elephants and small insects, birds and animals of medium size, can live simultaneously in one area of ​​the forest, but at different levels, finding shelter and food in the forests. No other place on land has such a wealth of ancient life forms - endemics. Thanks to the dense foliage cover, the undergrowth in the rainforest is weak and animals can move freely.

The diversity of animals in the tropical forests is amazing: along with reptiles (turtles, crocodiles, lizards and snakes), there are many amphibians. The abundance of food attracts herbivores. Predators come after them (leopards, tigers, jaguars). The color of the inhabitants of the tropics is rich, since spots and stripes help to better camouflage in the forest. Many types of ants, tropical butterflies and spiders provide food for hundreds of bird species. The tropics are home to the largest number of monkeys on the planet, there are more than one and a half hundred parrots, and 700 species of butterflies, including giant ones.

Unfortunately, many representatives of the jungle fauna (antelope, rhinoceroses, etc.) were exterminated by humans during colonialism. Now many animals that previously lived freely in tropical forests remain only in nature reserves and zoos. Human destruction of forests leads to a reduction in fauna and flora, soil erosion, and loss of the ecological balance of our planet. Tropical forests - the "green lungs of the planet" - have been sending us a message for decades that signals that humans must be held accountable for their actions.

If this message was useful to you, I would be glad to see you

Wet belt tropical forests in Africa stretches for almost 5 thousand kilometers from west to east and about 1600 from north to south. The Cameroon Highlands, a mountain range of volcanic origin, separates the Guinean rainforest from the large forested areas of Zaire and Gabon. Both parts of the forest are not very different from each other: the entire territory is occupied by dense evergreen tropical vegetation. Once upon a time in ancient times the rainforest extended much further to the east, north and south, it crossed the East African Rift Valley into East Africa, and in some places even reached the coast. It is quite possible that such forests covered the entire South Sudan right up to the Ethiopian Highlands and rose along the mountain slopes much higher than today.

Every year, fires approach the rainforest. The natural boundary between forest and savanna is a strip of thicket no wider than eight to ten meters, sufficient to protect the tropical forest. Such vegetation is usually killed by fire, and then it is restored again. The outer side of the strip, facing the savannah - small bushes and thick grass - retards the fire. The thicker shrubs and small trees behind them are usually no longer in contact with the fire; they are so tall that their shadow prevents the growth of grass, which could contribute to the spread of the fire. They are followed by even taller trees, and only then does the real rainforest begin.

If there were no external interventions, the natural boundary between the rainforest and the savannah would shift back and forth depending on climate change. It represents a clear dividing line between two forms of life: on the one hand, a forest with tall, permanently green trees, at their bases - dense bushes, but almost no grass anywhere; on the other, there is a savannah with a dense grassy cover and small trees, ten times smaller in height than the trees of the tropical forest. On the one hand, the sea sunlight, open spaces covered with grass and rare trees, on the other - dense shady wet forest where the sun does not penetrate. The contrast is unimaginable.

Where the tropical forest borders the savanna, where the soil is more favorable for the growth of large trees, or along rivers, numerous forest islands form. This type of terrain, called rainforest-savanna mosaic region, is a favorite habitat for wildlife. Forest animals quite often graze in the savanna, but among the animals of the savanna, only waterbucks dare to enter the forest. On the border of savannas and tropical forests, in those places where humans have not yet penetrated, the natural balance is preserved. Currently, tropical forests are being destroyed by humans. Areas of forest, especially in the mosaic area, are disappearing so quickly that it is alarming. When a tropical forest is cut down, after 10 years a so-called secondary savanna appears in its place; if it were protected from fires and people did not destroy it, it could eventually become a rainforest again. The forest grows very slowly because it must first form protective zone from a bush. The grass grows much faster, so the savannah usually becomes the “aggressor”, and the forest becomes the victim, and little by little it retreats.

The rainforest looks very different from the temperate forests we are familiar with. It is always shaded, the temperature is constant, the soil is moist, and these are ideal conditions for rapid growth trees. There are dead leaves, dead plants, roots on the ground, moss and ferns are visible here and there, but everything rots with incredible speed, so that the layer of humus is never as significant as in deciduous forests temperate zone. Everything that falls from the trees and is edible is quickly destroyed by various animals, fungi and bacteria. Impenetrable thickets stand like a wall, the view is hampered by uprooted trees, between which there are ferns and a huge amount of moss, vines hanging from the trees like a dense curtain. At eye level there is a lush deciduous bush, and if a person wants to see what is happening behind it, he will have to bend down. Only in exceptional cases in the rainforest you can see further than 50 steps. The trees of the lower tier, 15-30 meters high, rise above the bushes. They provide food for birds and other animals. The crowns of the trees of the lower tier are sometimes intertwined so densely that the canopy above them is not even visible from the crowns of tall trees.

The tropical forest consists of many forest layers. The crowns of the giant trees of tropical forests rise high above the lower tier, sometimes by 30-40 meters. Even in the dense interweaving of the branches of these huge trees, fertile soil is “suspended” on which other plants grow. Tropical rainforests are very difficult to explore and I wouldn't recommend anyone going there alone. It often happens that a person, although he is familiar with the tropical forest, loses his bearings and can get lost after just a hundred steps. In such forests it is always twilight, humid, windless, and the air is heavy. You can hear the wind whistling in the crowns of tall trees, but below you can’t feel it at all. The silence is broken only by the cry of invisible birds, the crack of a falling branch, the shrill voice of a monkey or the buzzing of insects. A person tries to step silently, he experiences fear and horror.

Tropical rainforests differ from temperate forests in their vast diversity of vegetation. In these, two adjacent trees rarely belong to the same species, but at the same time large areas can be seen where only two or three tree species predominate. Among the huge trees of the upper tier, haya and entandrophragma trees are often found, while the oil palm is typical of the lower tier.

African rainforest plants

There are up to 25 thousand plant species in the African forest flora. Among them there are relatively few species of palm trees and bamboos, but in large quantities orchids are growing.

Animals of the African rainforest

A limited number of species of large animals live in the tropical forest, and yet among them there are various antelopes and many monkeys. Among the smallest animals are the pangolin, potto or flying spiny-tailed squirrels; reptiles, amphibians, ants, butterflies and other types of insects and invertebrates are very common. There are many birds here, but it is difficult to see them. There is almost no grass growing in tropical forests, so it is extremely rare to find animals for which it serves as food, but they are home to many animals that can eat leaves from trees, bushes and climbing plants. These are bushbuck, elephants, buffalo, okapi, bongo and duiker. Such forests are habitats for animals that can climb trees and feed on their leaves and fruits. These are gorillas, chimpanzees and baboons.

The rainforests are home to two species of apes: the gorilla and the chimpanzee. In Tanzania, some species of chimpanzees even live in a mosaic of rainforests and savannas. The pygmy chimpanzee, or bonobo, is found in Zaire.

The tropical forest is home to monkeys such as marmosets, mangabeys and gwerets. They are all smaller and lighter than chimpanzees and therefore are better climbers than them. They find food mainly in the crowns of the tallest trees, sometimes at incredible heights. When they are afraid of something, they can run away and jump from a height of 20 meters. Gverets jump especially far. Monkeys eat a variety of fruits, mainly wild figs. Several species of monkeys can gather in the crown of a large fig tree at the same time. The easiest to spot is the black and white Steller's Guerres. There is a lot of it in the forests from high mountains in the east of the continent up to West Africa. In West Africa lives the Gweretsa Satan, which locals call the child of the devil. In the lowland forests lives the red guerilla, a small, quiet animal with a very beautiful skin that feeds on leaves and fruits.

Baboons live primarily in the savanna, but two species—the mandrill and the drill—have adapted to life in tropical rainforests and inhabit forests from Cameroon to the Congo River. They retained the habit of feeding on the ground and living in groups. Little is still known about the lifestyle of both species. Mandrills are one of the most beloved and popular inhabitants of zoos. They attract the attention of visitors with their unusual appearance: The male has a bright red center of the nose and distinctive blue stripes on both sides. The drill has a black muzzle.

In tropical forests you can find dwarf forms of some animal species. Liberian pygmy hippos live only in the densest Guinean rainforests of Liberia and Ivory Coast. Elephants in tropical forests are smaller than those in the savannah, with shorter tusks and rounded ears. Forest buffaloes, unlike the large black buffaloes of the Eastern and South Africa small and red.

The dwarf buffaloes in this part of Africa are much smaller than the buffaloes in the savannahs. Buffaloes generally pose no danger to humans. When they are wounded, they go into the thicket. If the hunter decides to pursue a wounded animal, he will have to make his way through the thicket on all fours, and in such a situation the buffalo will certainly go on the offensive and can not only injure, but also kill the hunter with its horns.

There are two species of large forest pigs found in tropical forests - the greater forest pig, discovered only in 1904, and the brush-eared pig. The latter is very common. These animals eat everything they come across, so in areas where there is cultivated land, they are considered major pests. Cyst-eared pigs live in groups of several hundred animals, but they are quite difficult to see.

The only one large predator, living in tropical forests, is a thunderstorm of animals - the leopard. Its main victims are baboons and brush-eared pigs, so in this case people consider the leopard to be a useful animal. A leopard lies in wait for its prey in the crown of a tree and is able to lie so quietly that you will not notice it even at close range. I often noticed deep scratches on the bark of trees - traces of the claws of a leopard that climbed up. One day I saw a leopard lying literally three steps away, but he turned away, stood up and walked away. I’m curious, how many times have I been seen so close by leopards whose presence I didn’t even suspect?!

Some forest leopards are black. Many mammals and birds living in humid climate, in general there is a noticeable tendency towards a dark color. Some animals adapt to life in the rainforest by changing their color to red, as can be seen in buffaloes. In the forests of West Africa there are brush-eared pigs and bushbucks, which are also red, while the bushbucks found in the Ethiopian Highlands are black.

Small rivers and streams flow through tropical forests, forming small lakes and creeks, often just pits filled with rainwater, in which elephants and buffalos lie, waddling from side to side. Some forest animals come here to drink, while others do not need it, because along with the plants they eat, they receive a sufficient amount of moisture. In some parts of the forest growing on sandy soils, it is very difficult to find water during the dry season. The Benin sands are so porous that even after a heavy tropical downpour, all the water is sucked into the ground, which after a few minutes becomes dry again, and there are no puddles left anywhere. In places with a sufficient amount of water, the water deer lives, which is one of the most primitive ruminants. Some features bring it closer not to ruminants, but to camels. The dwarf antelope, the smallest of all ruminants, is often confused with it. She is the size of a rabbit, and when startled, she disappears in three-meter leaps.

Much of the tropical forests are located at higher elevations. Rivers that originate in the mountains or swamps are directed down narrow gorges and, forming foamy whirlpools, rush to the plains, where their flow slows down. During the rainy seasons, the water level in the rivers rises, but floods are rare. Much of the water soaks into the soil, even in places like the Cameroon rainforest, which receives an average of 30 millimeters of rain per day.

The Congo Basin has extensive swampy areas and shallow small lakes. The forests growing in these swampy places are forced to adapt to life in eternal dampness. Here you can see a special type of forest, in which such a tangle of palm trees and wild reeds grows that it is practically impossible to get through it. Sitatungas love to linger in these thickets. The marshes cannot be explored on foot. You can only travel by canoe, but the branches hanging low over the water make you bend under them every minute. Having driven through such a tunnel of dense vegetation, you find yourself on a quiet, beautiful forest lake, surrounded by tall, bright green grass. Sometimes you will see hippopotamuses, beautiful bright blue kingfishers, and large piebald kingfishers that feed mainly on fish. But there are kingfishers that eat mainly insects. Here, around the quiet lakes, there is a real paradise for these birds: in one place you can immediately see up to five or more species.

The main “fisherman” in the waters of the tropical rainforest is the screaming eagle. It lies in wait for its prey, sitting on tall trees, and as soon as a fish splashes on the surface of the water, it rushes at it. The Angolan vulture also feeds occasionally small fish or freshwater crabs, although its main food is oil palm fruits. Cape otter living in forest rivers, feeds mainly on crabs. You can often see her lying stretched out on the sand or rock, holding a crab in her paws and eating it the way a person eats a watermelon.

Along river banks or roads, the rainforest gives the impression of an impenetrable wall. Only in the treetops do various birds fly - rhinoceroses, especially the black hornbill. When they fly from tree to tree, their powerful wings make a sharp whistling sound when flapping. Along with these birds live the cuckoo-like turacos, especially the crested turaco. In the evening thousands fly over the river bats, which wide-mouthed kites feed on.

Ants cause terror to all living things in tropical forests. They are most active at night and during the rainy season. When the ants begin their march, everyone, including the elephants, scatters. They can often be seen moving in columns three centimeters wide. Upon closer inspection, you can see that there are small ants carrying eggs walking in the middle. Guards move on both sides - large soldier ants with powerful jaws. If there is any obstacle on the way, they pounce on it and bite through it. When ants go for food, they walk in a wide chain and eat everything that gets in their way. Those who do not have time to escape find themselves destroyed. Armies of ants are expelled from their homes and people; You can force them to turn off the road only by pouring a thick layer of ash or spraying it with poisonous insecticides. Flocks of ants are vigilantly watching the moving columns of ants. insectivorous birds. Several times I found myself the target of such marching ants and was pretty bitten and suffered from a terrible headache for a long time. Then, every time I saw these columns in the distance, I tried to avoid them. Small birds and young animals suffer greatly from ants. There were cases when ants climbed into an elephant's trunk, which caused him to lose his mind.

The boiga snake also climbs trees beautifully, emptying bird nests. The Gaboon viper and rhinoceros viper are very poisonous. It is not clear why these snakes need such strong poison, because they feed on small rodents. After being bitten, the snake usually immediately releases its victim and then pursues it, aided by its sense of smell. Only the Gaboon viper firmly holds the victim, and the dose of poison is so significant that it almost does not resist.

Many forested areas are inhabited by people who annually uproot more and more forests and cultivate the land. The edges of the forest are gradually being taken over by savanna. It looks like forests will shrink and fields and plantations will take their place. Trees continue to be cut down throughout Africa and no one cares about new forest plantations. Reducing forest areas will reduce humidity, which means Africa will dry out and become even more deserted.

Tropical forests are home to a huge number of animals. First of all this. Species live in India and Africa narrow-nosed monkeys, and in America - broad-nosed. Their tail and limbs allow them to expertly climb trees, where they get their food.

Mammals

The tropical forests are home to predators such as leopards and pumas.

Interesting view is an American tapir, somewhat reminiscent of a horse and 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 crawl to the surface and lead night image life.

An inhabitant of tropical forests is the anteater. It moves without problems on the ground, climbs trees, eats ants and various insects.

Among the marsupial species, opossums can be found here.

Opossums

African tropical forests are inhabited by elephants and, which are relatives of giraffes.

Elephant

Lemurs, which are considered prosimians, live in Madagascar.

Lemurs

Some reservoirs are home to crocodiles, the most famous of which are Nile crocodile. 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, feeding 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

There are a lot of different animals in the tropical forests, it’s impossible to pay attention to everyone, so we’ll focus on the most striking representatives of the tropical jungle living throughout the planet.

Animals of the American tropics

Let's start getting acquainted with tropical fauna from the forests of South America, the most powerful predator here is the jaguar. A large yellow cat with black spots climbs trees beautifully and instills fear in all local inhabitants. The plains of Patagonia are rich in lakes where reeds grow in abundance; it is here that nutria live with the coipu swamp beavers. These tropical animals eat the succulent roots of aquatic plants, and make their nests from reeds and reeds.

Tropical monkeys from around the world

African rainforests are rich in marmosets, these are small, long-tailed monkeys with greenish fur. Among them, the toeless colobus species stands out. These animals do not have a thumb.

The most beautiful representative of these monkeys is the Gweretsa, who lives in Ethiopia. Direct relatives African monkeys are considered macaques that live in tropical Asian forests. Characteristic representatives of the African tropics are baboons, which live mainly in mountainous areas.

Animals living in the tropics of Madagascar have certain characteristics, for example, lemurs, whose bodies are covered with thick fur, some of them are the proud owners of fluffy tails. Their faces resemble animals rather than monkeys, for this reason they are classified as prosimians.

But not only near the African continent you can find monkeys; for example, the dense forests of Sumatra are a haven for ape- orangutan.

It is covered with red, coarse fur, and adult males have a large beard. The gibbon is also very close to orangutans; it reaches more than a meter in length; it is distinguished by long limbs, which serve to swing on the branches and allow it to easily jump from one tree to another.

Animals living in the tropics are distinguished by their originality and originality, each species is unique.