Rainforest Animals
By Jamie
The rainforest is home to many animals. There are many species of plants and animals in the rainforest. As many as 30 million species of animals are known to live in tropical rainforests. This makes up more than half of the world’s animal species, even though rainforests only make up less than 5% of the earth’s surface. Some of the most interesting rainforest animals are:
Mammals
Amazon River Dolphins (Inia geoffrensis)
The Amazon River Dolphin is a pink dolphin. This dolphin has many names, including: pink porpoises, toninas, and Boto Cor-de-Rosas.The dolphin has about 100 teeth and eats small turtles, catfish, shrimp, and crabs. Inia geoffrensis, commonly known as the Amazon river dolphin, is one of a few rare species of river-dwelling dolphins. These dolphins are found in the Orinoco, Amazon, Tocantins and Araguaya Rivers of Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela. Amazon river dolphins are known as 'pink dolphins', but in fact have different colours depending on their age. The young dolphins are dark gray, and as they mature, their bodies turn pink. They become lighter with age, turning paler pink as they grow older. These dolphins feed on a wide variety of fish, including amazon catfish, piranhas, and crustaceans, such as crab and lobsters.
Iriomote Yamaneko 西表山猫 (Prionailrus bengalensis iriomotensis)
The Iriomote cat (Prionailurus bengalensis iriomotensis) is a wild cat that lives only on the rainforested Japanese island of Iriomote. It is a subspecies of leopards, and has been classified as Critically Endangered since 2008. Their population size is fewer than 250, is quickly declining, and consists of only one subpopulation.The Iriomote cat is about the size of a domestic cat. It has dark brown fur with greyish brown, dark spots, in rows. Five or seven dark stripes run along its neck, and two white lines run from the corners of each eye across its cheeks. Their tail is bushy, short and spotted; and is ringed toward the tip. Unlike regular house cats, it cannot retract its claws. This cat is found near water all over the island, including beaches and farming land. It only avoids the most heavily populated areas, and is unfortunately not afraid of people or vehicles. This species likes to dwell the coastal forest areas which are mostly outside the protected area of the island and through which the island's road has been constructed. About half of their prey was identified as mammals, with about 25% consisting of birds and the remaining 20% of reptiles. In summer, their diet of mammal prey seems to change, with more birds and reptiles eaten. They are known to eat fruit bats, black rats, wild pigs, night herons, quails, pigeons, doves, frogs, owls, kingfishers, robins, thrushes and crows.
Clouded Leopards (Neofeilis Nebulosa)
The clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa) is a mammal found from the Himalayan foothills through mainland Southeast Asia into China, mainly in rainforest ecosystems, and has been classified as endangered since 2008. Its total population size is suspected to be just a little over 10,000, with a decreasing population trend. No single population contains more than 1,000 adults. Clouded leopards have a tan or tawny coat, and are distinctively marked with large, irregular, dark-edged spots which are shaped like clouds. This unique appearance gave the cat it’s name (nebulosus is Latin for "cloudy" or “clouded”). The clouded leopard was confusing to scientists for a long time because of its appearance and skeleton. It seems to be a crossbreed of a large wildcat and a house cat. Clouded leopards prefer closed, dense rainforest. They live in tropical and subtropical rainforests at altitudes of up to about 2,000 m, making it the second-largest tree dwelling mammal at this altitude. They are at times found in swamps and grasslands. Clouded leopards live in temperatures from 18 to 49 °C, making it possible for it to survive in almost any rainforest habitat in any area of the world. No evidence suggests that they travel in packs or prides like lions, and it is assumed that it is a usually solitary creature, and it appears to be mainly nocturnal. Clouded leopards are largely tree-dwelling, hunting prey in the trees, and also using trees to rest during the day. However, they spend a significant amount of their time on the ground, and sometimes live in habitats without tall trees.
Honduran White Bats (Ectophylla Alba)
Honduran white bats live only in the lowland rainforests of eastern Honduras, northern Nicaragua, eastern Costa Rica and western Panama. They live in rainforests that have heliconia plants, where they live in colonies under the large leaves, and like most bats, only come out at night. At night, they emerge to hunt for food. However, these creatures are not looking to suck your blood - they only eat fruit or vegetation. Honduran white bats are tiny for a bat. True to their name, they have a fluffy white coat. Their ears, face, nose and parts of their legs and wings are bright orange, and little to no hair grows on their black wings. Since their nose is a triangular shape, scientists also call this family "leaf-nosed bats." There is a thin, black membrane covering their skull that might provide the bats with protection from ultraviolet radiation - a natural form of sunscreen!
Birds
African Grey Parrot (Psatticus Erithacus)
The African Grey Parrot (Psittacus erithacus), also known as the Grey Parrot, is a medium-sized parrot found in the rainforest of West and Central Africa, with two subspecies, living in Congo (Psatticus Erithacus Erithacus) and western Timneh (Psatticus Erithacus Timneh). Like many large parrots, the African Grey is a long-lived bird. The African Grey Parrot can live up to the age of 49.7 years. They eat mostly nuts and berries, as well as leafy plants. African Greys feed on the fruits, seeds, nuts and berries of several native rainforest plant species, including the flesh of oil-palm trees. They usually gather food by climbing into the top branches of trees. Although they can fly, they are very talented climbers, and prefer to maneuver through tree canopies than fly through the air. While most of their bodies are grey, they are also noted for their bright red tails, and are often seen as similar to the macaw.
Sulphur Crested Cockatoo (Cacatua galerita)
A cockatoo is any of the 21 species of the genus Cacatuidae. The Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Cacatua galerita, is a relatively large white cockatoo, found in rainforest habitats in Australia and New Guinea. They are found plentifully in suburban habitats in cities like Adelaide, Melbourne, Canberra, Sydney and Brisbane. These birds are naturally curious, as well as very intelligent. They have adapted very well to European settlement in Australia and also live in many urban areas. These birds are very long-lived, and can live upwards of 70 years in captivity, although they only live to about 20–40 years in the wild. These birds have a diet similar to fruit bats, eating mainly small wild fruits and tree nuts.
Ribbon-tailed Astrapia (Astrapia mayeri)
The Ribbon-tailed Astrapia, Astrapia mayeri, is a medium-sized, velvet black bird of paradise. Males have bright, refleective olive green and bronze feathers, and is adorned with a "ball" plume above its bill. They also have two extremely long, ribbon-like white tail feathers for which they are named. These tail feathers can grow up to one metre in length. Females are a brown bird with an iridescent head. One of the most spectacular birds of paradise, the male Ribbon-tailed Astrapia has the longest tail feathers in relation to body size of any bird, over three times the length of its body. This bird, like many birds of paradise, is native to the rainforests outside of Papua, New Guinea. The Ribbon-tailed Astrapia is the latest bird of paradise to be discovered. Due to habitat loss and hunting for this bird's famous plumage, the Ribbon-tailed Astrapia is near threatened, but not yet endangered.
Wilson's Bird Of Paradise (Cicinnurus respublica)
Wilson's Bird-of-paradise, Cicinnurus respublica, is a small, up to 21 cm long, passerine bird of the Paradisaeidae family. The male is a red and black bird-of-paradise with a yellow blotch on its neck, a light green throat, dark blue talons and two swirled purple tail feathers. The head is pale blue with a black cross pattern on it. The female is a brownish bird with a bare blue ring around the top of the head. Because of this bird's vivid, bright colours, they are visible at night. At night, their heads appear bright blue, their tails shine silver and the red edge of their wings are seen easily. They are found in the rainforested Indonesian islands of Waigeo and Batanta, near New Guinea. It's diet consists mainly of fruits and small insects.
Reptiles
Boyd's Forest Dragon (Hypsilurus boydii)
Boyd's forest dragon (Hypsilurus Boydii) is a rare reptile who's habitat is restricted to the rainforests outside of Queensland, Austraila. The forest dragon is very distinctive, with large pointed scales on a crest behind it's head, pinkish flat-topped scales on the cheeks and a deep mustard yellow pouch beneath its jaw. It is a medium-sized lizard, with a large range of scale colours from pale pink to bright blues and greens, with brighter patches of yellow, black and white, spines, and white 'stone spikes' embedded on its cheeks. It spends most of its time in trees at about eye level, and due to its camouflage it is often very hard to see. However, they can more easily be spotted basking in the sun on the sides of roads where it may be lying on the ground to absorb some of the heat radiating form the surface. Their diet consists of insects and other invertebrates, ants being their most common prey. They will also eat beetles, grasshoppers and have a special fondness for earthworms. They also occasionally eat fruit.
Emerald Tree Boa (Corallus Caninus)
Emerald tree boas are the smallest species of constricter snakes. They live in the northern rainforests of South America. They are solitary animals that live in the canopy layer of the rainforest, only coming down to move between trees and to search for ground-dwelling prey. Emerald tree boas are similar in appearance to the green tree python. They are green in colour, with a yellow underside, with irregular, zig-zagged stripes along their backs. They spend their days coiled over branches with their head resting in the middle of the coils, sleeping and preparing to hunt at night. To heighten their hunting abilities, their eyes have vertical pupils which help them to sense movement, and they have deep pits in the scales around their mouth for detecting heat given off by their prey. Emerald Tree Boas are non-venomous carnivores that feed on small mammals and birds. Young emerald tree boas also sometimes feed on small reptiles and amphibians.Young snakes are brick-red, orange, bright red or yellow, and change to their characteristic green after they become a year old. These snakes have a life expectancy of 20 years, and are often kept as exotic pets.
Coral Snake (Micrurus fulvius)
'If red touches yellow, you're a dead fellow; if red touches black, then venom it lacks.' Ever heard that phrase? If you have, you were probably talking about coral snakes. Often confused with the non-venomous king snake, the coral snake is the world's deadliest venemous snake, from the rainforests of Central and South America, Trinidad & Tobago, parts of Mexico and the United States. The reason why King and Coral snakes are confused so much is because of their identical colours. King snakes have stripes of yellow and red which interchange between stripes of black, whereas Coral snakes are red and black and change between yellow stripes, making one easily mistaken for the other. Coral snakes are common and unthreatened but secretive and seldom seen. They are smaller snakes, and are generally less than 80 cm in length. Other names for this snake include: American cobra, candy stick, common coral snake, coral adder, Elaps harlequin snake, Florida coral snake, harlequin coral snake, North American coral snake, red bead snake, thunder-and-lightning snake, candy-stick snake, eastern coralsnake, Florida coralsnake, harlequin coralsnake, and serpiente-coralillo arlequín.
Komodo Dragon (Varanus komodoensis)
The Komodo Dragon, or Komodo Monitor, is a large species of lizard found in the rainforested Indonesian islands of Komodo, Rinca, Flores, Gili Motang and Gili Dasami. It is a member of the monitor lizard family (Varanidae). It is the world's largest living species of lizard, and can grow to an amazing length of 3 metres and weigh up to 150 lb. Their great size has been assumed to be island gigantism, because they are the only carnivore on their native islands. As a result of their size, these lizards are in the top of the food chain in the ecosystems where they live. Komodo dragons hunt and ambush prey in packs, including invertebrates, birds, and many mammals. One Komodo Dragon can single-handedly take down a full grown human. The way they travel, live and hunt in packs is only seen in this species in the reptile world. The diet of Komodo dragons is mainly deer, but they also eat large amounts of dead animals, making them hunters but also scavengers. These lizards do not have well adapted hearing, but have very good eyesight and can see up to 300 metres ahead of them. Unique to this lizard species, they can see the full colour spectrum like humans. This species is most known for it's hunting abilities. While they are best known as one of the only two poisonous lizards, their venom is not extremely poisonous. In a hypothetical case where a human is bitten, the venom would make them ill, but they would actually die from blood poisoning from the bacteria in the giant lizards mouth. The Komodo dragon is a vulnerable species and is found on the IUCN Red List.
Leaf-Tailed Gecko (Uroplatus phantasticus)
The Leaf-tailed Gecko is one of the worlds rarest and most interesting Gecko species. This unique gecko is native to Madagascar. The devilish appearance with their crooked bodies, hard edges and veiny skin helps them blend into their surroundings. The small chunks that appear to be missing from their tails helps them mimic brown, dieing leaves. This species is very sensitive to change so any sort of disturbance in their natural habitat is a threat to them. Also, because of their fascinating appearance they are frequently traded and sold as pets. The species is endemic to Madagascar, meaning it is found nowhere else. It is an arboreal species that relies on its natural camouflage.
Amphibians
Tomato Frog (Dyscophus antongilii)
The Tomato Frog is a rare frog found only in Madagascar. They have a limited habitat, to the northwestern part of the island. The forest in this part of Madagascar is made up mainly of palm trees, but tomato frogs do not rely solely on rainforest. They can also live in wetland vegetation, scrubland, and even urban areas. Adults are fairly large, sometimes as big as a person's fist. An interesting fact about Tomato Frogs is that unlike other frog species, the males are smaller than females, about only one third in size compared to females. Also, unlike other frog species, the male is not as bright in colouration as the female, and is only a dull orange or brownish-orange instead of the reddish-orange found in females. As young frogs, both the female and male Tomato Frog are dull in colour and only develop their bright colours as they mature and utilize this coloration as a warning mechanism. These frogs give out a whitish mucus-like ooze from their throat area which is used for defense against predators.This toxin can also occasionally cause allergic reactions in humans. Like most frog species, they eat many insects and spiders. Many tomato frogs can live for more than 10 years in captivity.
Red-eyed Tree Frog (Agalychnis callidryas)
Red-Eyed Tree frogs are a well-known frog that have unique bright red eyes, are a bright color of green with blue and yellow stripped sides. They also have distinct orange toes that they use to balance and climb on trees, leaves and branches. These are definitely one of the more beautiful species of frogs! Why do they have such bright red eyes? This frog's unique eyes are a form of protection called "startle coloration". These frogs tend to be nocturnal, so if the frog is awakened in the daytime by a predator, despite its camouflage, its eyes pop open. Since they are suddenly so bright, they startle the predator, who is likely to hesitate. Big eyes staring at you are instinctively related to a predator, ready to attack. A moment's hesitation would give the tree frog the time to make a leap to safety. Like most frogs, they will eat flies, moths, grasshoppers, crickets and possibly other frogs. Red-eyed tree frogs come from rain forests of Costa Rica and Central America, and in rare cases are found in Mexico and subtropical rainforests in the United States, and can only live in areas where the humidity is at 80-100%.
Hyloxalus (Hyloxalus subpunctatus)
Hyloxalus, the genus name usually linked to the cream-backed poison frog, is a species of frog in the Dendrobatidae, or Poison Dart Frog family. They are found exclusively in Columbian rainforests. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical high-altitude thin rainforest, but can also be found in shrub-dominated wetlands, swamps, marshes, gardens, urban areas, and degraded former rainforest. The cream-backed poison frog is one of the less-toxic of the poison dart frog family. It has undergone several name changes since its discovery. Originally called Dendrobates subpunctatus, its name was changed to Colostethus subpuctatus once the family Dendrobatidae became a species different from Dendrobates. Recently, small skeletal differences has separated the cream-backed poison frog from rocket frogs, Dendrobates, and placed it in another genus entirely, making it the Hyloxalus. This frog has fairly weak toxins compared to other dart frogs. It may be one of the most primitive of dart frogs, and it has only begun to develop skin poison, and is still pale and muddy in coloration. Its poison is an effective defense mechanism: if tasted by a predator, the poison in the frog's skin causes extreme pain and bitter taste, but can't cause long term damage.
Caecilian (Dermophis mexicanus)
Caecilians are animals that are similar in appearance to worms and snakes. Despite what appearance gives, this semi-aquatic rainforest creature is neither a snake or worm, but an amphibian. Caecilians live mainly in underground borrows close to water, in tropical rainforests. They are typically found in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua and Belize. Caecilians have no arms or legs, making the smaller species appear to be worms, while the larger species, with lengths up to 1.5 m, resemble snakes. Their tail is short or absent. Their skin is smooth and usually dark brown, but some species have colorful skins. unlike most scaled animals, the caecilian's scales are underneath its waxy skin as a protective barrier. The name caecilian derives from the Latin word caecus, meaning "blind", referring to their small or sometimes non-existent eyes. It's original name is Caecilia tentaculata, meaning 'blinded serpent'.
Spiders and Insects
Blue Morpho Butterfly (Morpho menelaus)
The Menelaus Blue Morpho (Morpho menelaus) is an iridescent tropical butterfly of Central and South America. It has a wing span of 15 cm (5.9 in). Morpho butterflies are Neotropical butterflies found mostly in Central America as well as Mexico and South America including Brazil, Costa Rica and Venezuela. Morpho butterflies dwell in the forest canopy layer and rarely come near the understorey and forest floor. However, they have sometimes been observed flying near the ground in clearings. The Morpho butterfly drinks its food rather than eats it. It uses its proboscis (long, protruding mouth part) to drink sap and rotten fruit juices.Morpho butterflies taste with sensors on their legs and smell the air with their antennae.
Morpho butterflies feed on the juices of rotting fruit with which they may also be lured. These butterflies wobble in flight and are easy to catch and observe. Blue Morphos also feed on decomposing animals, and Morpho butterflies may also be important in eliminating fungal spores in the ground.
Morpho butterflies feed on the juices of rotting fruit with which they may also be lured. These butterflies wobble in flight and are easy to catch and observe. Blue Morphos also feed on decomposing animals, and Morpho butterflies may also be important in eliminating fungal spores in the ground.
Queen Alexandria's Birdwing (Ornithoptera Alexandrae)
Queen Alexandra's Birdwing (Ornithoptera alexandrae) is the largest butterfly in the world. Female Queen Alexandra's Birdwings are larger than males and have rounder, larger wings. The female can reach a wingspan of 31 cm , a body length of 8 cm and a body mass of up to 12 grams, all enormous measurements for a butterfly. The female has brown wings with white markings and a cream-coloured body as well as a small section of red fur. Males are smaller than females, with brown wings that have blue and green markings and a bright yellow abdomen. Queen Alexandra’s birdwing is found in the lowland rainforests of Papua New Guinea, and have only been observed in rare cases. Despite their large size, these butterflies are very hard to find and are assumed to be greatly endangered.
Hercules Beetle (Dynastes hercules)
The Hercules beetle, Dynastes hercules, is the most famous and largest of the rhinoceros beetles. They are found in the rainforests of Central and South America, as well as the Lesser Antilles (long, partly volcanic island arc in the Western Hemisphere). This beetle is most noted for its thoracic and cephalic horns, which can grow longer than the body of the beetle itself. This adaptation is primarily used during fights with other beetles. The Hercules beetle is said to be the strongest creature on earth for its size, able to carry 850 times its own body weight.
Goliath Birdeater Tarantula (Theraphosa blondi)
The Goliath bird-eater Spider (Theraphosa blondi) is an arachnid belonging to the tarantula group, Theraphosidae, and is the world's largest species of spider. Also called the Chicken Spider, it is one of the most recently discovered spider species, with it officially being taxonomized in 2007. They range in colour from black to light brown, and occasionally have irregular patterns on their abdomen. Being one of the world's largest spiders, these spiders can have a leg span of up to 30 cm and can weigh over 170 g. These spiders have fairly long lifespans, with females maturing in 3 to 4 years and with an average life span of 15 to 25 years. Males have a much shorter life and live three to six years. Goliath birdeaters are fairly harmless to humans, like most species of tarantulas. Like all tarantulas, they have very large fangs. They carry venom in their fangs and have been known to bite when threatened, but the venom is harmless and its effects are similar to a wasp's sting. Theraphosa blondi is native to the rainforest regions of northern South America. Wild Goliath Birdeaters are deep-burrowing, found commonly in swampy rainforest areas, usually living in burrows that they have dug or have been abandoned by other creatures. The Goliath birdeater has poor eyesight and mainly relies on vibrations in the ground that it can sense from its burrow. Despite its name, the Goliath Birdeater does not normally eat birds. As with other species of tarantula, their diet consists mostly of insects and invertebrates. However, because of its naturally large size, it is not uncommon for this species to kill and consume a variety of vertebrates. In the wild, these tarantula have been seen feeding on rodents, lizards, bats and even deadly venomous snakes, and are rarely seen eating birds.