What animals live in the tropics. Animal life of tropical rainforests

No ecosystem on Earth's land plays such important role, as rain forests. From 50 to 75 percent of all species of the planet's fauna live in these territories, and millions more animals remain undiscovered. Due to the astonishing biodiversity in these habitats, they have become home to several interesting creatures nature.

Jaguar

Jaguars are a real thunderstorm of the rain forests of Central and South America, as they represent the top predators in their family. These are the largest feline of those that inhabit the Americas, and the third largest in the world after tigers and lions. While most cats are known to dislike water, jaguars, like tigers, are an exception. They are perfectly adapted to living in rainforests and feel no worse in the water than on land.

Okapi

This creature resembles a cross between a zebra and an antelope, and is sometimes even mistaken for a unicorn. But okapi, with such a unique appearance, are none of the above creatures. Their closest relatives are giraffes.
These cute and graceful animals live in rainforests. Central Africa. They spend most of their time in pastures eating leaves, buds, grass, ferns, and fruit with an unusually long, agile, and sticky tongue. This organ is so dexterous that the animal is able to lick its eyelids, as well as to wash its large ears inside and out.

Amazon river dolphin

The Amazonian river dolphin is one of five living species. river dolphins on the planet, as well as the largest of them. These creatures live in muddy waters the Amazon and Orinoco basins in South America, and are often seen among the trees of flooded forests. In addition, these dolphins are often called pink, as their skin has a pinkish tint in random places.

glass frog

You are not looking at an x-ray now. The skin of these amazing transparent frogs, which can be seen in the rain forests of Central and South America, is so translucent that you can see the organs through it. It is believed that there are more than 150 species of this amazing family of amphibians in the world.

Cassowary

These multicolored flightless birds, found in the rainforests of New Guinea and Northeast Australia, look like brightly colored ostriches wearing blade-like hats. They are the third largest birds in the world (after ostriches and emus), and unlike many species of birds, females, rather than males, tend to display brighter plumage.

Igrunka

These little monkeys from the rainforests of South America can be considered the most glorious primates in existence. In reality this smallest monkeys in the world. About 22 species are known to exist, and each one exhibits extravagant variations in fluffy attire. Interestingly, they almost always give birth to twins.

Malayan bear

The Malayan bear is the smallest bear species in the world. It inhabits tropical rainforests South-East Asia. It is one of only two bear species that have adapted to life in the jungle (the other being the South American spectacled bear), and the only species that lives almost exclusively in trees. This creation features a distinctive orange U-shaped collar on the chest.

Anaconda

The anaconda, which lives in the rainforests and floodplains of South America, is the largest, heaviest and second longest snake in the world. This species has earned a secure place in second-rate horror films. Although not venomous, the anaconda is capable of killing an adult male by squeezing, although such attacks are extremely rare. The semi-aquatic lifestyle contributes in part to achieving such enormous size, and this snake is known to be an excellent swimmer.

Siamang

Siamangs are black-haired monkeys native to the forests of Southeast Asia, in fact they are largest species gibbons in the world. They are distinguished by a spherical throat pouch which they use to make loud calls. These sounds are indistinguishable from anything else in the dense jungle, and are meant to mark territorial boundaries between rival groups.

fringed turtle

Probably, it is unlikely that in the world you can find a species of turtles with a more strange appearance. Fringed turtles can be seen in the rainforests of the Amazon and Orinoco basins, they lead a sedentary lifestyle and are characterized by a triangular flattened head and shell. Skin patches hang freely from the neck and head of these reptiles, somewhat reminiscent of wet leaves. In fact strange shape From a distance, the fringed turtle's shell resembles a piece of tree bark, which provides the reptile with excellent camouflage.

The rainforest is very rich in animals. in the Amazon and Orinoco There are many different kinds of monkeys. 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 bough, holding it like a hand. Howler was named for its powerful, obnoxious voice.

Most strong predator tropical forests - jaguar. This is a large yellow cat with black spots on the skin. She is well climbs trees.

Other big cat America is a 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 the 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 in trunk. This is an American tapir. He, like a pig, loves to wallow in puddles.

On the lakes in the reed beds on the plains of Patagonia and on the mountain slopes of the Andes lives nutria - marsh beaver, or koipu - large rodent the size of our river beaver. The life of a nutria is connected with water. Nutria feeds on succulent roots aquatic plants, arranges nests from reeds and reeds. The animal gives valuable moss. 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.

Body armadillo is covered with a shell, a bit reminiscent shield . The shell consists of two layers: inside it is bony, outside - horny - and is divided into belts, movably connected to each other.: Guiana and Brazil lives 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 sluggishness. 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 wool. This is one of great examples cohabitation of animal and plant organisms.

AT In the forests of South America, several species of anteaters are found - The average anteater, tamandua, with a tenacious tail, is very interesting. He is great at running up sloping trunks and climbing 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 in South America bats various types. Among them are blood-sucking leaf-beetles that attack horses and mules, and vampires.

Despite their sinister name, vampires eat exclusively by insects and fruits of plants.

Of the birds of great interest is the hoatzin. This is a motley colored, rather large bird with a large crest on its 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,; helping them climb branches and branches. Curiously, the adult hoatzin loses the ability fast travel by 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) were 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 learn to speak well.

Only in one country - in America - live the smallest birds - hummingbirds. These are unusually bright and beautifully colored fast-flying pawns, 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 in the rainforests! and lizards. Among them are boas, or boa, anaconda, reaching I m in length, bushmaster - 4 l I in length. Due to the protective coloration of the skin, many snakes 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, living and | 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. delayed female the eggs 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 come out from 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 of tropical America is 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 lives an unusually predatory fish - piranha, 30 cm long. In her strong jaws sit sharp, 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.

AT tropical the forests are diverse world of insects. Very large diurnal butterflies are numerous. They are very beautiful and richly colored, varied in shape and size. Brazil has over 700 species diurnal butterflies, and 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. Umbelliferae 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.

In the tropical forests of Africa live elephants, various monkeys, okapi - an animal related to the giraffe; in the rivers - hippos and crocodiles. The great apes are of the greatest interest. 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 tropical forests and in the mountains. Gorillas make their lair in trees or on the land in dense thickets. Gorillas have been heavily exterminated by humans and are now preserved only in two areas of the tropical forests of Africa - south of Cameroon before R. 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. Coming down from the trees, chimpanzees walk on the ground, leaning on the 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 west of this countries. Macaques, related to African monkeys, live in tropical Asia.

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

Animal world Madagascar has some peculiarities. So, for example, lemurs live on this island. Their body is covered with thick fur. Some have fluffy tails. Lemurs' faces quicker bestial than simian; hence they are called semi-monkeys.

There are many different species in the African rainforests. parrots. The most famous gray parrot is a gray parrot, 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 thick tropical forest. Nile crocodile reaches 7 m in length.

In the forests of Africa live large, up to 6 liters in length, boas - pythons.

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. AT South America lives lungfish lepidosiren, and in Australia - ceratodes.

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 Malacca Peninsula and in the mountain forests of Burma.

In the forests of the Greater Sunda Islands - Sumatra and Borneo - and in Eastern India, a variety of macaques live. On the island of Borneo lives

nosed monkey. 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 most large one-horned rhinoceros.

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

Among the predators of southern Asia, the most famous Bengal tiger. 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 case of injury by an unsuccessful shot of a hunter, illness or old age, or in general, for any reason, has lost the ability to hunt ungulates that make up its main food, attacks people, becomes a "cannibal" Raquo;.

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- a large, heavy beast, armed with long claws, allowing it to climb trees well. The color of his fur is black, on the chest there is a large White spot. His large lips are mobile, they can be pulled out by a tube, and long tongue from the crevices of insect 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, Bapkiv or bush chickens live & mdash; wild ancestors of domestic chickens, many species of pheasants and other chickens.

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

A snake is found on the Malay Peninsula reticulated python, reaching 10 m length.

There are many in the forests of India poisonous snakes, from the bites of which a large number of people suffer every year. The most dangerous cobra, or spectacled 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 membranes between the fingers of the front and hind legs allow her, planning, to jump from one tree to another.

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 fauna - species of animals that live only on this 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, that is, the animal world, has continuously changed in all geological epochs. Connections arose between the continents; so, 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 helps to find out some features in the distribution of animals on continents. So, leftovers marsupials are found in the ancient layers of the land of 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).

- one of the most unique natural areas, which have rich fauna and flora and have not been fully explored by scientists. Animal world equatorial forests is incredibly diverse, more than 2/3 of all species of animals, birds and insects of our planet live in its various tiers.

The lower tier has become a habitat for rodents and insects. Here is the richest fauna of butterflies and beetles in the world. Under the cover of the forest, you can meet the goliath beetle - one of the heaviest beetles on earth. Anteaters, armadillos and sloths, chameleons, spider monkeys, tenacious porcupines, the bats(the valley of the Congo and the Amazon has several hundred species), llamas, various orders of birds and birds, as well as reptiles and amphibians. Among amphibians there are tree frogs living on trees and laying their eggs in rainwater, which accumulates in the leaves. In the terrestrial tiers, the most large snakes in the world, eating rodents, birds, amphibians. Large predators also live in humid equatorial forests: jaguars (in South America), leopards (in Africa), crocodiles, hippos. Rivers and lakes contain about 2 thousand fish (about 1/3 of the entire freshwater fauna of the planet).

Consider some of the animals of tropical rainforests in more detail:

Birds

Tropical forests are inhabited by a huge variety of birds, both small and large.
Nectar birds are small birds (from 8 cm in length) with bright and colorful plumage, feeding on the nectar of flowers and contributing to their pollination.

Toucan is a member of the bird family with a huge, brightly colored yellow beak, almost equal to the length his torso. It is an object of hunting for local residents due to tasty meat and an orange skin used as a decoration.

Parrots and birds of paradise are among the most densely populated birds in the rainforest. long feathers tails and tufts of multi-colored color.

The world's third largest predatory mammal and one of the largest representatives of the cat family, living in North and South America. Goes hunting at dusk. Its prey are ungulates, birds, monkeys, and also turtles. Jaguar jaws can easily bite through the shell. It swims excellently and in rare cases is able to miss the victim, sometimes it can attack sleeping alligators.

Monkeys

The rainforests are densely populated by gibbons, gorillas, marmosets and narrow-nosed monkeys. They live in forest crowns at a height of 50 m above the ground.

Gorillas are the largest of the representatives of this class. Their growth reaches more than 1.5 m, and weight - up to 260 kg. Predators are afraid to attack them, because adults are very strong.

Gibbons - a distinctive feature is the length of their forelimbs, exceeding the hind limbs. They are well adapted to life in the crowns and foliage of trees and move in a unique way in the animal world by brachiation, swinging from branch to branch with their forelimbs.

The leopard is a large feline, excellent at climbing trunks and branches. It attacks monkeys, small ungulates and is able to drag prey much larger than its own body in weight.

Anaconda is one of the largest boas on earth, its body reaches a length of up to 10 m. Large sizes anacondas allow her to hunt even animals and small mammals, sometimes crocodiles and people. Unlike other snakes, long time may be under water. Attacking the victim, he uses a suffocating technique, then gradually swallows it with a huge mouth. Lives up to 50 years and lives in the Amazon forests in South America.

Movie. BBC: Planet Earth. Jungle. / BBC: Planet Earth. Jungles.

This article is about animal life. 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 sedentary life - after all, they, unlike the inhabitants of the temperate and cold climatic zones, there is no 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 when they become adults will they be able to cope with larger mammals that need to be caught, dragged from the shore and kept under water for a while.

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, like 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 and 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 mass 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 in their natural 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 food 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 pluck 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 of 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" - comfortable descent to the water.

The most terrible enemies of tapirs - different kinds felids 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, on Far East where reigns Ussurian tiger. 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 wide 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.

Monkeys.

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.

pointed muzzle and huge eyes, able to 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 fear them and easily put them to flight if they interfere with them. A 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!

Tropical rainforests cover less than 6 percent of the Earth's surface and scientists estimate that at least half of the world's animal species live there. In fact, there are many millions of species of tropical mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and insects that scientists have been unable to count. Thousands of species of insects have not yet been discovered. Thus, it will undoubtedly take many decades for science to fully answer the question "what animals live in the rainforest."

photo: Dave Rushen

Of course, science is already familiar with large quantity tropical animals and birds. Tropical forests are covered with dense, tall trees near the Earth's equator, which receive 2000 mm of precipitation per year. Which animals live in rainforests depends on where the rainforests are located, in Central America or in the northern part of South America, in equatorial Africa, in South Asia down through the islands of the southern part Pacific Ocean in northern Australia.

photo: Martien Uiterweerd

The animals of the various rainforests around the world have evolved thousands of miles apart and therefore differ from continent to continent and even from forest to forest. However, all rainforests are similar in many ways, many of the animal species in them are also similar. For example, all rainforests offer a breathtaking array of bird species, as well as birds from the wettest rainforests including parrots.

photo: Nick Johnson

In the countries of Central and South America, the large macaw familiar to us lives; The African rainforests are home to the African Gray Parrot, which is famous for its ability to imitate sounds, including human speech. Cockatoos and a few Australian parrots live in Asia, the South Pacific and the Australian forests.

photo:Debbie Grant

What animals live in tropical forests? Mostly big cats acting as top predators. In the tropical forests of Central and South America, where the ecological niche is occupied by jaguars and cougars. African rainforests are run by leopards. In the South Asian rainforests, tigers and leopards are the top predators.

photo: Thomas Widmann

The rainforests are home to a number of primate species: spider monkeys and howler monkeys in Central and South America. Baboons, chimpanzees, bonobos and gorillas in Africa. Gibbons and orangutans in South Asia.

photo: Pierson Hill

From the reptile rainforests, the pythons of Africa and Asia are counterparts of the anaconda in the Amazon jungle. Venomous snakes abound in all rainforests, bushmaster and coral snakes in South and Central America and cobras in Africa and Asia, from alligators and caimans in the Americas to many species of crocodiles in Africa and Asia.

List of tropical animals in the Amazon:

Jaguars, Pumas, Ocelots, tapirs, capybaras, bushmasters and caimans (several species; the largest being the black caiman), harpies, macaws, spider monkeys, howler monkeys, capuchins, squirrel monkeys, piranhas, leaf cutters.

photo: Jon Mountjoy

List of tropical animals of Africa:

leopard, okapi, Nile crocodile, mambas (several types of poisonous snakes), gray parrot, crowned eagle, chimpanzee, bonobos, gorilla, mandrills, baboons, colobus, tiger fish, termites.

List of tropical animals of Asia:

Tiger, Leopard, Lazy Bear, Sumatran Rhinoceros, Elephant, Buffalo, Cockatoo, Black Eagle, saltwater crocodile, Burmese python, cobras (several species), Orangutan, Gibbons, macaques.

photo: Stephen Hampshire

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