Animals of the Rainforest: A Feast of Color, Shape and Strength
The rainforests are noted for its high rainfall and hence the name. A whopping 70% of the earth’s animals have the habitat of the rainforest. It has been inferred that many millions of the plants and insects are hidden in the rainforest and somewhat unknown to man. There are two types of rainforests tropical and temperate. The rainforests are under a threat due to human activity. This is due to deforestation, habitat loss and the release of various gaseous chemicals into the atmosphere. Apart from the wide variety of the flora and fauna of the rainforests, they house also an unaccountable number of human tribes who have not had any contact with the culture of modern man.
When we consider the animals of the rain forest the adjectives rare, amazing, incredible etc are used to describe the many species that dwell in the rain forests. Living in the impenetrable forests, unhampered by the devastations that are perpetuated by man by his often careless handling of mother earth these animals have acquired bodies of unique color combinations that is hardly found in the more known animals of the workday world.. Unfortunately, the rainforests themselves are threatened and the animals also along with the further destruction of the rainforest.
The rainforests are constantly watered by almost continuous rain. The rainforests know only two seasons, rain as well as the dry season when there is no rain. The normal seasons that we speak of in our continents are not found in the rain forest. The thickness and the greenness of the forest are an ever present reality of the rain forest. The human activity being scarce the ecosystem is unhampered. Each rainforest can boast of millions animals and plants.
In the rain forest there is a harmonious co-existence between all the flora and fauna. There are more animals in a small area of the rainforest than in the other parts of the world. They form a perfectly balanced eco-system. There is an amazing variety of animals in the rain forest. An inventory of the animals include the insects, beetles, butterflies, spiders, scorpions, snakes, lizard, toads, birds, monkeys, orangutans, gorillas, elephants, alligator, crocodiles, tigers, leopards, jaguars and many more.
These are the names that we know. There are many thousand of animals unknown to man in the inner recesses of the rain forest. There is a stratospheric plan in which the animals of the rain forest live. The birds occupy the highest position in the rain forest. The thick foliage that form a thick coating on the top of the trees that stand towering in the forest provide the ideal location for the roosting of the birds. It is there they build their nests and procreate and rear their young ones. The branches of these huge trees under the foliage are the haunt of the monkeys, orangutans and a great many varieties of insects. Some times snakes also dwell in this height. Larger animals like the tigers and other reptiles live on the forest floor. In this haven they live a life of primordial harmony along with infinite variety.
The jaguar with its amazing skill in speed and stealth operations will be met with another equally clever predator like the Anaconda or Boa Constrictor who will make short work of the unsuspecting jaguar in minutes. So, in an atmosphere of chase, hunt, rest, feeding, mating and procreation life in the rain forest goes on unhindered every day.
The unusual phenomenon of the rainforest is the amazing variety of vegetation on the ground level. In this live an amazing variety of fauna. The flora of the ground level is so dense that scientists have not succeeded in exploring the animals there. The ecosystem of the rainforest gives scope for the herbivorous and carnivorous animals. There are even plants that are carnivorous. Compared to other forests the larger animals like leopards, tigers, crocodiles etc are not present in great numbers. The rainforests of
All kinds of birds are present in the rain forest in large numbers and in fact they are the most colorful and easily spotted dwellers of the rain forest. The species of birds will be largely determined by the geographic location of the rain forest. The common ones that are met with are Parrots, the Toucan, Egret, Hyacinth, Macaw and Green Wing. This avian fauna with their melodious calls and their colorful feathers provide a sonorous and visual feast to the visitor to the rainforest.
The present survey of the animals conducted by the scientists has only a tip of the iceberg. There are hidden animal treasures in the rainforests. Unfortunately human activity has reduced the area of the rainforests. With virtually two seasons only rainforest is evergreen. However, things are not looking very bright for the rainforests. The result of excessive deforestation has resulted in the reduction of the size of the rainforests. In the past rainforests occupied 15% of the earth’s surface area. Today, it has been substantially reduced to an alarming small size of only 7% of the earth’s surface area. Much of the destruction of nature today is due to man’s activities. It is up to man to approach nature with due reverence. Man as a rational animal and has a duty to protect the earth otherwise the earth will not yield its fruits to us, will not have the variegated flora and fauna that make life so interesting and ultimately might make the existence for everybody precarious.
The list of extinct animals in Africa features the animals that have become extinct on the African continent and its islands, like Madagascar, Mauritius, Rodrigues, Réunion, Seychelles, St. Helena, Cape Verde, etc.
Global Holocene Extinctions
Extinctions in the wild