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A message on the topic of inhabitants of the tropical zone. Animals of the tropical zone. Tropical trees of Central and South America

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

1. Toucans
Toucans can be found in South and Central America under the canopies of tropical forests. While sleeping, toucans turn their heads inside out and tuck their beaks under their wings and tail. Toucans are very important to rainforests because they help disperse seeds from the fruits and berries they eat. There are about 40 various types toucans, but unfortunately some species are endangered. The two main threats to the existence of toucans are the disappearance of their habitat and increasing demand in the commercial pet market.
They vary in size from approximately 15 centimeters to just over two meters. Large, colorful, light beaks - here distinctive features toucans. These are noisy birds with their loud and creaky voices.

2. Flying dragons.
Tree lizards, called flying dragons, actually glide from tree to tree on their flaps of skin that look like wings. On each side of the body, between the fore and hind limbs, there is a large flap of skin supported by expanded movable ribs. Usually these “wings” are folded along the body, but they can open so that the lizard can glide for many meters in an almost horizontal state. The flying dragon feeds on insects, particularly ants. To reproduce, a flying dragon descends to the ground and lays 1 to 4 eggs in the soil.

3. Bengal tigers
The Bengal tiger lives in the Sundarbans regions of India, Bangladesh, China, Siberia and Indonesia, and is seriously endangered. Today, about 4,000 individuals remain in the wild, down from more than 50,000 at the turn of the century in 1900. Poaching and habitat loss are the two main reasons for the decline bengal tigers. They were never able to adapt to harsh conditions, despite belonging to a dominant species. Tigers, also known as Royal Bengal tiger, which is a subspecies of the tiger, can be found in the Indian subcontinent. The Bengal tiger is the national animal of Bangladesh and is considered the second largest tiger in the world.

4. South American harpies.
One of the largest and most powerful of the fifty eagle species in the world, the South American harpy eagle lives in the tropical lowland forests of Central and South America, from southern Mexico south to eastern Bolivia, and southern Brazil to northern Argentina. This is an endangered species. The main threat to its existence is the loss of habitat due to constant deforestation, destruction of nesting sites and hunting.

5. Tree frogs.
These are frogs found in Central and South America. They are known for their bright colors, which warn other animals that they are poisonous. The frogs' venom is one of the most powerful poisons known and can cause paralysis or death. It is so powerful that one millionth of 30 grams of poison can kill a dog, and less than a crystal of salt can kill a person. One frog has a supply of poison sufficient to send up to 100 people to the next world. Local hunters used poison for their arrows, which is where the frog got its name in English language Poison-Arrow Frog (poisoned arrow frog).

6. Sloths
Sloths are extremely slow-moving mammals that can be found in the tropical forests of Central and South America. There are two types of sloths: two-toed and three-toed. Most sloths are the size of a small dog. They have short, flat heads. Their fur is grey-brown, but sometimes they appear grey-green because they move so slowly that tiny camouflage plants have time to grow all over their fur. Sloths are nocturnal and sleep curled up with their heads between their arms and legs turned close together.

7. Spider monkeys
Spider monkeys have big sizes. An adult monkey can grow almost 60 centimeters tall, not including the tail. The tail is very powerful. Monkeys use it as an extra limb. Spider monkeys like to hang upside down, clinging to branches with their tail and legs, making them look like spiders, which is where they get their name. These monkeys also know how to jump from branch to branch. high speed. Their coat color can be black, brown, gold, red or bronze. Spider monkeys are the object of close attention among hunters, which is why they are on the verge of extinction. This photo is probably your only chance to ever see this monkey. Not to mention our species...

8. Wine snakes.
Just about a centimeter in diameter, vine snakes are a surprisingly “slender”, elongated species. If a snake lies among the branches forest trees, its proportions and green-brown color make it almost indistinguishable from dense vines and vines. The head of a snake is just as thin and oblong. A slow-moving predator, active during the day and at night, the wine snake feeds mainly on young birds, which it steals from nests, and on lizards. If the snake is threatened, it inflates the front of its body, revealing the bright coloring that would normally be hidden, and opens its mouth wide.

9. Capybaras
The capybara spends a lot of time in the water and is an excellent swimmer and diver. She has webbed toes on her front and back paws. When she swims, only her eyes, ears and nostrils are visible above the water. Capybaras eat plant foods, including aquatic plants, and the molars of these animals grow throughout life to counteract wear from chewing. Capybaras live in families and are active at dawn and dusk. In areas where they are frequently disturbed, capybaras can be nocturnal. Males and females look the same, but males have a gland on their nose that is larger than females. They mate in the spring, and after 15-18 weeks of pregnancy there may be 2 babies in the litter. Babies are well developed at birth.

10. Brazilian tapirs.
Brazilian tapirs can almost always be found near bodies of water. These animals are good swimmers and divers, but they also move quickly on land, even over rough and mountainous terrain. Tapirs are dark brown in color. Their fur is short, and a mane grows from the back of the neck down. Thanks to its movable snout, the tapir feeds on leaves, buds, shoots and small branches that the tapir plucks from trees, as well as fruits, herbs and aquatic plants. The female gives birth to a single spotted-striped baby after a pregnancy that lasts from 390 to 400 days.

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

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

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

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

Along the lakes in the reed thickets on the plains of Patagonia and on the mountain slopes of the Andes lives nutria - the swamp beaver, or coipu - a large rodent the size of ours. river beaver. Nutria's life is associated with water. Nutria feeds on succulent roots aquatic plants, makes nests from reeds and reeds. The animal produces valuable fur. Nutria was transported to Soviet Union and released into the swampy thickets of Transcaucasia. They have acclimatized and are reproducing well. However, they suffer greatly during the cold winters that occur in Azerbaijan and Armenia, when the lakes freeze.

Unadapted to life in freezing bodies of water, nutria, having dived under the ice, do not find a way back. At the same time, their habitats become accessible to jungle cats and jackals, which walk across the ice to the nutria nests.

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

The armadillo's body is covered with a shell that slightly resembles a turtle's shield. The shell consists of two layers: inside it is bone, outside it is horny - and is divided into belts, movably connected to each other. A giant armadillo lives in Guiana and Brazil. The largest of the armadillos reach one and a half meters in length. Armadillos live in deep burrows and only come out at night to hunt for prey. 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 received their name for their slowness and clumsiness. The dull greenish-gray protective coloring of the sloth reliably hides it from the eyes of the enemy in the branches of trees. The coloring of the sloth is given by green algae that live in its rough and shaggy fur. This is one of the wonderful examples of cohabitation between animal and plant organisms.

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

Marsupials in the forests of Brazil are represented by long-eared and water possums. The water possum, or swimmer, lives near rivers and lakes. It differs from the long-eared one in its coloring and swimming membranes on its hind legs.

South America is home to many bats various types. Among them are blood-sucking leaf-nosed insects that attack horses and mules, and vampires.

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

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

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

There are more than 160 species of parrots in the tropical forests of South America. The most famous are the green Amazon parrots. They learn to speak well.

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

There are many in tropical forests various snakes and lizards. Among them are boa constrictors, or boa, anaconda, reaching 11 m in length, and bushmaster - 4 m in length. Many snakes, due to the protective coloring of their skin, are little noticeable among forest greenery.

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

Lives in the forests of Brazil and Guiana big frog- Surinamese pipa. It is interesting in its special way of reproduction. The eggs laid by the female are distributed by the male on the female's back. Each egg is placed in a separate cell. Subsequently, the skin grows and the cells close. The baby frogs develop on the female's back; when they grow up, they come out of their cells. Nutrients, necessary for frogs during development, are transmitted from the mother’s body by blood vessels that branch in the walls of skin cells.

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

In many rivers of South America lives unusually predatory fish- piranha, 30 cm long. Her strong jaws contain teeth as sharp as knives. If you drop a piece of meat into the river, piranhas immediately appear from the depths and instantly tear it apart. Piranhas feed on fish and attack ducks and domestic animals that carelessly enter the river. Even large animals such as tapirs suffer from piranha. Pisces damage lips drinking water animals. Piranhas are also dangerous to people.

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

Ants are very numerous. Penetrating into a person’s home, they eat his reserves and thereby cause significant harm. Umbrella ants live in underground galleries. They feed their larvae with fungal mold, which they grow on finely chopped leaves. Ants bring pieces of leaves to the anthill, moving along strictly constant paths.

There are many spiders in the tropical zone of South America. Among them, the largest is the tarantula spider. Its size is more than 5 cm. Its food is lizards, frogs, and insects; 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 - hippopotamuses and crocodiles. The most interesting are the great apes - gorillas and chimpanzees. The gorilla is a very large monkey, the height of males reaches 2 m, weight - 200 kg. They live in the most remote parts of the tropical forest and in the mountains, inaccessible to humans. Gorillas make their dens in trees or on the ground. dense thickets. Gorillas have been severely exterminated by humans and are now preserved only in two areas of tropical forests in Africa - south of Cameroon to the river. Congo and the country of lakes Victoria and Tanganyika.

Chimpanzees are smaller than gorilla. An adult male is no higher than 1.5 m. They live in families, but sometimes gather in small herds. When descending from the trees, chimpanzees walk on the ground, leaning on their hands clenched into fists.

There are many species of monkeys in the tropical forests of Africa. These long-tailed small monkeys have greenish fur. Interesting are the toeless monkeys (Colobus), which lack a thumb. The most beautiful of these monkeys is Gveretsa. She lives in Ethiopia and in the forests to the west of this country. 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.

The fauna of Madagascar has some peculiarities. For example, lemurs live on this island. Their body is covered with thick fur. Some have bushy tails. Lemurs' faces are more animal-like than monkey-like; That's why they are called prosimians.

There are many different species of parrots in the African rainforests. The most famous is the gray parrot, the gray parrot, which imitates the human voice very well.

In some places in large quantities crocodiles have been preserved. They especially love rivers whose banks are covered with dense tropical forest. The Nile crocodile reaches 7 m in length.

The forests of Africa are home to large, up to 6 m long, boa constrictors - pythons.

Among the fish attracts attention lungfish Protopterus, inhabiting muddy lakes and swamps. These fish, in addition to gills, have lungs with which they breathe during drought. The lungfish Lepidosirene lives in South America, and the ceratod lives in Australia.

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

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

A variety of macaques live in the forests of the Greater Sunda Islands - Sumatra and Borneo - and in Eastern India. On Borneo lives a big-nosed monkey. Her nose is long, almost trunk-shaped. Old animals, especially males, have significantly longer noses than young monkeys.

The Indian elephant is often found in the forests of India and on the nearest large islands. Since ancient times, it has been tamed by humans and used in various jobs.

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

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

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

The tiger is a crepuscular animal; he hunts for large ungulates. A tiger, if wounded by an unsuccessful shot from a hunter, sick or an elder, or generally for any reason has lost the ability to hunt ungulates, which constitute its main food, attacks people and becomes a “man-eater.”

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

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 leopard. Leopard attacks domestic animals; he is cunning, brave, and dangerous to humans. Black leopards are often found on the Greater Sunda Islands; they are called black panthers.

The sloth bear and the Malayan bear, the biruang, live in South Asia. The sloth fish is large, heavy beast, armed with long claws that allow him to climb trees well. Its fur color is black, and there is a large White spot. Its large lips are mobile, they can stretch into a tube, and with its long tongue the bear takes insects out of the crevices of trees. The sloth fish lives in tropical forests on the Indian subcontinent and on the island of Ceylon. It feeds on plants, fruits, berries, insects, bird eggs and small animals.

U malayan bear The fur is short, black. 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 to be the peacock, living in the wild in Java, Ceylon and Indochina.

In the forests of the Sunda Islands, Ceylon and India live bank or bush chickens - the wild ancestors of domestic chickens, many species of pheasants and other chickens.

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

On the Malay Peninsula there is a reticulated python snake, reaching 10 m in length.

There are many in the forests of India poisonous snakes, from whose bites the big number of people. The most dangerous cobra, or spectacled snake. It gets its name from the spots behind its 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 toes of the front and hind paws allow it, while gliding, to jump from one tree to another.

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

By studying the Earth's past through the fossil remains of animals that once inhabited continents and islands, scientists came to the conclusion that the composition of the fauna, that is, the animal world, was continuously changing in all geological eras. Connections arose between continents; for example, between Asia and North America there was a connection. Animals that inhabited Asia could penetrate into America; Therefore, in the fauna of America and Asia we still see a lot of similarities. The geological history of the Earth helps to clarify some features in the distribution of animals across the continents. Thus, the remains of marsupials are found in the ancient layers of the earth of Europe and America. Nowadays, these marsupials live only in Australia and only a few species in America. Consequently, marsupials were previously much more widespread on the globe. 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 divided Earth into areas characterized by animal species found only in that area.

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

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In this post there will be scary, nasty, cute, kind, beautiful, incomprehensible animals.
Plus a short comment about each. They all really exist
Watch and be surprised

SNAP TOOTH- a mammal from the order of insectivores, divided into two main species: the Cuban slittooth and the Haitian. The animal is relatively large compared to other types of insectivores: its length is 32 centimeters, its tail is on average 25 cm, the weight of the animal is about 1 kilogram, and its body is dense.

MANED WOLF. Lives in South America. The long legs of the wolf are the result of evolution in matters of adaptation to the habitat; they help the animal to overcome obstacles such as tall grass, growing on the plains.

AFRICAN CIVET- the only representative of the genus of the same name. These animals live in Africa open spaces with high grass from Senegal to Somalia, southern Namibia and in the eastern regions South Africa. The size of the animal can visually increase quite significantly when the civet raises its fur when excited. And her fur is thick and long, especially on the back closer to the tail. The paws, muzzle and tail end are completely black, most of the body is spotted.

MUSKRAT. The animal is quite famous due to its sonorous name. It's just a good photo.

PROCHIDNA. This miracle of nature usually weighs up to 10 kg, although larger specimens have also been observed. By the way, the length of the echidna’s body reaches 77 cm, and this is not counting their cute five to seven centimeter tail. Any description of this animal is based on comparison with the echidna: the legs of the echidna are higher, the claws are more powerful. Another feature of the echidna’s appearance is the spurs on the hind legs of males and the five-fingered hind limbs and three-fingered forelimbs.

CAPIBARA. Semi-aquatic mammal, the largest of modern rodents. It is the only representative of the capybara family (Hydrochoeridae). There is a dwarf variety, Hydrochoerus isthmius, which is sometimes considered as a separate species (lesser capybara).

SEA CUCUMBER. HOLOTHURIA. Sea egg pods, sea cucumbers(Holothuroidea), a class of invertebrate animals such as echinoderms. Species eaten as food are common name"trepang".

PANGOLIN. This post simply could not do without him.

HELL VAMPIRE. Mollusk. Despite its obvious similarity with octopus and squid, scientists have identified this mollusk as a separate order Vampyromorphida (lat.), because it is characterized by retractable sensitive whip-shaped filaments.

AARDVARK. In Africa, these mammals are called aardvark, which translated into Russian means “earthen pig.” In fact, the aardvark is very similar in appearance to a pig, only with an elongated snout. The structure of the ears of this amazing animal is very similar to that of a hare. There is also a muscular tail, which is very similar to the tail of an animal such as a kangaroo.

JAPANESE GIANT SALAMANDER. Today it is the largest amphibian, which can reach 160 cm in length, weigh up to 180 kg and can live up to 150 years, although the officially registered maximum age giant salamander is 55 years old.

BEARDED PIG. In different sources, the Bearded Pig species is divided into two or three subspecies. These are the curly bearded pig (Sus barbatus oi), which lives on the Malay Peninsula and the island of Sumatra, the Bornean bearded pig (Sus barbatus barbatus) and the Palawan bearded pig, which live, as the name suggests, on the islands of Borneo and Palawan, as well as on Java , Kalimantan and the small islands of the Indonesian archipelago in South-East Asia.

SUMATRAN RHINO. They belong to the odd-toed ungulates of the rhinoceros family. This type of rhinoceros is the smallest of the entire family. The body length of an adult Sumatran rhinoceros can reach 200–280 cm, and the height at the withers can vary from 100 to 150 cm. Such rhinoceroses can weigh up to 1000 kg.

SULAWESI BEAR COUSCUS. An arboreal marsupial living in the upper layer of lowland tropical forests. The fur of the bear cuscus consists of a soft undercoat and coarse guard hairs. Coloration ranges from gray to brown, with a lighter belly and limbs, and varies depending on the geographic subspecies and age of the animal. The prehensile, non-haired tail is approximately half the length of the animal and serves as a fifth limb, making it easier to move through the dense tropical forest. The bear cuscus is the most primitive of all cuscus, retaining primitive tooth growth and structural features of the skull.

GALAGO. Its large fluffy tail is clearly comparable to that of a squirrel. And his charming face and graceful movements, flexibility and insinuation, clearly reflect his cat-like traits. The amazing jumping ability, mobility, strength and incredible dexterity of this animal clearly show its nature as a funny cat and an elusive squirrel. Of course, there would be a place to use your talents, because a cramped cage is very poorly suited for this. But, if you give this animal a little freedom and sometimes allow him to walk around the apartment, then all his quirks and talents will come true. Many even compare it to a kangaroo.

WOMBAT. Without a photograph of a wombat, it is generally impossible to talk about strange and rare animals.

AMAZONIAN DOLPHIN. It is the largest river dolphin. Inia geoffrensis, as scientists call it, reaches 2.5 meters in length and weighs 2 quintals. Light gray juveniles become lighter with age. The Amazonian dolphin has a full body, with a thin tail and a narrow muzzle. A round forehead, a slightly curved beak and small eyes are the characteristics of this species of dolphin. Occurs Amazonian dolphin in rivers and lakes of Latin America.

MOONFISH or MOLA-MOLA. This fish can be more than three meters long and weigh about one and a half tons. The largest specimen of the sunfish was caught in New Hampshire, USA. Its length was five and a half meters, there is no data on weight. The shape of the fish’s body resembles a disk; it was this feature that gave rise to the Latin name. The moon fish has thick skin. It is elastic, and its surface is covered with small bony projections. The larvae of fish of this species and young individuals swim in the usual way. Adults large fish swim on their sides, quietly moving their fins. They seem to lie on the surface of the water, where they are very easy to notice and catch. However, many experts believe that only sick fish swim this way. As an argument, they cite the fact that the stomach of fish caught on the surface is usually empty.

TASMANIAN DEVIL. Being the largest of modern predatory marsupials, this black animal with white spots on the chest and rump, with a huge mouth and sharp teeth has a dense physique and a stern disposition, for which, in fact, it was called the devil. Emitting ominous screams at night, the massive and clumsy Tasmanian devil looks like a small bear: the front legs are slightly longer than the hind legs, big head, the muzzle is dull.

LORI. Feature lori – big size eyes, which may be bordered by dark circles, with a white dividing stripe between the eyes. The face of a loris can be compared to a clown mask. This most likely explains the animal's name: Loeris means "clown".

GAVIAL. Of course, one of the representatives of the crocodile order. With age, the gharial's muzzle becomes even narrower and longer. Due to the fact that the gharial feeds on fish, its teeth are long and sharp, located at a slight angle for ease of eating.

OKAPI. FOREST GIRAFFE. Traveling through Central Africa, journalist and African explorer Henry Morton Stanley (1841-1904) more than once encountered local aborigines. Having once met an expedition equipped with horses, the natives of the Congo told the famous traveler that they had wild animals, very similar to his horses. The Englishman, who had seen a lot, was somewhat puzzled by this fact. After some negotiations, in 1900 the British were finally able to acquire parts of the skin. mysterious beast at local population and send them to the Royal Zoological Society in London, where the unknown animal was given the name “Johnston's Horse” (Equus johnstoni), that is, it was assigned to the equine family. But imagine their surprise when a year later they managed to get a whole skin and two skulls of an unknown animal, and discovered that It looked more like dwarf giraffe times ice age. Only in 1909 was it possible to catch a living specimen of Okapi.

WALABI. TREE KANGAROO. The genus of Tree kangaroos - wallabies (Dendrolagus) includes 6 species. Of these, D. Inustus or the bear wallaby, D. Matschiei or Matchisha's wallaby, which has a subspecies D. Goodfellowi (Goodfellow's wallaby), D. Dorianus - the Doria wallaby, live in New Guinea. In Australian Queensland, there are D. Lumholtzi - Lumholtz's wallaby (bungari), D. Bennettianus - Bennett's wallaby, or tharibin. Their original habitat was New Guinea, but now wallabies are also found in Australia. Tree kangaroos live in tropical forests of mountainous regions, at altitudes from 450 to 3000 m. above sea level. The body size of the animal is 52-81 cm, the tail is from 42 to 93 cm long. Wallabies weigh, depending on the species, from 7.7 to 10 kg for males and from 6.7 to 8.9 kg. females.

WOLVERINE. Moves quickly and deftly. The animal has an elongated muzzle, a large head, with rounded ears. The jaws are powerful, the teeth are sharp. Wolverine is a “big-legged” animal; its feet are disproportionate to the body, but their size allows them to move freely in deep water. snow cover. Each paw has huge and curved claws. Wolverine is an excellent tree climber and has sharp vision. The voice is like a fox.

FOSSA. The island of Madagascar has preserved animals that are not found not only in Africa itself, but also in the rest of the world. One of the rarest animals is the Fossa - the only representative of the genus Cryptoprocta and the largest carnivorous mammal, living on the island of Madagascar. The appearance of the Fossa is a little unusual: it is a cross between a civet and a small puma. Sometimes the fossa is also called the Madagascar lion, since the ancestors of this animal were much larger and reached the size of a lion. Fossa has a squat, massive and slightly elongated body, the length of which can reach up to 80 cm (on average it is 65-70 cm). The fossa's paws are long, but quite thick, with the hind paws being higher than the front paws. The tail often happens equal to length body and reaches 65 cm.

MANUL approves of this post and is here only because he has to be. Everyone already knows him.

PHENEC. STEPPE FOX. He assents to the manula and is present here insofar as. After all, everyone saw him.

NAKED MORAVARY gives the Pallas's cat and fennec cat pluses in their karma and invites them to organize a club of the most fearful animals in RuNet.

PALM THIEF. Representative of decapod crustaceans. Its habitat is the western part Pacific Ocean and tropical islands Indian Ocean. This animal from the family of land crayfish is quite large for its species. The body of an adult reaches a size of up to 32 cm and a weight of up to 3-4 kg. For a long time it was mistakenly believed that with its claws it could even split coconuts, which he then eats. To date, scientists have proven that crayfish can only feed on already split coconuts. They, being its main source of nutrition, gave the name palm thief. Although he is not averse to eating other types of food - the fruits of Pandanus plants, organic substances from the soil, and even his own kind.

No other land ecosystem on Earth plays like this important role, How 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. The amazing biodiversity in these habitats makes them home to some of nature's most interesting creatures.

Jaguar

Jaguars are a real threat to the rainforests of Central and South America, as they are the top predators in their family. These are the largest cats that inhabit the American continents, and the third largest in the world after tigers and lions. Although most cats are known to have an aversion to water, jaguars, like tigers, are an exception. They have perfectly adapted to living in rain forests and feel no worse in 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 not any of the above creatures. Their closest relatives are giraffes.
These cute and graceful animals live in rain forests Central Africa. They spend most time on pastures, eating leaves, buds, grass, ferns and fruits with the help of an unusually long, mobile and sticky tongue. This organ is so dexterous that the animal is able to lick its eyelids, as well as wash its large ears outside and inside.

Amazon river dolphin

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

Glass frog

You're not looking at an x-ray right 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 organs can be seen through it. It is believed that there are more than 150 species of this amazing family of amphibians in the world.

Cassowary

Native to the rainforests of New Guinea and northeastern Australia, these colorful flightless birds resemble colorful ostriches with blade-like hats. They are the third largest birds in the world (after ostriches and emus), and unlike many bird species, females tend to display brighter plumage rather than males.

Marmoset

These little monkeys from the rain forests of South America may be considered the most glorious primates in existence. In reality it is smallest monkeys in the world. About 22 species are known to exist, and each exhibits extravagant variations in furry attire. The interesting thing is that they almost always give birth to twins.

Malayan bear

Malayan bear - smallest type bears in the world. It inhabits the tropical rain forests of Southeast Asia. This is one of only two species of bears 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 creature is distinguished by a distinctive orange U-shaped collar on its chest.

Anaconda

Found in the rain forests and floodplains of South America, the anaconda is the largest, heaviest and second longest snake in the world. This species has earned a secure place in B-horror films. Although it is not venomous, the anaconda is capable of killing an adult male by constriction, although such attacks are extremely rare. The achievement of such enormous sizes is partly facilitated by a semi-aquatic lifestyle, and it is known that this snake is an excellent swimmer.

Siamang

Siamangs are black-furred monkeys native to the forests of Southeast Asia, essentially largest species gibbons in the world. They are distinguished by a spherical throat sac, which they use to produce loud calls. These sounds are unmistakable in the dense jungle and are intended to define territorial boundaries between competing groups.

Fringed turtle

It is probably difficult to find a species of turtle in the world with a more strange appearance. Fringeback turtles can be seen in the rain forests of the Amazon and Orinoco basins and are sedentary and characterized by a triangular, flattened head and shell. Flaps of skin hang loosely from the neck and head of these reptiles, somewhat reminiscent of wet leaves. In fact, the strange shape of the fringed turtle's shell from a distance resembles a piece of tree bark, which provides the reptile with excellent camouflage.

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

It is home to predators such as leopards and pumas.

Interesting view is an American tapir, somewhat reminiscent of 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 come to the surface and lead a nocturnal lifestyle.

The inhabitant is . It moves without problems on the ground, climbs trees, eats ants and various insects.

Among marsupial species Possums can be found here.

Opossums

Elephants and elephants, which are relatives of giraffes, live in Africa.

Elephant

Lemurs, which are considered prosimians, live in Madagascar.

Lemurs

In some reservoirs there are crocodiles, among which the most famous 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.

In Africa and America there are large populations flamingo. They live near salt lakes and on sea coasts, feed on algae, worms and mollusks, and some insects.