The tropics cover less than 2% of the earth's surface. Geographically, the climatic zone runs along the equator. The limit of deviation from it in both directions is considered a latitude of 23.5 degrees. More than half of the world's animals live in this belt.
Plants also apply. But today in the lens of attention rainforest animals. Let's start with the Amazon. The area covers 2,500,000 square kilometers.
These are the largest tropics of the planet and, concurrently, its lungs, the forests of which produce 20% of the oxygen in the atmosphere. There are 1800 species of butterflies alone in the Amazon forests. Reptiles 300 species. Let us dwell on the unique ones that do not live in other areas of the planet.
river dolphin
In addition, they differ in color. The backs of the animals are gray-white, and the bottom is pinkish. The older the dolphin, the lighter its top. Only here in captivity the endemic does not become snow-white.
Amazon dolphins live with humans for no more than 3 years. Puberty occurs at 5. So, zoologists did not wait for offspring in captivity and stopped torturing animals. As you understand, there are no Amazonian endemics in any third-party dolphinarium of the world. In their homeland, by the way, they are called iniya, or bouto.
River dolphin or inia
piranha trombetas
Trombetas is one of the tributaries of the Amazon. What animals are in the rainforest terrify? In a series of names, for sure, there will be . There are cases when they gnawed at people.
A lot of books have been written on this topic, films have been made. However, a new species of piranha prefers grass and algae to flesh. On a dietary feed, the fish is eaten up to 4 kilograms. The length of the trambetas piranha reaches half a meter.
Trambetas piranha
Red-bearded (copper) jumper
It is included in interesting rainforest animals only 3 years ago. A new species of monkey was discovered in the Amazon jungle in 2014 during an expedition organized by the World Wildlife Fund.
In the "lungs of the planet" they found 441-in a new species. There is only one mammal among them - the red-bearded jumper. classified as broad. Presumably, there are no more than 250 jumpers in the world.
Animals are monogamous, having formed a pair, do not change and live apart with their children. When the jumpers are happy with each other, they purr, which makes them stand out from other monkeys.
Pictured is a copper jumper monkey
Possibly lost
In Latin, the name of the species sounds like Alabates amissibilis. This is the smallest one. A view on the verge of extinction. The complexity of its detection is also related to its size. Alabates are frogs about the size of a pinky nail.
They are beige-brown with stripes on the sides. Despite their tiny size, frogs of the species are poisonous, so they are not suitable for French cuisine, even if it were not for their conservation status.
The smallest frog Alabates amissibilis
Herbivore dracula bat
Looks intimidating, but vegan. Dracula is volatile. On her muzzle there is an outgrowth of the skin, called the nasal leaf. In combination with wide-set, slanting eyes, the outgrowth creates an intimidating look.
We add large and pointed ears, compressed lips, a bluish color, bony. It turns out the image of nightmares. Actually, herbivorous devils are active at night. During the day, animals hide in the crowns of trees or caves.
Herbivore bat dracula
fire salamander
The names of the species, while, generalized, refer to. It was their relative who was discovered in the tropics near the Amazon. The scientific name of the species is Cercosaura hophoides. The lizard has a red tail.
The body is dark with thin yellowish veins. Scientists have suspected the existence of the species for a long time. On the lands of Colombia, they found a clutch of eggs of an unknown reptile.
However, neither father nor mother could be found. Perhaps, found in 2014 - the parent of the masonry. Zoologists suggest that Cercosaura hophoides is no more than a hundred years old.
Pictured is a fire salamander
Okapi
On the verge of extinction and population. This is a rare species of giraffe. It was shown to Western zoologists by pygmies. It happened in the 1900th year. However, this conversation is already about the endemics of the African jungle, in particular, the forests of the Congo. Let's go under their shade.
Outwardly, this giraffe looks like a horse with an elongated neck. Compared to the neck of an ordinary giraffe, on the contrary, it is short. But, the okapi has a record-breaking tongue. The length of the organ allows not only to reach the juicy foliage, but also to wash the eyes animals. Rainforest world The okapi was also enriched with the blue color of the tongue.
As for the coat color, it is chocolate. There are transverse white stripes on the legs. In combination with dark brown, they are reminiscent of the colors of zebras.
Okapi are gentle parents. These animals that live in the rainforest they love children passionately, they don’t take their eyes off them, they protect them to the last drop of blood. Given the number of okapi, it cannot be otherwise. The species is listed in the Red Book and each cub is worth its weight in gold. Several giraffes are not born. One pregnancy, one child.
Tetra Congo
This is a fish of the characin family. It has almost 1700 species. Congo is found only in the basin of the river of the same name. The fish has a bright blue-orange coloring. It is expressed in males. Females are “dressed” more modestly.
The fins of the species resemble the finest lace. In length, the Congo reach 8.5 centimeters, they are peaceful. The description is ideal for aquarium fish. Endemic, indeed, is kept at home. Congos love dark soil. One fish needs about 5 liters of soft water.
Fish Tetra Congo
Baleska shrew
Refers to shrews, lives in the east. The range is 500 square kilometers. The minks of the animal are not found throughout their entire length, but only in 5 localities. All of them are destroyed by man.
The animal has a cone-shaped nose, an elongated body, a bare tail, gray short fur. In general, for most, yes a mouse. The problem of its survival is that without food the animal does not last longer than 11 hours. In conditions of danger and hunger, the latter wins. While the shrew is catching the insect, others are catching it.
Baleska white-toothed mouse
African marabou
Refers to storks. For a peculiar gait, the bird was nicknamed the adjutant. It is ranked among the largest birds. Meaning flying species. African grows up to 1.5 meters.
The weight of the animal, at the same time, is about 10 kilograms. A bare head lightens the figure a little. The absence of feathers reveals wrinkled skin with a massive outgrowth on the neck, where the bird, in a sitting state, folds an equally massive beak.
Appearance, as they say, an amateur. No wonder the animal is made the hero of many phantasmagoric books, where the bird inspires, at least, awe. An example is Irwin Welsh's The Nightmares of the Marabou Stork.
Now, let's move on to the Asian tropics. They are also filled with rare animals. The names of some of them are familiar at first glance. On the island of Sumatra, for example, they are proud. The fact that she is unusual is indicated by the prefix to the name of the beast.
Pictured African marabou
bearded pig
The animal looks like a cross between a wild boar and an anteater. The elongated nose, resembling a trunk, helps to reach the leaves, pick fruits and fish out fallen fruits from the forest canopy.
He is an excellent swimmer, and also uses his nose during spearfishing. Its main function is also in place. The sense of smell helps to find mating partners and recognize danger.
Tapirs are distinguished by long bearing of cubs. They give birth about 13 months after conception. More than one offspring is not born. At the same time, the life span of tapirs is a maximum of 30 years.
It becomes clear why the species is dying out. Despite their conservation status, tapirs are a desirable prey ... for,. Deforestation also kills the population.
Panda
No list is complete without it. rainforest animal names". Endemic to China lives in bamboo groves and is a symbol of the country. In the West, they learned about it only in the 19th century.
European zoologists argued for a long time whether to refer to raccoons or bears. Genetic tests helped. The animal is recognized as a bear. He leads a secretive life in three provinces of China. These are Tibet, Sichuan, Gansu.
Pandas have 6 toes on their paws. One of them is just an appearance. It's actually a modified carpal bone. The number of teeth grinding plant foods is also off scale.
A person has 7 times less. I mean, pandas have more than 200 teeth. They are active about 12 hours a day. Only 1/5 is absorbed from the eaten leaves. Given that pandas do not hibernate, the rainforests are saved only by the rapid growth of bamboo, a couple of meters a day, and the small number of bears themselves.
Let's finish the journey. Its tropical belt is also affected. The continent is desert. Tropical forests grow only along the coasts. Their eastern part is included in the UNESCO World Heritage Site. We will find out for what such curiosities.
helmeted cassowary
This is a bird of the ostrich order, it does not fly. The name of the species is Indonesian, translated as "horned head". The skin outgrowth on it resembles a combbut flesh-colored. There is also a semblance of earrings under the beak. They are scarlet, but thinner and elongated than those of a rooster. Feathers on the neck are colored indigo, and the main color is blue-black.
Colorful appearance is combined with power. Cases have been recorded when a person was killed with a kick. It is because of the cassowaries that a number of Australian parks are closed to the public.
Birds are not aggressive under normal conditions. Protective reflexes make themselves felt. The impact force is predictable at 60 kilos of weight and a height of one and a half meters. Legs are the strongest part of cassowaries, as well as other ostriches.
helmeted cassowary
wallaby
The second name of the species is tree. At first glance, it looks more like a bear. Thick, dense coat covers the entire body. The bag is not immediately noticeable. The cub in it, by the way, can linger for an indefinite time.
In times of danger, they are able to postpone childbirth. Physiologically, they should pass a maximum of a year after conception. It happens that a child dies without waiting in the wings. Then, a new embryo comes to replace, the first to become stillborn, not obliging to take care of itself.
Scientists pin hopes of saving humanity on tree kangaroos. The endemic stomach is able to process methane. In the event of global warming, this will come in handy not only for wallabies, but also for people.
They also puzzle over the thermoregulation of tree kangaroos. The species manages to maintain a comfortable body temperature in the heat. Not a single individual has yet died from overheating, even without a shade and plentiful drinking.
Tree wallabies are called due to their way of life. Observation of animals has shown that most of them die on the same plant where they were born. Here the wallabies were caught by hunters.
The raid on the endemic was announced because of the legend that one day the beast attacked a child. This is not documented, however, the population is in danger.
The conservation status of the animal helped to stop the extermination. To save humanity, a few tens of thousands of individuals are not enough. Therefore, to begin with, they will save and multiply them.
tree kangaroo wallaby
Koala
Without her, as in Asia without a panda, the list would be incomplete. is the symbol of Australia. The animal belongs to the wombats. These are marsupials with two incisors. The colonialists of the continent mistook koalas for bears. As a result, the scientific name of the species phascolarctos is translated from Greek as "a bear with a bag."
Like bamboo-addicted pandas, koalas only eat eucalyptus. Animals reach 68 centimeters in height and 13 kilograms of weight. Found the remains of an ancestor of koalas, which was almost 30 times larger.
Like modern wombats, the ancients had two thumbs on each paw. Fingers set aside help to grab and peel off branches.
Studying the ancestors of koalas, scientists came to the conclusion that the species is degrading. In the head of modern individuals, 40% of the cerebrospinal fluid. At the same time, the weight of the brain does not exceed 0.2% of the total mass of marsupials.
The organ does not even fill the cranium. The ancestors of koalas did just that. Zoologists believe that the reason is the choice of a low-calorie diet. Although, many animals that are quick-witted feed on foliage.
I recall the beginning of the article, where it is said that the tropics are less than 2% of the earth's surface. It seems a little, but how much life. So koalas, although not distinguished by intelligence, inspire entire nations.
And, what the hell is not joking, in the presence of animals it is better not to talk about their mental abilities, suddenly offend. Koalas are blind, and therefore have excellent hearing.
