Facts on Rainforest Animals

There are millions of rainforest animals throughout the rainforests of the world. Some of them are very familiar and well known, while many others have yet to be discovered. This is part of what makes the rainforests of the Earth so important as there are new species discovered in these lush jungles regularly. Here is but a smattering of the various species found in the rainforest.

  1. Central America

    • Animals living in the Central American rainforests include red-eyed tree frogs, howler monkeys and capybaras. Red-eyed tree frogs have huge red eyes which are supposed to scare away predators. Howler monkeys live in groups of about 18 and there are always more females than there are males. As a matter of fact, there may only be one male to a group. Howler monkeys do live up to their name. They are the loudest mammal in the world. The capybara is a 100 pound semi-aquatic rodent and it can be domesticated.

    South America

    • Even more exotic animals inhabit the rainforests of South America. The rainbow boa has iridescent scales, which give it its name. These snakes live for about 20 years and play an important role in the eco-balance of the rainforest. Peccaries are medium-sized animals that are often mistaken for pigs. You can tell the difference by examining the tusk or canine tooth. Poison arrow frogs are the smallest frog, just ½ inch long. The poison arrow frog gets is name from the poison that it secretes through its skin.

    Africa

    • African rainforest animals are a diverse and varied bunch. The Bonobo is also called the pygmy, or dwarf chimpanzee. The Bonobo is endangered and is only found in the Democratic Republic of Congo. They live on one side of the Congo River and the common chimpanzee lives on the other. There is a simple explanation for this as neither of them is a good swimmer. The Okapi is striped on the legs and the bottom of the body like a zebra, but it is related to the giraffe. Galagos, also known as bush babies, have extra large eyes, which accounts for their superior night vision.

    Southern Asia

    • Southern Asia is not particularly well-known for its rainforests, however, some of the world's most interesting species reside in this part of the world. The Philippine tarsier is one of the smallest primates on Earth about the size of a man's hand. It has the large eyes of the night hunter and is in danger of becoming extinct. The Binturong is also known as the Asian bearcat, even though it is not a bear or a cat. It will make a chuckling sound when happy and shriek if it becomes annoyed. In captivity, a binturong has lived as long as 26 years.

    Australia

    • The rainforests in Australia teem with life. The striped opossum is related to the North American opossum, but looks more like a squirrel or skunk, neither of whom are a relative. The Yellow-footed Antechinus is a marsupial and related to the shrew. It has a larger body than its relatives and a distinct rust colored fur. The giant white-tailed uromys, also known as the white-tailed rat, is a placental mammal, a group that also includes whales. The giant white-tailed uromys arrived in Australia more than 3 million years ago.