30 Kinds of Tropical Rainforest Animals (With Pictures)

Tropical rainforests lie in the equatorial zone, between the Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn. Tropical rainforests are characterized by wet and humid climatic conditions, along with dense forest cover. These forests can be located in Australia, Asia,  South America, Africa, Caribbean islands, Central America, and on several of the Pacific, Indian Ocean. Rainforests are considered to be one of the oldest and the most complex ecosystems on earth, which explains the presence of numerous species of animals found here.

1. Orangutan

Orangutan abundantly lives in the Southeast Asian tropical rainforest. Orangutan means “man of the forest” in Malay. Orangutan is the largest species of the great monkeys. They are live in trees and spend most of their times there. They have powerful arms strong bulky body, reddish-brown in color, and strong legs. Their diet includes flowers, ripe fruits, leaves, vines, and orchids.

2. Golden Lion Tamarin

They are arboreal, live in communities, and the rainforests of Brazil in South America is their natural habitat. Golden Lion Tamarins are primates of the size of a squirrel, with a golden silky mane like lion’s. They have very strong legs with sharp claws that enable them to looking for insects from tree barks. It feeds on insects, fruits and small birds.

3. Jaguar

Jaguars are species of wild cats found in Central and South America. They prey on capybaras, turtles, birds, and reptiles. They prefer living in habitats that have water sources and they are good swimmers. They are nocturnal animals with strong physical features, like short limbs and an extremely strong jaw with long and sharp canine teeth.

4. Capybara

This largest rodents can be found in swamps and marshes, and close to rivers and lakes in Central and South America. They mainly feed on aquatic plants, tree barks and fruits. They can be found in large groups and they are excellent swimmers. Jaguars, anacondas and harpy eagles prey upon capybaras.

5. Toco Toucan

 

They cannot fly very well and they are found hopping most of the time. Toco Toucans are the largest among their species and mainly found in the Amazon River basin. Their striking feature is their long, curved bill and their bright color. They feed on bird eggs, frogs and fruits. They are social birds, in cavities built in tree barks.

6. Anaconda

Anaconda is a type of constrictor snake. It’s the largest snake in the world and commonly found in Amazon River. Anaconda is a good climber and can live without food for almost a year after feeding on a big prey. Their favorite diet consists of rodents, pigs, deers, and birds. There’s a report said that anaconda can eat an alligator also.

7. Poison Dart Frog

They are bright colored frogs found in South and Central American tropical rainforests. They feed on small insects like spiders, ants, and flies. They have a poisonous skin and the poison is used on the tips of darts and arrows for hunting.

8. Monarch Butterfly

Monarch butterflies mainly found in North America. They look beautiful and have bright-colored, scaly wings. Monarch butterflies are a species of poisonus butterflies that feed on the milkweed plant. Their predators fall sick if they eat them due to the poison and hence. Avoid preying on them.

9. Malayan Sun Bear

They are skillful climbers, aided by long sickle-shaped claws on all four feet. Named for the golden crescent, or “U” shaped golden patch on their chest. This bears are omnivores. Their diet also includes fruits, insects, small mammals, and birds. Their natural habitat is in southern part of China and Southeast Asia.

10. Crested Guan

Crested Guan is the northern member of the genus Penelope. Their presence are often indicated by its loud honking and yelping cries or crashing sounds. Several other species of guans appear very similar and are separated by range and vocalizations. This species can be quite approachable and even tame in protected areas, but throughout much of its range, Crested Guan is heavily hunted.

11. Okapi

This animal is like the cross breeding between zebra and antelope. Okapi is still closely related with giraffe. They spend most of their time to eat on the Central African rainforest. Their main diets are consisting of grass, fruits and roots. They can get various leaves and fruits with their long tongue.

12. Boto

The Amazon River Dolphin or Boto is one of the five species of dolphins which is live on the river. Boto lives on the Amazon River and Orinoco alcoves, South America. They can be located swimming along the mangrove trees. This species is also called as the pink dolphin.

13. Glass Frog

If you looked at this species, you will think that this frog is a see through creature. Glass Frog can be located in every Central and South America rainforest. There are more than 150 species of this magnificent frog.

14. Cassowary

This giant bird can be located in the New Guinea and Australia rainforest. This colorful flightless bird is the third biggest bird in the world after the emu and ostrich. The male cassowary is brighter in color than the female.

15. Marmoset

This unique primate can be located in the South American rainforest. Marmoset is probably the cutest primates of all time. There are 22 species of Marmoset existed in the world. The amazing fact from this creature is , they always gave birth of twins.

16. Mata-Mata

This strange looking turtle can be recognized by its triangular flat head. Mata-mata can be located in the Amazon rainforest. Mata-mata hunting their prey with their remarkable camouflage, by emerging their body resembling a piece of dead tree to avoid the predators.

17. Siamang

Siamang is a black primate and this is the native animal of South East Asian continent. They are the biggest species in the world. Siamang can be recognized by their loud voice. Their voice is used as the sign of their territorial between the rival groups.

18. Gorilla

Gorilla is the biggest primate in the world. The main diet of this grand primate is consisting of vegetables and sometimes they hunt for insect for fulfilling their need of protein. Gorilla can be located in the African rainforest. Gorilla is the second species after chimps which is closely related in the DNA aspect with human.

19. Rhinoceros

This mammal is big and they are known as the high tempered animal. They can weigh more than 1.000 kg. Although rhinoceros is big in their physical appearance but they are herbivore animal. Their skin is thick and they have hearing and smelling senses. Most of the rhino can live until 40 years.

20. Elephant

This grand mammal from the family Elephantidae and the order of Proboscidea. There are two species of elephant which are The African and Asian elephant. Elephant can be located in savanna, jungle, dessert and also in the rainforest. This giant creature is a herbivore mammal.

21. Tree-kangaroo

Tree-kangaroos are unique rainforest animals that only live in New Guinea and Queensland. They are perfectly adapted to live in the trees. Compared to ground kangaroos, tree-kangaroos have larger tails, broader and longer hind feet, and special gripping paws that have a sponge-like texture. They eat fruits, leaves, tree barks, saps, and nuts. Most tree-kangaroo species are threatened or endangered due to hunting and deforestation.

21. Margay

Margay (Leopardus wiedii) is a wild cat that lives in Central and South America, from southern Mexico to the Andes region and Uruguay. This nocturnal cat is 48 to 79 inches (19 to 31 cm) long and has markings that look like ocelots. Margay is often called tree ocelot because it is better in climbing than ocelots, despite looking similar. It eats birds, eggs, tree frogs, lizards, and small monkeys. Just like regular cats, margay likes chewing plants and even fruits to make digestion smoother.

23. Wallace’s Flying Frog

Wallace’s Flying Frog (Rhacophorus nigropalmatus) is a unique frog found in the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, and Borneo. Also known as “Abah River flying frog”, this brightly-colored frog has membranes between limbs that allow it to parachute from tree to tree. The males are around 3.15 inches (80 mm) long, while the females are usually larger, around 3.94 inches (100) mm long. Despite being agile on the trees, these frogs are regular preys of tree-climbing snakes.

24. Scarlet Macaw

Scarlet macaw (Ara Macao) is an iconic parrot from South America. These birds can be found in evergreen forests of Colombia, Bolivia, Brazil, Venezuela, and Amazon. These birds are quite large, around 32 inches (81 cm) long. Scarlet macaws have bright red feathers mixed with yellow, blue, and a little green. They eat fruits, seeds, and nuts, and they use their powerful beaks to break open hard shells. Scarlet macaws are famous for their monogamous life.

25. Piranha

Piranhas are members of the Characidae family, which consists of several fish species that live in South American freshwater. They have notorious reputations due to their sharp teeth and carnivorous diet. However, many piranhas are omnivorous, since they also eat aquatic plants and fruits that fall to the water. Piranhas have sharp teeth that always be renewed throughout their life, and they can attack and eat small mammals or birds that fall to the water.

26. Aye-aye

Aye-aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis) is a native lemur species of Madagascar Island, and known as the largest nocturnal primate in the world. Aye-aye can grow to three feet (90 cm) long. Aye-aye has brown or yellowish color, with white streaks on the back and head. It has thin and long middle finger and index finger, which it uses to hunt for grubs. Its hunting method is tapping the wood to find grubs, chew open the wood surface, and then fish out the grubs with its long fingers.

27. Tapir

Tapir (Tapirus) is a group of pig-like forest animals that have round bodies, short necks, and trunk-like proboscis noses. These animals live in the forests of Southeast Asia, Central America, and South America. Tapirs are varied in size, but the average measurement is 6.6 feet long (2 m) and three feet high (1 m). The colors range from dirty white to reddish brown and even black. Malayan tapirs are unique because they have black upper bodies and white lower bodies. They live on drylands, but tapirs that live near water love spending time in it.

28. Giant Anteater

Giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) is a unique insectivore mammal that lives in the rainforests of Central and South America. The animal has a long snout and thin tongue to eat ants and termites. They have large, curved front claws that they use to dig ant’s and termite’s nests. The giant anteater can grow to 7.1 feet long (6 m), and it has dark fur with unique grey and white streaks. It does not have teeth, but when hunting for ants, the tongue can move 160 times per minute. The animal also ingests soil and sand to help with digestion.

29. Lesser Antillean Iguana

Lesser Antillean iguana (Iguana delicatissima) is a relative of the more popular green iguana. It lives in the rainforests and mangroves of Caribbean islands such as Dominica, Martinique, Anguilla, Saint Barth, and Guadeloupe. Lesser Antillean iguanas spend most of their times on the trees, but like green iguanas, their diets consist of plants, flowers, and fruits. They are threatened by feral cats and dogs and habitat loss.

30. Sulawesi Wrinkled Hornbill

Also known as knobbed hornbill, Sulawesi wrinkled hornbill (Rhyticeros cassidix) is the most colorful hornbill species. These rainforest animals are also one of the symbols of South Sulawesi province in Indonesia. The bird has a black feather with white plumes, but the head and beak have yellow, red, and blue shades. The bird eats fruits, insects, and small vertebrates. Knobbed hornbill is monogamous, and the female creates a nest in a hollow tree trunk by sealing the hole with feces.