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Tropical-Rainforest-Animals
The tropical rainforest is a unique ecosystem that is home to many plants and animals, in fact more plants and animals than we even know about. The plants found in the tropical rainforest produce much of the oxygen that is essential for our planet. In addition, many of the plants have unique healing properties against illness and disease.
Many of the animals that reside in the rainforest can't be found anywhere else on earth. One such creature is the Brazilian Tapir. The Tapir is a mammal that is found in only a few areas in South America, and feeds only on small braches and leaves. This animal is quite harmless to man, it has a fear of anything larger than it. The Tapir lives near the water and spends much of its time diving and swimming in the ponds, lakes and rivers throughout the tropical rainforest.
Besides the animals this tropical rainforest is also the abode of many different and rare bird species such as the Crested Guan. This bird is found mainly on the northern tip of South America. It feeds on the fruit and seeds and prefers to live mainly on the trees, walking between the branches. It comes down on the ground only in search of water. It also feeds itself by collecting fallen fruits and seeds from the forest floor.
Many reptiles can be found in the tropical rainforest. One of the reptiles that can be found living in the forests of Indonesia and the Philippines is the Flying Dragon. This reptile is called the "flying dragon" because he seems to fly from one tree to another using his skin flaps. You'll find this reptile eating ants and other insects. When it comes time to breed they'll bury their eggs in the fertile soil of the rainforest.
The Slow Loris is another animal that is unique to the tropical rainforest. This animal will spend most of his day in the tops of trees sleeping quietly. At night you'll find him feeding on shoots and leaves, small birds, bird's eggs, and insects that he finds on the ground. The Loris is a very slow mover but you'll rarely see him stumble as he makes his way from tree top to the forest floor. You might even see him hanging upside down from his feet.
A visit to the tropical rainforest wouldn't be complete without a few sightings of some of the snakes found only in this unique environment. One such snake is the Vine Snake, which can be found in central and northern South America. This snake prefers to eat small birds that it steals from nests or lizards that it finds on the ground and in the trees of the forest. The Vine Snakes name derives from the snakes appearance - a very thin snake (approximately half inch in diameter), which will stop what its doing when frightened by predator and hang from the trees, swaying from side to side. This hanging appearance looks much like the vines that are so common in this part of the rainforest.
There are many other animals that are indigenous to the tropical rainforests. Many of these animals have unique and different features that help them to survive in this beautiful, though sometimes harsh, environment. The wonders of the tropical rainforest continue to amaze us as more is learned about the plants and animals that live there.
Furia Andress is the webmaster for Furia Tropical, the web's premier resource for information about all things tropical, For more articles on all things tropical visit: www.furiatropical.com/articles
This and other unique content tropical articles are available with free reprint rights.
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