20. Tapir

There are four species of tapirs, all of which are closely related to horses and rhinoceroses, which are odd-toed ungulates.

There were many more species, including some native to North America and Southeast Asia, that died out at the end of the Pleistocene, and the remaining four were semi-aquatic forest-dwelling mammals, somewhat similar to pigs, live in Central and South America. and one species in Southeast Asia.

Tapirs are also quite similar to pigs in terms of ecology. They spend a lot of time immersed in mud and eat a lot of plants and fruits. They have a long snout, made up of a nose and lower lip, giving them a somewhat bizarre appearance, but they are generally shy and laid-back animals.

All four species are listed by the IUCN as endangered or vulnerable due to habitat destruction and human encroachment. ^first

19. Large Capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris)

The world’s largest rodent also lives in the jungle! Capybaras are widespread in South America and like tapirs, they prefer moist environments.

These swamp specialists are excellent swimmers, can hold their breath for five minutes, and one of the keys to their success is their ability to adapt to the conversion of forests to livestock farming.

At one time, these animals were kept in a research facility and interestingly, escapees from captivity are said to have established colonies in the same areas where their prehistoric relatives Their history predates their being hunted to extinction there.

This type of inadvertent reintroduction can be seen in both Florida and California. ²

18. Green anaconda (Eunectes murinus)

From scurrying to slithering, one of the most impressive animals in the forest is definitely the green anaconda.

It is the largest and heaviest snake on Earth (though not the longest!) and a giant anaconda that lives in the same forests as our first two animals. As such, this is a monster they may have to face at one time or another.

This snake can grow up to 6.7 meters or 22 ft long and can weigh around 250 kg. This makes it one of the heaviest animals in the jungle and certainly one of the strongest.

They can eat anything up to 50% of their mass and kill by latching onto their non-venomous fangs and holding their prey in their tight coils of flesh. The force of the squeeze was so strong that the heart could not beat, and the prey quickly lost consciousness.

Anacondas mainly live in water and if the prey is strong enough to endanger the snake, it is more likely to drown them in the river.

17. Birch (Leopardus pardalis)

Some might see this as a transition from scariest to cutest, but if you’re a bird in the tropical forests of Central and South America, there’s nothing cute about the ocelot.

These beautiful, solitary killers stalk their prey at night and spend most of their lives in trees. Not only does this keep them safe from some of the larger predators around them, but it also gives them access to unique feeding niches.

They can lie in ambush for up to an hour, stalking all types of prey, on land, in water and in trees.

Their small size suggests they are powerful cats and the dominant mesopredators in their ecosystem.

Despite its name, the genus Leopardus includes small cats, all native to the Americas (leopards, confusingly, belong to the genus Panthera).

16. Macaws & Parakeets

Macaws are the birds that many people think of when they hear the word parrot. These classic looking animals are some of the most iconic birds you can find.

Huge, intelligent and incredibly brightly colored, they can grow up to a meter tall and weigh more than 1.5 kg. There are thought to be around 19 species, although some may now be extinct.

They can live up to 80 years and in the wild they are invaluable seed dispersers, eating fruit and nuts and helping plants spread their genes throughout the forest.

Beautiful birds, their numbers have been significantly reduced by the pet trade, but habitat loss and fragmentation continues to threaten all species. Many species are endangered or critically endangered, and bird collectors can pay thousands of dollars for a specimen of some species. ³

15. Okapi (Okapia johnstoni)

Surely one of the strangest mammals in the forest is the Okapi. These funny little guys are actually dwarf giraffes, about 1.5 meters tall in the forests of Central Africa.

It is said to have a long neck, but considering the rest of its family this is quite approximate. Okapi looks like a zebra (with a striped tail) and a giraffe, with the ossicles, or protruding bones, typical of the giraffe family.

All of these oddities have excellent camouflage and they are believed to be mainly active during the day. Males are always on the move and females tend to stay, but overall, they are a fairly low density population, with just over one animal per 2 km2.

They are generalist herbivores and are known to leave a sticky residue on plants when rubbed against them, but due to their shyness and the fact that they live in the DRC, not much is known about their mating habits. of them.

Sadly, they are endangered, with the two main threats coming from trap hunting and habitat destruction.

14. Pangolin (family Manidae)

Pangolins are probably the most expensive mammal on the market and certainly the most trafficked. People who don’t have the ability to google think their scales are magical, and thus have caused this unique animal to become almost completely extinct.

Pangolins are the only scaly mammals, which led to this misinformation in the first place, and both groups – one found in Asia, the other in sub-Saharan Africa – are oppressed.

In fact, like all other animals, pangolins are not magical. They are a subgenus of nine species of anteaters that prefer to be left alone to feast on termites and ants throughout the night.

Eight of the nine species are considered Vulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered and protections are getting tighter, but the future looks bleak for the jungle animal This is curious.

13. Gibbon

Nothing in the forest can compare to the sight of gibbons swinging between tree branches.

They are what every parkour practitioner aspires to be, capable of breathtaking feats of agility while making it look like a walk in the park.

Gibbons are known to be smaller apes, mainly because gibbons cannot even hold their body weight from a tree branch, let alone swing themselves from a tree branch.

They are Asian apes, a different branch from the so-called “greater apes” but still large and tailless. There are 20 species of apes and they are all tree ninjas, some capable of swinging through trees at speeds of up to 55 km/h (34 mph), making them the fastest flightless and arboreal animals. .

Apes’ arms are so long that they often have to leave their bodies when walking on two legs, looking suspiciously like they are taunting us.

12. Poison dart frog (Dendrobatidae)

In the Americas, there is a frog species so poisonous that it can be used to hunt monkeys. These diurnal frogs make no secret of their threat. They have some of the most vibrant, contrasting color patterns you’ll ever see in the woods.

Arguably the most beautiful amphibians on the planet, they are also one of the most dangerous and this has been used to the advantage of indigenous hunters, who use their secretions to cover dart and arrow heads.

The toxins they secrete actually come from their natural diet, which means these frogs can be kept very safely in captivity, allowing owners to enjoy all the benefits of their wonderful colors. beautiful without the death involved.

There are more than 170 species, most with unique colors, but only a few are used in this way. Many species are threatened with habitat degradation and destruction, to which amphibians are particularly sensitive. ⁴

11. Orangutan

Another Asian ape, this time with a great name as well as nature, is the ‘Old Man of the Jungle’. Unlike other great apes, these are almost completely solitary and spend a lot of time searching for philosophy in the trees.

They are also the heaviest arboreal animals on Earth, reaching weights comparable to healthy humans, ranging from 70kg to 90kg in males.

This adaptation to life in the trees may be the result of another forest animal on this list, which makes life very difficult for large mammals on the ground.

Orangutans reproduce very slowly, giving birth every five years at most, which, combined with intense deforestation pressure in their native regions of Sumatra and Borneo, has made all three of its species highly endangered. .

10. African forest elephant (Loxodonta cyclotis)

Back in Africa, there is a species of jungle giant that goes almost unnoticed. Everyone knows about the plains or forest elephant: Loxodonta africana, but the largest land animal’s slightly smaller forest-dwelling relative is L. cyclotis.

And this is unfortunate because the forest elephant is even more at risk of extinction than its famous cousin. Forest elephants are certainly not small animals, standing nearly 3 meters tall, but they can be distinguished from plains elephants by their straight tusks, which are probably less likely to get stuck in dense forests. Both females and males have them and they can grow to about 1.5 meters long.

Of all the animals in the African jungle, these are some of the most dangerous. They are understandably grumpy with people, and even though they are generally shy animals, they still kill people who get too close.

They live in groups of up to about 20 animals, are highly communicative and so these large mammals are indispensable in the rainforest as seed dispersers and nutrient recyclers. nourishment.

9. Sloth (Order: Pilosa)

It’s hard to think of sloths without sighing with regret for those who came before them. Giant ground sloths were one of the most feared creatures among the Pilosans, but not only were they dead, they were not jungle animals, and following them would be unfair to them. their current customers, who are special in their own right.

In Central and South America hang some of the most exotic mammals in the jungle. Notoriously slow, sloths are by no means weak and can use their powerful claws to fend off pesky giant eagles and other jungle predators that might take advantage of their they.

While this forest is home to hummingbirds, which have the fastest metabolism of any animal and dart around frantically hunting for high-calorie sugar fuel, sloths go to the other extreme, cooling things down and adapting to a slow life. road lane.

They have a body temperature that humans need urgent attention to overcome, they sleep 20 hours a day and eat poor quality roughage, but this does not stop them from being excellent swimmers. sharp when they want.

They can also bite very hard, so don’t try to cuddle them.

Sloths move so slowly that their fur has become a biome of its own and is home to flies, beetles, ticks and algae that you might not find anywhere else .

8. Toucan (Family: Ramphastidae)

This is probably the most recognizable wild bird and could be the famous commercial mascot you’d expect to speak in a nasal voice.

Toucans have prominent noses, but to those who have encountered them, they are known to be playful, intelligent, and their beaks, which can be four times the size of their heads, have long fascinated people. Researchers.

Despite being so large, it’s surprisingly light and seems to have a multitude of functions. The most obvious is the fruit-eating species, the toucan’s favorite food. But it’s thought that the bright colors help members of the species find each other in some of the most diverse bird habits on Earth, including 40 species of tucans!

These birds are highly social and correspondingly noisy birds, rarely leaving the forest canopy. Although they mainly eat fruit, they will also take the opportunity to peck at a little fish or insect when it appears.

Habitat loss and destruction has led to calls for their conservation and many species are in decline, but most are still abundant enough to be of least concern today. ⁵

7. Green Tree Python (Morelia viridis) & Emerald Tree Python, (Corallus caninus)

This is a dual trait because it is an exceptional example of convergent evolution.

Sometimes, animals look alike because they have a common ancestor. This is a classic example of evolution that we see all the time. But what gets naturalists’ attention is when animals look alike because their environments are so similar.

Species are shaped by their environments, so often when two niches are identical, the organisms that fill them are equally similar.

In the case of the green tree python and the emerald tree python, you have two snakes, about 70 million years apart, that follow completely different special paths. Pythons colonize Africa, Australia and Asia, while Boas are common in most continents but predominate in the Americas.

Both snakes are snakes, both (in this example) live in trees, and are about the same size. They fit essentially the same ecological niche, on completely different continents.

Green tree pythons and emerald tree pythons are both stunning, vivid green snakes with white stripes for camouflage and vertical pupils, useful for measuring pounce distance.

Both have such similar adaptations that they even position themselves on tree branches in the same way, with their heads resting between the two coils of their bodies. Both species even have remarkably similar lifespans, around 20 years in captivity.

All of these traits evolved not from a single ancestor but independently, as a result of mutations that made the animal better suited to its environment. The result is a striking arboreal snake. ⁶

6. Brazilian wandering spider (Phoneutria spp)

Wandering spiders are the reason why we are afraid of spiders. These ferocious, highly venomous, and often deadly creatures go against every rational argument you’d use to appease an arachnophobe.

Brazilian wandering spiders have four large, forward-facing eyes, which help them function well as active hunters, and their powerful venom is used to take down large animals at night.

These species can have a leg span of around 15cm (6 inches), large enough to frighten many people who see them, but they are also known to be highly defensive and confident in their ability to make you run away.

There are several species in the genus Phoneutria that share the same common name, all of which have medically significant venom, and although they typically feed on insects such as crickets and praying mantises, they can also take down bats, frogs or lizards. streak, when they have the chance.

A bite from one of these spiders is known to cause a prolonged erection, and not because it’s fun.

Priapism is a common side effect of Phoneutria bites and can lead to permanent damage or death of the penis if the owner survives the experience.

5. Black caiman (Melanosuchus niger)

The Alligatoridae family is home to two iconic subfamilies: the American alligator and the caiman, sometimes called the cayman.

Caimans are therefore more closely related to alligators than Crocs, although they tend to have narrower snouts. They are generally quite small compared to crocodiles, but the black crocodile, Melanosuchus niger, can weigh up to a ton and reach an ominous length of 5 meters on the banks of forested rivers in Central South America.

It is the largest species in the Alligatoridae family and is therefore a powerful apex predator. There aren’t many forest animals large enough to escape the black caiman’s menu, but its hide attracted the attention of human hunters, nearly driving the species to extinction.

As a result, capybara and piranha populations exploded and in turn threatened human crops and livestock.

Caiman also hunt humans sometimes, but not enough to truly restore balance. ⁷

4. Gorilla

You can’t make a jungle list without mentioning gorillas. While chimpanzees are our closest living relatives, gorillas are the species we aspire to be like.

These are the largest apes alive on Earth, but they are also one of the gentlest. A large example can weigh up to 250kg despite being no taller than an adult man, and maintain this hypertrophy on a largely vegan diet, supplemented with some marine invertebrates. here and there.

Only two species remain, both strictly protected within their relatively limited ranges in equatorial Africa, and both critically endangered.

Humans have about 99.9% of the same DNA as a single species, but gorillas are not far behind, with about 98% of the same DNA (chimpanzees have almost 99% similarity to humans).

Gorillas are highly social, intelligent and peaceful animals, with plenty of muscle to support their ideas when pressed. There do not appear to be any confirmed examples of gorillas killing humans, either in the wild or in captivity. ⁸

3. Panthera onca

The largest wildcat in the Americas must rank near the top of the list of iconic tropical forest animals. The jaguar is the only species that can scare the black caiman, and as the third largest cat in nature, it is at the top of the food chain.

Jaguars are specialized biters, with one of the strongest grips in the animal kingdom. Their piercing teeth have evolved to pierce turtle shells and skulls of caiman and other poor victims who never see this expert stalker coming.

Unlike most cats, jaguars love water and this is what makes them such an important forest species. The jaguar can hunt on almost any terrain, and although it is an obligate carnivore, it has a wide variety of predators and is therefore extremely important in controlling populations within its ecosystem.

The jaguar would predate all the South American animals on this list and has played an iconic role in human society as a symbol of strength and grace since prehistoric times.

2. Piranha (Family: Serrasalmidae)

After the great white shark, this may be the scariest fish in the water.

Piranha fish are the execution method of choice for Bond villains and are another example of Christopher Lloyd’s quirky sense of humor as Piranha 3DD’s villain.

They are clearly viewed as mindless murderers, rampant in public opinion, but this is not a fair representation.

There are four true genera of piranhas, with about 30 to 60 species, perhaps more, all native to the Amazon basin. They are famous for their huge, sharp teeth and the strongest bite force among bony fish. Pound for pound, this bite is one of the strongest of any vertebrate!

Their reputation for hunting in large packs and slaughtering anything unlucky enough to reveal itself is only partly true. In general, they are omnivores and will eat meat spontaneously.

They do not tend to school in high densities except during times of drought, and attacks on humans are extremely rare. The majority of reported attacks result from a fish biting a swimmer’s toe or hand, but there have also been strange cases in which people have died.

Piranhas are more likely to eat the rotting flesh of drowning victims than to kill human food, but records from Teddy Roosevelt’s trips through the Amazon basin support the idea that they can be provoked into a feeding frenzy under certain conditions and that locals wade through piranha territory with extreme caution!

1. Tiger (Panthera tigris)

Most of this list is in no particular order, but it goes without saying that the most iconic forest animal in the world is the tiger.

The largest wild cat on Earth and an extremely successful apex predator, has a long and troubled history with the human settlers of its continent.

It is possible that tigers are responsible for the arboreal nature of orangutans. It is the tigers who, to this day, maintain the veracity of the jungle monster legends with hundreds of killings every year in India alone.

And they do this despite being literally devastated by human hunting and habitat destruction.

Tigers are extremely agile animals, camouflaged giants that can jump 10 meters and run at speeds of up to 65 km/h. They are solitary, graceful and incredibly powerful and nothing in the forest truly matches their awe-inspiring presence.

Like jaguars, tigers are excellent swimmers – something extremely common among jungle-adapted species.

Such giant predators have an extremely severe impact on their ecosystems, recycling nutrients and keeping large herbivore populations in check. Sadly, competition with domestic pets and their veneration as terrible monsters by local people has led to them being considered dangerous animals.

But the destruction of the tropical forests where they live plays a much larger role in their decline. Tigers are currently in danger of extinction and are in dire need of protection. ⁹

Final thoughts

Jungles are the most biodiverse lands on Earth and so we can come up with a list like this, each containing only arthropods, fish, or birds, amphibians, cows reptiles or mammals. Even choosing the 20 most interesting parasites in the forest is difficult.

There are so many species to discover and while there are some that are best known, the forests are also home to many species that are unknown to us .

It is thought that tropical forests are home to 80% of species yet to be discovered on land, many of which are going extinct silently, never recorded or witnessed by humans. ^ten

But it doesn’t have to be this way. Protecting the rainforest is something we can all get involved in, whether we live nearby or not.

And while it is important for humanity that we protect forests for their own benefit, it is also important to remember that without forests, thousands of iconic forest animals would have nowhere to go.

1. “Tapirs”, National Geographic.
2. Avianne Tan (2016), “Capybaras, giant rodents native to South America, could become invasive species in Florida”, ABC News.
3. “Macaw“, San Diego Zoo.
4. Frank Indiviglio (2010), “Poisons from poisonous frog skin and their uses in hunting and war“, That Reptile Blog.
5. “Toucan“, San Diego Zoo.
6. Stephen Luntz (2016), “Python and Boas evolved in parallel“, IFL Science.
7. “Black Caiman“, Crocodile of the world.
8. Dave Mosher (2012), “Gorillas are more related to humans than thinking, genome says”, National Geographic.
9. “Success in tiger conservation by 2023“, ZSL.
10. Elizabeth Claire Alberts (2021), “New map shows where 80% of species we don’t know may be hiding”, Mongabay.