Rainforest Animal Life

Rainforest Mammals: Monkeys
 Capuchin – most commonly seen monkey; medium size brown to black body; pale face surrounded by whitish fur; move in troops; eat fruits, leaves, arthropods, & sometimes small mammals

Rainforest Mammals: Monkeys
 Spider – large size but very slender brown to black body; pale face surrounded by whitish fur; long prehensile tail; move in troops; eat fruits & leaves; brachiation

Rainforest Mammals: Monkeys
 Mantled howler – large robust size; black body w/tan on sides and back; bearded face; prehensile tail; loud voice @ dusk & dawn; primarily eat leaves; prefers canopy

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Rainforest Mammals: Monkeys
Geoffrey’s tamarin – small and squirrel-like; long tail not prehensile; like forest gaps; eat insects & fruits; red nape & highly patterned body; often have twins

Rainforest Mammals:
Monkeys
 C.A. Squirrel – endangered species; smaller size w/extremely long black-tipped tail; white mask and ears; very active fruit eater
 Night monkeys – entirely nocturnal; tail not prehensile

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Rainforest Mammals: Rodents
Agouti – diurnal; large & guinea piglike; tailless; sit upright to eat seeds

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Rainforest Mammals: Rodents
Paca – nocturnal; near water; like large agouti w/white stripes

Rainforest Mammals:
Rodents
 Capybara – diurnal; largest rodent in the world; aquatic; feeds on aquatic vegetation
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Spiny rat – nocturnal; spines in fur; on forest floor variegated squirrel – arboreal

Rainforest Mammals:
Peccaries
 Collared – smaller size and herds; pig-like; collar of hair at shoulder; roots for food
 White-lipped – larger size and herd; white hair around mouth; eats larger hardened fruits (e.g. palm fruits)

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Rainforest Mammals
Baird’s tapir – odd-toed ungulate; almost hairless; long proboscis; eat only vegetable matter; most active at night

 Anteaters – sharp curved claws; long sticky tongue; long snout
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Northern tamandua – prehensile tail
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Giant anteater - large size; bushy tail

 Three-toed sloth
 two-toed sloth

Rainforest Mammals: Raccoons &
Relatives
 Northern raccoon – longer pelage; lighter feet and legs
 Crab-eating raccoon – shorter pelage; darker feet and legs
 White-nosed Coati – highly pointed nose; holds faintly ringed tail straight up; omnivorous

 Kinkajou – already discussed
 Olingo – faintly ringed tail, not prehensile

Rainforest Mammals: Weasel Relatives
 Tayra – black bushy tail
 Grison – black face w/white stripe across forehead and ears; carnivore

Rainforest Mammals:
Cats
 Jaguar & Ocelot
 Margay – small nocturnal spotted cat; climber; carnivorous
 Jaguarundi – diurnal & common; not a climber; not spotted

 descent diversity exists in this group of marsupials due to adaptive radiation
 Virginia, woolly, mouse, four-eyed, short bare-tailed, & water opposums

Rainforest Reptiles:
Pitvipers
 All are poisonous
 Tend to be secretive and nocturnal
 Not frequently encountered
 Pits for detecting warm-blooded prey
 Retractable fangs to deliver venom
 Slit pupils
 Many non-poisonous snakes in the neotropics will mimic pitvipers, so always err on the side of caution

Rainforest Reptiles:
Pitvipers
 Fer-de-lance – large (4-8 ft.); arrowhead-shaped head; tan w/dark brown diamond pattern; tend to hunt @ night; extremely poisonous

Rainforest Reptiles:
Pitvipers
 Eyelash palm-pitviper – eye scales; highly variable in color; arboreal; prehensile tail; feeds on tree frogs, anoles & hummingbirds

Rainforest Reptiles:
Pitvipers
 Jumping pitviper – short & thick; alleged to hurl itself when threatened; venom not as potent as most

Rainforest Reptiles:
Pitvipers
 Bushmaster – largest pitviper in the world, 6.5-
14 ft.; often coil at bases of large trees; typically nocturnal

Rainforest Reptiles:
Coral Snakes
 Poisonous
 Brightly colored red, yellow, & black bands
 Small fangs to chew in venom
 Neurotoxic venom
 Round pupils
 Active both day & night

Rainforest Reptiles:
Boas
 Non-poisonous
 Constrictors
 Elongated heads
 Boa constrictor – larger (5-6 ft.)
 Rainbow boa – smaller (3 ft.)

Rainforest Reptiles:
Other Non-poisonous Snakes
 Vine snakes – very thin; feed on lizards
 Indigo snake – up to 10 ft. long; gloss black

Rainforest Reptiles:
Other Non-poisonous Snakes
 Chunk-headed snake – extremely thin w/big head & eyes; arboreal

Rainforest Reptiles:
Lizards
 Iguanas – large & common (already discussed)
 Anoles – small; sharply pointed nose
 Basilisk (JC lizard) – common; run fast up on hind legs

Rainforest Reptiles:
Lizards
 Tegus – some of largest lizards in neotropics; eat small animals (chickens)
- common, northern, & red species

Rainforest Reptiles:
Lizards
 Geckos – small, suction cup toes; extremely common, arthropod eaters

Rainforest Amphibians:
Frogs
 Tree frogs – small; arboreal; have suction cup toes; some camouflaged, some brightly colored
Gaudy leaf frog – one of most well known species

Rainforest Amphibians:
Frogs
 Poison dart tree frogs

Rainforest Amphibians:
Frogs
 Glass tree frog
 Giant cane toad
 Smokey frog

Rainforest Invertebrates:
Insects
 Termites – social; form massive colonies on trees; mutualism with protozoa
 Army ants – already discussed

Rainforest Invertebrates:
Insects
 Giant tropical ant (bullet ant) – tend to be solitary; both terrestrial & arboreal; extremely potent sting

Rainforest Invertebrates:
Insects
 Giant tropical cockroach – very large; nocturnal; common near bat guano

Rainforest Invertebrates:
Insects
 Harlequin beetle – very large w/long antennae; wood borer

Rainforest Invertebrates:
Insects
 Rhinoceros beetle – very large; males w/long horn; wood-feeding grub

Rainforest Invertebrates:
Insects
 Lantern fly – very large; plant sap feeder; multiple defense mechanisms

Rainforest Invertebrates:
Insects
 Owl butterfly
 Black witch moth

Rainforest Invertebrates:
Insects
 Blue morpho
 Butterfly congregations at liquids

Rainforest Invertebrates:
Other Arthropods
 Forest floor millipede – non-poisonous; herbivore; repugnatorial glands
 Peripatus – “velvet worms”; non-poisonous; capture prey w/glue

Rainforest Vertebrates:
Birds
 Oilbirds – nocturnal; cave dweller
 Tinamou

Rainforest Vertebrates:
Birds
 Chachalaca –
 Guan –
 Curassow -

Rainforest Vertebrates:
Birds
 Toucan –