Animal world in the jungle. What animals live in the African jungle? Is there an age limit to stay in the jungle

Despite the barbaric destruction of all living things, especially the cutting down of perennial plantations, evergreen forests still occupy about a third of the entire land mass of our long-suffering planet. And this list is dominated by the equatorial impenetrable jungle, some areas of which are still a huge mystery to science.

Mighty, dense Amazon

The largest forest area of ​​our blue, but in this case green planet, covering almost the entire basin of the unpredictable Amazon. According to environmentalists, up to 1/3 of the entire animal world of the planet lives here , as well as more than 40 thousand only described plant species. In addition, it is the forests of the Amazon that produce utmost of the oxygen for the entire planet!

The Amazon jungle, despite the close interest of the world scientific community, is still extremely poorly researched . Walk through centuries-old thickets without special skills and no less special tools (for example, a machete) - IMPOSSIBLE.

In addition, in the forests and numerous tributaries of the Amazon, there are very dangerous specimens of nature, one touch of which can lead to a tragic, and sometimes even fatal outcome. Electric rays, toothy piranhas, frogs whose skin secretes a deadly poison, six-meter anacondas, jaguars - these are just some of the impressive list of dangerous animals that lie in wait for a gaping tourist or a slow-moving biologist.

In the floodplains of small rivers, like many millennia ago, in the heart of the jungle, people still live wild tribes that have never seen a white man. Actually, the white man never saw them either.

However, they will definitely not experience much joy from your appearance.

Africa, and only

Tropical forests on the black continent occupy a huge area - five and a half thousand square kilometers! Unlike the northern and extreme southern parts of Africa, it is in the tropical zone that optimal conditions prevail for a large army of plants and animals. The vegetation here is so dense that rare rays of the sun can please the inhabitants of the lower tiers.

Despite the fantastic density of biomass, perennial trees and vines tend to reach the top in order to get their dose of by no means gentle African sun. Feature African jungle - practically daily heavy rains and the presence of vapors in stagnant air. It is so hard to breathe here that an unprepared visitor to this unfriendly world can lose consciousness out of habit.

The undergrowth and middle layer are always lively. This is a habitat for numerous primates, which usually do not even pay attention to travelers. In addition to wild noisy monkeys, here you can safely watch African elephants, giraffes, and also see a hunting leopard. But the real trouble of the jungle - giant ants , which from time to time migrate in continuous columns in search of a better food base.

Woe to the animal or person who met on the way of these insects. The jaws of goosebumps are so strong and agile that they within 20-30 minutes of contact with the aggressors, a gnawed skeleton will remain from a person.

Moist forests of Mama Asia

Southeast Asia is almost completely covered with impenetrable wet thickets. These forests, like their African and Amazonian counterparts, are a complex ecosystem that has absorbed several tens of thousands of species of animals, plants and fungi. The main zone of their localization is the Ganges basin, the foothills of the Himalayas, as well as the plains of Indonesia.

A distinctive feature of the Asian jungle – unique fauna, represented by representatives of species that are not found anywhere else on the planet. Of particular interest are numerous flying animals - monkeys, lizards, frogs and even snakes. It is much easier to move in a low-level flight, using the membranes between the fingers in wild multi-tiered thickets, than to crawl, climb and jump.

Wet jungle plants bloom according to one schedule they know, because there is no change of seasons and wet summers are not replaced by fairly dry autumns. Therefore, each species, family and class has adapted to cope with reproduction in just a week or two. During this time, the pistils have time to throw out a sufficient amount of pollen that can fertilize the stamens. It is noteworthy that most tropical plants have time to bloom several times a year.

The Indian jungle has been thinned out, and in some regions almost completely cut down during the centuries-old economic activity of the Portuguese and English colonizers. But on the territory of Indonesia there are still impenetrable virgin forests in which inhabited by Papuan tribes.

They should not be caught in the eye, since eating white-faced for them is an incomparable pleasure since the time of the legendary James Cook.

About the lives of which countless films have been shot for Discovery and the BBC, you will immerse yourself in the richest natural world of our planet, which has no equal in its parameters:

1. The Amazon Basin is the largest tropical rainforest in the world with over 6 million km2.
2. Humans settled in the Amazon Jungle at least 11,200 years ago. The Amazon Rainforest itself has existed for over 55 million years.
3. The Amazon rainforest accounts for more than half of the total remaining rainforest on our planet.
4. 20% of the Earth's oxygen is produced by the Amazon rainforest, which is why it is often called the "lungs of the planet."
5. The Amazon is the deepest river in the world. It carries up to ⅕ of the flow of all the world's rivers into the Atlantic Ocean. The Amazon River and its tributaries collect water from the territories of 9 states: Peru, Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Guyana, Suriname, French Guyana.
6. The biological diversity of the Amazon is the highest on Earth: over 150,000 plant species, 75,000 tree species, 1,300 bird species, 3,000 fish species, 430 mammals, 370 reptiles and over 2.5 million different insects.
7. The Amazon jungle is home to a number of deadly inhabitants of the Earth: jaguars, electric eels, piranhas, poisonous snakes and spiders, etc.
8. About 80% of the food we eat comes from the rainforest - rice, potatoes, tomatoes, bananas, coffee, chocolate, corn, pineapples and more.
9. About 400-500 indigenous Indian tribes today live in the Amazon rainforest. It is believed that about 75 of these tribes have never had contact with the outside world.
10. The city of Iquitos (Peru) is the largest city in the world that has no land connection with other cities. It is located deep in the jungle and has over 400,000 inhabitants.

Wildlife. Flora and fauna of the Amazon jungle

The Amazon forests are rich in a variety of trees and plants, many species of flora and fauna of the jungle are endemic - all over the world they can be found only here. At the same time, 10% of all currently known plant and animal species of the planet are found in the Amazon jungle.

Jaguars, cougars, monkeys, sloths, caimans, anacondas, copybaras, turtles, river dolphins, parrots, toucans, hummingbirds and many, many other inhabitants of the jungle are part of the world heritage of mankind. In terms of the number of species of animals and plants, the Amazon jungle far exceeds the tropical forests of Africa and Asia.

The jungle is a real treasury of useful plants - the fruits of some are used for food, parts of others serve as the basis for modern medicines.

Ferns, orchids, mosses, cacti, epiphytes - every plant has adapted to drawing everything useful from the humid air of the jungle. Frequent rains and high humidity led to the fact that some of the inhabitants of the jungle moved to the trees. Frogs in such conditions lay their eggs high in the trees.

The Amazon River is one of the 7 natural wonders of the planet.

In 2011, the Amazon was named one of the seven natural wonders of the planet.

This is the deepest river in the world. The Amazon and its tributaries form a system of inland waterways with a total length of over 25,000 kilometers. At the confluence with the ocean, the depth of the river reaches 100 meters.

During the dry season, the Amazon reaches a width of 11 kilometers, covering 110 thousand square kilometers with water, and triples during the rainy season, during this period the waters of the river rise to 20 meters, covering an area of ​​350 thousand square kilometers and spilling over 40 km and more.

There are about 3,000 species of fish in the Amazon and its tributaries, but the most famous inhabitants of these rivers are piranhas - predatory fish that can attack even large predators crossing the river.

Wild tribes of the Amazon

Of the more than 10 million Indians who lived in harmony with the jungle, only about 200,000 people have survived at the moment.

According to various sources, 400-500 tribes live in the Amazon rainforest today. Of these, about 75 tribes do not have contact with the outside world.

These people serve as a living reminder of the fragility of ancient cultures. The Indians more than once stood in the way of the commercial exploitation of the Amazon. In the past, oil extraction led to aggressive and disastrous contact with isolated Indians - in the early 1980s, Shell research led to contact with the isolated Nahua tribe, subsequently about 50% of this tribe died within a few years. Wild tribes are powerless in front of modern society - Indians do not have immune protection against epidemics of modern diseases.

Almost all isolated Indians are nomads - they move through the forest in small groups depending on the season. During the rainy season, when the water level is high, the tribes that do not use canoes live far from the river, deep in the forest. During the dry season, when the water level is low, they live on the banks of rivers.

In the dry season, river turtles lay their eggs on the banks of rivers, burying them in the sand. Eggs are an important source of protein for the Indians, so this is also a reason for moving to the banks of the rivers, along with fishing.

In addition to turtle eggs, non-contact Indians eat a variety of meat and fish dishes, bananas, nuts, berries, roots, and larvae.

Rest in the jungle of Peru. National parks of the Amazon

Most of the Amazon River basin is still unexplored and dangerous to humans; you can get into the wild rainforest only in protected areas permitted by the government, and only accompanied by accredited guides.

On the territory of Peru there are 3 interesting protected areas to visit the Amazon Jungle:

• Nature reserves in the Iquitos area
• Manu National Park
• Nature reserves in the Puerto Maldonado area

1. Iquitos

It is the largest city in the world that has no land connection with other cities. You can get to Iquitos only by water or by air.

The city began to grow in the 19th century in connection with the beginning of the "rubber fever". Here they began the production of rubber from natural raw materials - a tree growing in the Amazonian selva. The tycoons who owned rubber factories set up luxurious mansions that still give the city a unique style.

From Iquitos you can make a lot of interesting trips into the jungle, immerse yourself in the world of the jungle, get to know the local tribes and their culture.

How to get there: There are 8-9 daily flights from Lima to Iquitos. You can view tickets on the websites of local airlines: LAN Perú, Peruvian Airlines and Star Perú. The flight takes 1 hour 45 minutes.

2. Manu National Park. Foggy Andean Forests

Manu National Park is one of the largest reserves in the world: it covers almost 2,000,000 hectares and is located at an altitude of 300 to 4000 meters above sea level. Due to this location and vast territory, several different ecosystems meet in the park, which provides a great variety of plant, insect and animal species. Manu is the reserve with the largest number of biological species in the world!

Most of the park is closed to visitors, only scientists are allowed in, but even for them it is difficult to get a pass. Visitors can enter the Manu Conservation Area, but only in groups organized by accredited agencies. A limited number of visitors are allowed into the park daily. In this part of the park you can observe a huge variety of landscapes, flora and fauna, river bends form lagoons with a magnificent variety of flora and fauna.

How to get there: Groups accompanied by accredited guides leave for the Manu Reserve from Cusco. You can get to Cusco from Lima by plane (1 hour) or by bus (24 hours).

3. Puerto Maldonado

This small town, 55 kilometers from the border with Bolivia, is very similar to Iquitos, but much easier to get to. There are several national parks around Puerto Maldonado where you can see caimans, monkeys, capybaras and other animals, reptiles, insects and birds.

How to get there: There are direct flights to Puerto Maldonado from Cusco (the flight takes only 1 hour) and from Lima (1 hour 40 minutes).

Amazon Jungle Tours

The Amazon Jungle Tour is an amazing adventure where you can feel the primeval forces of nature and hear the call of the wild Earth.

Houses on stilts, mosquito nets over the beds, night walks with flashlights, boat trips along the seething river, bungee rides and much more will become unforgettable moments of your bright adventure.

Even at night, you will feel with all your senses that you are at the mercy of the wild jungle.

What's included in the tours:

• Transfer
• Accommodation in houses
• Professional English speaking guide
• Meals: all breakfasts, lunches and dinners
• Drinks and water to refill your bottles
• Excursions, active recreation programs

Not included in tours:

• Travel insurance
• Single occupancy (upon request)

Comfort and safety in the jungle. Important information

Do not forget that the jungle is not an artificial park adapted for people. The Amazon forests hide many dangers that are invisible to our eyes - sharp thorns can hide under the soft moss on the trees, and cute ants on your way can be poisonous.

Being close to the best jungle guides, you can be sure of your safety, but you need to be vigilant and strictly adhere to the rules that will be announced to you upon arrival.

If you are planning a trip to the rainforests (Manu National Park), we recommend getting vaccinated against yellow fever. We also recommend that you take the usual precautions to avoid mosquito bites: use repellents and wear long sleeves and trousers whenever possible.

When to go. Seasonality, climate, temperature

You can go to the Amazon Jungle in any season, each of them has its own advantages: in the rainy season you can see flowering plants that attract birds and primates descending to the water itself, in the dry season, when the water level drops, you can see migrating schools of fish, birds attracted by easy prey, fish-hunting caimans.

The average temperature in the jungle throughout the year is +30º

Rainy season: mid-December - mid-May.

Dry season: mid-May - mid-December.

The highest water level in the river is in May, the lowest is in September.

What to bring? Clothing, footwear, protective equipment

• Clothing: We recommend bringing light, quick-drying, preferably cotton clothing, including several short-sleeved T-shirts, a long-sleeved sweater/jacket, several pairs of socks, a raincoat, and a bathing suit.
• Headwear for sun protection
• Comfortable waterproof shoes
• Flashlight and spare batteries
• Camera and spare battery
• Binoculars
• Repellent (we recommend OFF factor 35)
• Sunglasses
• Sunscreen
• water bottle

In the jungle you will be given rubber boots.

Frequently asked Questions

Can you get into the jungle on your own?

Some tourists dare to go into the jungle unaccompanied, but this does not always end well. You can find a guide who will agree to work individually and live with tourists for several days in a wild forest away from organized accommodation (hotels and lodges).

What is the maximum group size?

Usually there are no more than 8 people in a group. In the case when the group is large - 10-16 people, it is accompanied by one or two additional guides.

Is there an age limit for being in the jungle?

There are no age restrictions. Lodges welcome guests of all ages.

What if you didn't get vaccinated?

You can get vaccinated in Lima, but you will need to wait 10 days for the vaccine to take effect before heading into the jungle.

This material tells about the life of animals in the tropical zone. The article is illustrated with photographs of tropical forest animals.

In the African forest.

Most of the African forests are located between two tropics: the North (Tropic of Cancer) and the South (Tropic of Capricorn). In this part of the earth all the seasons are alike; throughout the year, the average temperature and the amount of rainfall are almost unchanged. Therefore, almost all animals of this zone lead a sedentary lifestyle - because, unlike the inhabitants of the temperate and cold climatic zones, they do not need to make seasonal migrations in search of suitable places for life.

Hippopotamus.

The name of this animal in Greek means "river horse". It weighs over three tons.

Water is the natural habitat of this huge mammal, in which the hippo spends most of its time. However, with such a thick, squat figure, it is not easy to swim, so usually hippos do not go far into the water, but stay in shallow water, where they can reach the bottom with their paws. The sense organs - movable ears, nostrils equipped with closing membranes, and eyes with protruding overeyes - are located on the upper part of the muzzle, so that the hippopotamus can almost completely submerge in water, continuing to breathe air and carefully monitor everything around. In the event of a danger threatening him or his cubs, he becomes very aggressive and, no matter where - in water or on land, he immediately attacks the enemy.

Mothers give birth to cubs either on the shore, or more often right in the water. In the latter case, newborns, barely born, emerge to the surface so as not to suffocate. Childbirth in hippos takes place during the rainy season, at this time the mother's milk is in abundance due to the abundant and varied food. To feed the cubs, the female gets out on land and stretches comfortably on her side.

hippos never live alone; they gather in groups of several dozen individuals. Often, both in water and on land, adult males play with growing cubs. Moving on land. Hippos always follow the same paths they know.

Feeling in danger, the hippo emits a threatening roar, and opens its huge mouth as wide as possible, showing the enemy unusually long lower fangs. This menacing posture usually produces the desired result.

Crocodile.

Only sometimes crocodiles can swim in sea water; usually they settle along the banks of rivers and lakes in areas with a warm and hot climate. Crocodiles are much more comfortable and calmer in the water than on land. They swim with the help of paws and tail; Under water, large individuals can spend about an hour. In the hottest hours of the day, crocodiles lie on land with their mouths wide open: due to the lack of sweat glands, they can get rid of excess heat only in the same way as dogs sticking out their tongues in the heat.

The female crocodile lays her eggs in a hole specially dug on the shore, not far from the water. The cub breaks the shell with the help of a special horn located on the head, which soon falls off.

Young crocodiles feed mainly on fish, but also on birds and insects. Only when they become adults will they be able to cope with larger mammals that need to be caught, dragged from the shore and kept under water for a while.

Crocodile teeth are not needed for chewing food, but only to grab prey and tear off pieces of meat from it.

Even such terrifying reptiles as crocodiles have enemies - animals that hunt for crocodile eggs. The most dangerous of them is the monitor lizard, a large lizard. Having found an egg, he begins to dig the ground near him unusually quickly, distracting the female crocodile, who usually stands guard, and stealing an egg from the nest, takes it to a place inaccessible to crocodiles and eats it.

Like many other land animals living in the water for a long time, the ears, nostrils and eyes of crocodiles are located on the top of the head, so that they remain above the water when the animal swims.

The smallest crocodile: Osborne's caiman, its length is 120 centimeters.

Chimpanzee.

Due to its intelligence and trainability, it is the most famous of all monkeys. Although chimpanzees are great climbers, they spend a lot of time on the ground and even travel on foot. But they still sleep in the trees, where they feel safer. This is one of the few animals that uses various tools: a chimpanzee puts a broken branch into a termite mound, and then licks insects off it. These monkeys are practically omnivores. Communities living in different regions often eat differently.

The "vocabulary" of chimpanzees consists of various sounds, but in communication they also use facial expressions; their faces can take on a variety of expressions, often very human-like.

As a rule, only one cub is born in a chimpanzee, twins are extremely rare. All childhood cubs spend literally in the arms of their mother, firmly clinging to her wool.

Chimpanzees live in fairly numerous societies, but not as closed as other apes, such as gorillas. In contrast, chimpanzees often move from one group to another.

The strongest males, defending their superiority, uproot small trees and brandish this club with a menacing look.

A tender friendship usually reigns between female chimpanzees. It is not uncommon for a mother to temporarily entrust her cub to another female; sometimes such nannies take for a walk, in addition to their own, two or three other people's cubs.

Gorilla.

Despite its intimidating appearance, this large, over two meters tall monkey is very friendly; males from the same flock usually do not compete with each other, and for the leader to obey him, it is enough to goggle his eyes and utter the appropriate cry, hitting his chest with his fingers. This behavior is just staged, it is never followed by an attack. Before a real attack, the gorilla looks into the eyes of the enemy for a long time and silently. Staring straight into the eyes is a challenge not only for gorillas, but for almost all mammals, including dogs, cats, and even humans.

Baby gorillas stay with their mother for nearly four years. When the next one is born, the mother begins to alienate the eldest from herself, but never does it rudely; she, as it were, invites him to try his hand at adulthood.

Waking up, gorillas go in search of food. The rest of the time they devote to rest and play. After the evening meal, a kind of bedding is arranged on the ground, on which they fall asleep.

Okapi.

These are relatives of the giraffe, its height is slightly less than two meters, and its weight is about 250 kilograms. Okapi are extremely timid animals and are distributed in a very narrow geographical area, so they have not been studied enough. It is known that they live in bushes, and their coloration, at first glance very unusual, actually makes them completely invisible in their natural habitat. Okapi live alone, and only mothers are not separated from their cubs for a long time.

With stripes on the back of the body and on the legs, the okapi resembles a zebra; these stripes serve as camouflage for them.

Okapis resemble some types of horses, but the differences are quite noticeable; for example, males have short horns. When playing, okapi lightly hit each other with their muzzles until the defeated one, as a sign of the end of the game, lies on the ground.

When a mother hears a special call made by a cub in case of danger, she becomes very aggressive and resolutely attacks any enemy.

Asian jungle.

Some species of animals that inhabit the Asian jungle, such as elephants, rhinos and leopards, are also found in Africa; however, over thousands of years of evolution, the inhabitants of the jungle have developed many features that distinguish them from their African "brothers".

Monsoons - this is the name of the winds that periodically blow in the tropical zones of Asia. Usually they bring heavy rains, contributing to the rapid growth and renewal of vegetation.

The time of the monsoons is also favorable for animals: during these periods, plant foods are plentiful and varied, which provides the best conditions for their growth and reproduction. Just like the forests of the Amazon, the Asian jungle is very dense and sometimes impassable.

Tapir.

The tapir is said to be a fossil animal; indeed, this species, which inhabits several distant regions one after another, has survived on earth since very ancient times, having survived several geological epochs.

black-backed tapir can walk on the bottom of the lake!

The female tapir is larger than the male. The most noticeable feature in the structure of the body is an elongated upper lip, which forms a small and very mobile trunk, with which tapirs can pick leaves and tufts of grass - their usual food. Black-backed tapirs live in Asia. Their coloration is very expressive: black with white. It may seem that these contrasting colors should make them very noticeable, but in fact, from afar, they are very similar to an ordinary pile of stones, which are many around. In cubs, on the contrary, the skin is pockmarked, with small specks and stripes. In the second year of life, this coloration will gradually change to an even black color with a characteristic white bandage - a saddlecloth.

Most tapirs eat leaves, shoots and stems of aquatic plants. They love the water and are excellent swimmers. They always walk along the same familiar paths, which eventually turn into well-trodden paths, ending, as a rule, in a "gutter" - a convenient descent to the water.

The most terrible enemies of tapirs are various types of cats on land and gharials in the water. Very rarely, a tapir tries to defend itself; he has practically no means for this and always prefers to run away.

The body of the tapir is squat, the paws are short, there is almost no neck. Movable trunk is a very sensitive organ of smell. - with its help, the tapir explores the surface of the earth and surrounding objects. Vision, on the other hand, is very poorly developed. Asian cats.

There are no felines living in groups in Asia, like lions or cheetahs in Africa. All types of Asian cats are loners, each animal is the owner of its own territory and does not allow strangers there. Only tigers sometimes go hunting in small groups. Representatives of the cat family live everywhere in Asia, even in areas with a climate that is not very suitable for them, such as, for example, in the Far East, where the Ussuri tiger reigns. A feature of tigers living in the jungle is their manner of hunting. It consists in sneaking up to the victim as close as possible, remaining unnoticed, and at the last moment rushing at him with one jump from a place or a short run.

The royal, or Bengal, tiger is now quite rare. Found in India and Indochina.

Leopard or black panther.

The panther also has spots characteristic of a leopard, although they are completely invisible against a black background. The black panther is a dark-colored leopard.

Smoky leopard. He jumps from branch to branch like a monkey. These cats are sometimes called tree tigers.

Spotted cat.

I also call her the fishing cat. In fact, she loves to live near the water and swims well. In addition to fish and shellfish, it catches small vertebrates on land. The habits of this animal are little studied.

Tiger.

Tigers adapt to a wide variety of climatic conditions; they live in flat tropical areas, but are also found in the mountains at an altitude of up to 3000 m and in very cold areas; in the latter case, a thick, more than five centimeters, layer of fat forms under the skin, which protects against heat loss.

Almost all the inhabitants of the jungle are at risk of becoming the prey of the tiger. Only large and warlike thick-skinned, and even bulls and buffaloes with strong horns, can feel safe.

Contrary to popular belief, the tiger is not a very dexterous hunter; he is so heavy. That for a successful jump, he needs to start the run from a distance of 10 - 15 meters; if the tiger comes closer to its prey, it runs the risk of missing.

A tiger brood usually consists of two, three or four cubs. For eight weeks, the mother feeds them exclusively with milk; then solid food is gradually added to their milk. Only six months later, the female begins to go hunting, leaving the cubs for more than a day.

Tigers, like all wild animals, are afraid of humans. However, it happens that an old or sick animal, for which ordinary hunting becomes too difficult, overcomes its innate fear and attacks people.

Monkey.

Among the numerous species of monkeys, there are animals that weigh no more than 70 grams, and there are those whose mass reaches 250 kilograms. In Asian monkeys, the tail does not have a grasping function, i.e. the monkey cannot, having caught it on a branch, support its body so that its arms and legs remain free; this is typical only for monkeys living on the American continent.

Orangutan.

The most common monkey in Asia is the orangutan. This is a large monkey that spends most of its time among the branches and only occasionally descends to the ground.

Female orangutans, perhaps, more than all other monkeys care about the upbringing of their children. Mothers bite their nails, bathe them in rainwater, yell at them if they start acting up. The upbringing received in childhood subsequently determines the character of an adult animal.

Nosach.

This monkey owes its name to a huge ugly nose, which in males sometimes goes down to the very chin. The proboscis not only climbs trees very well, but also swims very well and can sit under water for a long time.

Thin lory.

The pointed muzzle and huge eyes that can see in the dark make this half-monkey very cute. During the day, the lory hides in the branches, and at night it gets its own food.

Indian pachyderms.

The differences between Indian thick-skinned animals and African ones are imperceptible at first glance. The behavior of both of them is also very similar: they do not stay in one place for a long time, but move over fairly long distances in search of suitable food, mostly young foliage. They love water and swim well, sometimes for a long time. They often rest near the water's edge, bathing in silty mud, which is very good for their skin.

Rhinoceros.

He is respected by all other animals who try to avoid meeting him. Only elephants do not fear them and easily put them to flight if they interfere with them. A newborn Indian rhinoceros weighs about 65 kilograms.

Unlike the African rhinoceros, it has only one horn and its body is covered with thick skin shields. Usually he moves slowly, but if necessary, speeds up to 40 kilometers per hour.

Elephant.

Although his skin looks rough, it is actually very sensitive due to a cover of short and flexible bristles that respond to even the lightest touch.

The mother never lets the baby elephant leave her. She watches the cub all the time and begins to call him as soon as she notices that he is a little behind.

The female Indian elephant carries the fetus for about 20 months!

"Savannas" is a Portuguese word; it means "steppe with trees". Savannah is also called light forest. I kind of prefer the second option.
And when it comes to the savannah, the African savannah always appears with grass scorched from the sun and rarely standing acacias, with elephants walking and running zebras and antelopes. Something like that:

We looked at the savannas on the world map:

And they focused their attention on the African savannah (I'm going to talk more about the savannas of other continents a little later). This typically African landscape occupies about 30% of the entire continent.
Senka and I have already talked about the savannah of Africa more than once, and he already knows many animals, but since we traveled here on the black continent for a long time (we walked around the Sahara, and studied Ancient Egypt), we decided to continue our acquaintance with the types of forests of our planet according to this picture:

Topic start .
... and at the same time repeat the information already known to us + supplement knowledge with new interesting facts.
I have not made books according to the method of G. Doman for a long time and I am sad for the time when my son read them avidly and absorbed interesting information, practicing reading skills at the same time; but I still continue to make some reading materials with various pictures to make it more interesting to read, like this:

The sections "Savannah of Africa" ​​and "Jungle of Africa" ​​of such a "book" I post here in the post, so if someone decides to repeat the lesson, you can copy it by diluting it with your own photos or make books using the Doman method by selecting the basic information. Now we get mini-classes, even more repetition, so I didn’t tell much, Sena had to work more: read and answer questions.
Text from our book:
African savannahs are spaces completely covered with tall grasses and single trees or their groups. In rainy seasons, the grasses grow rapidly and can reach a height of 2-3 m or more. Trees are leafing out at this time.

But as soon as the drought comes, the grasses burn out, some types of trees shed their leaves and the savanna takes on a yellow color. Yellow and black, because fires often occur here during dry periods.
The dry season here lasts about six months. During this time, only occasional showers fall.

In drought, countless herds of antelopes roam, making long journeys to those places where water can be found. And they are followed by predators - cheetahs, leopards, hyenas, jackals...

When it starts to rain, the dusty yellow-black edge turns into an emerald green park with shady trees. Hazy from the smoke of fires and dust, the air becomes transparent and clean. The first tropical downpours after a drought are impressive. It's always hot and stuffy before it starts to rain. But then a big cloud appears. Thunder rumbles are heard. And then the rain hits the ground.

With the onset of the rainy season, antelopes return to their former pastures.
For grass savannas, tall elephant grass is most characteristic,

and among the trees there are the oil tree and the oil palm, the ramp, and often the baobab comes across. Along the river valleys stretch gallery forests with many palm trees, reminiscent of tropical rainforests.
Cereal savannas are replaced by shrub or acacia savannas. The grass here is already of a lower height, only 1-1.5 m, and the trees are mainly represented by several types of acacias with a dense crown in the form of umbrellas.

There is also a baobab, which is also called monkey tree or breadfruit tree.

Tree-like acacias are found everywhere in Africa, except for mountain and tropical rainforests. They may look like mighty trees almost twenty meters high, and like a low shrub, but always acacias have feathery leaves, crooked spines or long thorns and sweet-smelling flowers that attract bees. Thorns and thorns are a means of self-defense, although one of the types of acacias has a more cunning way to remain intact and uneaten. At the base of each thorn, this acacia grows an ovoid swelling. It dries up, and a colony of small ants settles in it. As soon as some animal encroaches on the young shoots of the plant, ants pour out of this growth and attack the alien.

There are more animals in the savannas than anywhere else on earth. Why? For millions of years, only rainforests have grown in tropical Africa. Then there were changes. The climate has become drier. Large tracts of rainforest have disappeared, giving way to light forest and open spaces covered with grass. Thus, new food sources were born. "Pioneers" moved into the newborn Savannah. Giraffes were among the first to leave the jungle. Many antelopes also came here. For them, the savannah was heaven - so much food!
The animal world is simply amazing with its richness and diversity! In the savannah, you can see zebras and ostriches grazing nearby. In the warm water of the lakes, in their mud "baths", hippos and rhinos bask. Lions rest in the shade of sprawling acacias. The largest animals on land, elephants, pluck branches with their trunks. And in the crowns of the trees monkeys scream. And a huge number of species of insects, snakes, birds ...
In the savanna, you can also see towering cone-shaped termite mounds.

About all the animals of the savannah we read:
- our self-made book (or rather, Senya read it himself), but unfortunately, I did not have a file with facts about animals;
- ,
- books by Kipling and another wonderful book "Funny stories about animals" by T. Wolfe:

Listened to entz. Chevostika "Animals of Africa" ​​and watched "Safari with Kuzey":

Finally, the son enjoyed watching all the series (some more than once)! I myself really liked this cartoon (or rather, the animated series), but before Sena was not interested, but now he just absorbed all the series.
Animals were used to repeat .
Then I wanted to get out of a distant box an already useless savanna layout that my son and I once made ... From a pile of animal figurines, I asked my son to find the inhabitants of the savannah and populate our layout:

The savannah, lifeless at the very beginning, became like this:

They beat something, even for the "riot of colors" they added a fabric - a lake:

They played situations of watering animals.
But for a long time (as I already wrote) Senya will not sit with toys, so I immediately wanted to start a new topic))

Jungle

In Africa, there are not only deserts and savannahs, there are also tropical rainforests. Why rain? Of course! Because it rains a lot there! There is another name for such forests - the jungle - which means "impenetrable thickets."
We know that the largest jungle exists in the Amazon Basin (Amazon Rainforest) in South America. Remembered where else there is a jungle:

I hope we will talk about all the jungles of the planet, but for now we have analyzed the African ones in more detail.
Text from our book:
The heart of Africa is not black at all, it is green. And it's jungle...

These forests are not at all like ours, where in summer the ground is shaded with foliage, and in winter there is snow. Rainforests are always hot, humid and dark. The forest is so dense that it is impossible to see anything in the distance, everything is blocked by bushes, climbing vines, fallen tree trunks, overgrown with ferns and moss. Shrubs and small trees rise above these blockages, from which individual tree giants grow over time. The branches of the lower vegetation layer are so densely intertwined that the crowns of tall trees of the upper layer are not visible through them. And these trees are huge, they are crowned with lush crowns, and their trunks-columns rest at the bottom on plank-shaped outgrowths on the roots, a kind of props. Each such trunk rises to 40 m or more. And there, at a height of 40 meters, there is already a completely different world. Here is the motor of all jungle life. The leaves absorb the energy of the African sun and turn it into plant food. Here live great apes gorillas and chimpanzees, numerous monkeys and baboons.

The forest canopy is a world of extremes, a world of scorching sun, hot winds, heavy rains. The drought is replaced by rains, the seasons differ sharply from each other. The jungle palette is changing. Green foliage is replaced by red, yellow, light green and orange. But this is not old, but new foliage. In the jungle, spring dresses up in autumn colors.
The most desirable delicacy that the jungle gives in the spring is honey. But in order to get it, you need to climb to a forty-meter height using the branches of vines, and then still withstand the onslaught of bees.

In the spring, foraging in the forest is not an easy task, but later comes abundance.
The figs here bear fruit all year round, so it is easier to observe wild animals near these trees.

Okapi is always cautious and very shy, it is very difficult to meet him and, at the slightest danger, takes flight.
The African elephant is not afraid of dense tropical vegetation. On the branches of trees you can also meet a leopard. There are many insects and snakes in the jungle. But most of all, birds love tropical forests, but it’s not so easy to see them here. The feathered inhabitants of tropical forests are well camouflaged and, at the slightest danger, immediately hide in the foliage.

We liked this video:

The heart of the "black continent" is a mysterious world. Dense thickets, edge of shimmering shadows. A world of severe trials filled with life. The closer you look at it, the more diversity you see. The African jungle is still a mysterious, unusual, unexplored place. The heart of Africa is not black at all, it is green. And it's jungle...

The sun is rising over the equator, the African jungle is awakening. It is a huge green belt stretching from Uganda in the east to Sierra Leone in the west. Its territory is five and a half thousand kilometers. There is more light, heat and water here than anywhere else in Africa. Ideal conditions for plants. And they are everywhere. An endless sea of ​​sun-worshipping leaves glisten as the African morning comes.

But there are killer trees in the jungle filled with poison. And it's all come up to protect yourself.

How can you survive in the harsh conditions of the jungle? There are opportunities for this, but only for those who can cope with their prey. Here sometimes even the most skilled hunters remain hungry.

And 40 meters above is a completely different world. Here is the motor of all jungle life. The leaves absorb the energy of the African sun and turn it into plant food.

Monkeys have learned to perfectly jump from one tree to another, traveling under the canopy of the forest. This is a paradise for colobus. (By the way, also lives exclusively in tropical forests!) They slurp pretty all day long. But these leaves are not as harmless as they seem. They are protected by a deadly poison, which is a cocktail of tonin, strychnine and cyanide. Surprisingly, the colobus organism is able to produce bacteria that neutralize these poisons. The poison swallowed in a day is enough to kill a large animal several times.

The crowned eagle does not feed on leaves, but on monkeys. You can't hide from him even under the leaves. A few strokes of powerful two-meter wings, and he already carries the prey to his nest.

Inhabits more than one generation of people. They have learned to earn their own food.

The forest canopy is a world of extremes, a world of scorching sun, sultry winds, heavy torrential rains. The drought is replaced by rains, the seasons differ sharply from each other. The jungle palette is changing. Now red leaves dominate everywhere. But this is not old, but new foliage. In the jungle, spring dresses up in autumn colors.

New tender leaves do not yet have poisonous protection. But in order to survive, trees have more foliage than even the hungriest monkeys can eat.

The forest canopy is a treasure trove. But only for those who can get them.

The most desirable delicacy that the jungle gives in the spring is honey. But in order to get it, you need to climb to a forty-meter height using the branches of vines, and then still withstand the onslaught of bees. In the spring, foraging in the forest is not an easy task, but later comes abundance. It is like a sign of courtesy from nature. Before the onset of the rainy season, the forest gives its best.

Fruit. Sheer temptation. And the birds - as always - the first. This is a hornbill.

And this is an African gray parrot. The climate in Africa has not always been the same as it is today. For centuries, wet cycles have been replaced by dry cycles. also changed. It grows during wet periods and shrinks during dry periods. Africa is currently experiencing a wet period in its history. And the forest has grown a lot. It rains here every day. In some areas, the amount of precipitation per year is 10 meters. Those who live here have to put up with frequent rains.

How many more mysteries are fraught with this amazing forest called African jungle...

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