Who lives in the rainforest. Amazing animals of the rainforest. Inhabitants of the forest floor

12.06.2019

About half of all forests on our planet are tropical forests (hylaea) that grow in Africa, Southeast Asia, South and Central America. Tropical forests are located between 25°N and 30°S, where heavy rainfall is frequent. The rainforest ecosystem covers less than two percent of the Earth's surface, but 50 to 70 percent of all life forms on our planet are found here.

The largest rainforests are in Brazil (South America), Zaire (Africa) and Indonesia ( Southeast Asia). Also, the rainforest is found in Hawaii, the islands Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean.

Rainforest climate

The climate in the rainforest is very warm, characterized and humid. From 400 to 1000 cm of precipitation falls here annually. The tropics are characterized by a uniform annual distribution of precipitation. The change of seasons is almost non-existent, and average temperature air is 28 degrees Celsius. All these conditions have significantly influenced the formation of the richest ecosystem on our planet.

Soil in the rainforest

The soil of the tropics is poor in minerals and nutrients - there is a lack of potassium, nitrogen and other trace elements. Usually it has a red and red-yellow color. Due to frequent precipitation, nutrients are absorbed by the roots of plants or go deep into the soil. That is why the natives of the rainforests used a slash-and-burn agricultural system: in small areas, all vegetation was cut down, it was subsequently burned, then the soil was cultivated. The ash acts as a nutrient. When the soil begins to turn infertile, usually after 3-5 years, the inhabitants of tropical settlements moved to new areas for farming. Agriculture. It is a sustainable farming method that ensures that the forest is constantly regenerated.

rainforest plants

Warm humid climate rainforest provides the perfect environment for a vast abundance of amazing plant life. The rainforest is divided into several tiers, which are characterized by their own flora and fauna. Most tall trees tropics, receive the largest number sunlight, as they reach a height of over 50 meters. Here, for example, include the cotton tree.

The second tier is the dome. It is the habitat for half of the representatives wildlife tropical forests - birds, snakes and monkeys. This includes trees with a height of less than 50 m with wide leaves, hiding sunlight from the lower floors. These are philodendron, poisonous strychnos and rattan palms. Lianas usually stretch along them towards the sun.

The third tier is inhabited by shrubs, ferns and other shade-tolerant species.

The last tier, the lower one, is usually dark and damp, since the sun's rays hardly penetrate here. It consists of overripe foliage, fungi and lichens, as well as young shoots of plants of higher tiers.

In each of the regions where tropical forests grow, there are different types trees.

Tropical trees of Central and South America:

Mahogany (Sweitinia spp.)
Spanish cedar (Cedrella spp.)
Rosewood and Cocobolo (Dalbergia retusa)
Purple tree (Peltogyne purpurea)
Kingwood
Cedro Espina (Pochote spinosa)
Tulipwood
Gaiacan (Tabebuia chrysantha)
Pink tabebuya (Tabebuia rosea)
Bokote
Jatoba (Hymenaea courbaril)
Guapinol (Prioria copaifera)

Tropical trees of Africa:

Bubinga
Ebony
Zebrano
Pink tree

Tropical trees of Asia:

Malaysian maple

In the rainforest, they are widespread, which feed on caught insects and small animals. Among them, it should be noted nepentes (Pitcher Plants), sundew, oilwort, pemphigus. By the way, plants lower level their bright blooms attract insects for pollination, since there is practically no wind in these layers.

Valuable crops are grown in the places of clearing of tropical forests:

mango;
bananas;
papaya;
coffee;
cocoa;
vanilla;
sesame;
sugar cane;
avocado;
cardamom;
cinnamon;
turmeric;
nutmeg.

These cultures play an important role in cooking and cosmetology. Some tropical plants serve as raw materials for medicines especially anti-cancer.

Adaptation of tropical plants for survival

Any flora needs moisture. There is no lack of water in the rainforest, but often there is too much of it. Rainforest plants must survive in areas where there is constant rainfall and flooding. Leaves tropical plants help to beat off raindrops, and some species are armed with a drip tip designed to quickly drain rain.

Plants in the tropics need light to live. The dense vegetation of the upper tiers of the forest transmits little sunlight to the lower tiers. Therefore, rainforest plants must either adapt to life in constant twilight or grow rapidly upwards in order to "see" the sun.

It is worth noting that in the tropics trees grow with thin and smooth bark, which is able to accumulate moisture. Some types of plants in the lower part of the crown have leaves wider than at the top. It helps you skip more sun rays to the soil.

As for the epiphytes themselves, or air plants that grow in the rainforest, they get their nutrients from plant debris and bird droppings that land on their roots and do not depend on the poor soil of the forest. In tropical forests, there are such air plants as orchids, bromeliads, ferns, large-flowered selenicereus and others.

As mentioned, the soil in most rainforests is very poor and lacks nutrients. To capture nutrients at the top of the soil, most rainforest trees have shallow roots. Others are wide and powerful, as they must hold a massive tree.

rainforest animals

Animals of the rainforest amaze the eye with their diversity. It is in this natural area that you can meet the largest number of representatives of the fauna of our planet. Most of them are in the Amazon rainforest. For example, there are 1800 species of butterflies alone.

In general, the tropical forest is the habitat of most amphibians (lizards, snakes, crocodiles, salamanders), predators (jaguars, tigers, leopards, cougars). All animals in the tropics have bright color, as spots and stripes are the best camouflage in the dense thicket of the jungle. The sounds of the rainforest are provided by the polyphony of songbirds. In the forests of the tropics, the world's largest population of parrots, among others interesting birds meet South American harpies, belonging to one of the fifty species of eagles and on the verge of extinction. No less bright birds are peacocks, the beauty of which has long been legendary.

More monkeys also live in the tropics: arachnids, orangutans, chimpanzees, monkeys, baboons, gibbons, red-bearded jumpers, gorillas. In addition, there are sloths, lemurs, Malay and sun bears, rhinos, hippos, tarantulas, ants, piranhas and other animals.

Tropical forest loss

Tropical timber has long been synonymous with exploitation and plunder. giant trees are the goal of entrepreneurs who use them for commercial purposes. How are forests exploited? The most obvious use of rainforest trees is in the furniture industry.

According to the European Commission, about one-fifth of EU wood imports come from illegal sources. Every day, thousands of products from the international wood mafia pass through store shelves. Tropical wood products are often labeled as "luxury wood", "hardwood", "natural wood" and "solid wood". Usually these terms are used to disguise tropical wood from Asia, Africa and Latin America.

The main tropical tree exporting countries are Cameroon, Brazil, Indonesia and Cambodia. The most popular and expensive types of tropical wood that goes on sale are mahogany, teak and rosewood.

To inexpensive breeds tropical tree include meranti, ramin, gabun.

The consequences of deforestation in the rainforest

In most tropical rainforest countries, illegal logging is common and a serious problem. Economic losses reach billions of dollars, and environmental and social damage is incalculable.

Deforestation results in deforestation and profound ecological changes. Tropical forests contain the largest in the world. As a result of poaching, millions of species of animals and plants are losing their habitat and, as a result, disappear.

According to the Red List International Union Conservation of Nature (IUCN), more than 41,000 plant and animal species are threatened, including big monkeys such as gorillas and orangutans. Scientific estimates of lost species vary widely, ranging from 50 to 500 species per day.

In addition, logging equipment used to remove timber destroys sensitive topsoil and damages the roots and bark of other trees.

Mining iron ore, bauxite, gold, oil and other minerals also destroy large areas of tropical forests, for example, in the Amazon.

Importance of the rainforest

Tropical rainforests play an important role in the ecosystem of our planet. The cutting of this natural area leads to the formation of the greenhouse effect and, subsequently, to global warming. The largest tropical forest in the world, the Amazon forest, plays the most important role in this process. 20 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions are attributed to deforestation. The Amazon rainforest alone stores 120 billion tons of carbon.

Tropical forests also contain vast amounts of water. Therefore, another consequence of deforestation is a disturbed water cycle. This, in turn, can lead to droughts on regional level and changes in global weather conditions— with potentially devastating consequences.

The rainforest is home to unique representatives flora and fauna.

How to protect tropical forests?

To prevent Negative consequences deforestation, it is necessary to expand forest areas, strengthen control over forests at the state and international levels. It is also important to raise people's awareness of the role forests play on this planet. Ecologists say it is also worth encouraging the reduction, recycling and reuse forest products. Switching to alternative energy sources such as fossil gas can in turn reduce the need to exploit forests for heating.

Deforestation, including tropical deforestation, can be carried out without harming this ecosystem. In the Central and South America and Africa, tree felling is selective. Only trees that have reached a certain age and thickness of the trunk are cut down, and the young ones remain untouched. This method causes minimal damage to the forest, because it allows it to recover quickly.

Jungle, or scientifically, rainforests, from the tops of the trees to the forest floor are filled with life. Found here animals, about each of which you can write a separate report: this is a crocodile, anteater, hippopotamus, bat, sloth, koala, chimpanzee, porcupine, gorilla, armadillo. Insects: termites, tropical butterflies, mosquitoes. Tarantulas, hummingbirds and parrots. Hundreds of plant, bird, and animal species thrive in the rainforest.

Select a report about a rainforest inhabitant:

What does "tropics" mean?

The tropics are called forests growing near the equator. These forests are the most important ecosystem of the Earth. Coast Gulf of Mexico and Brazil, South American coasts, the West Indies, part of Africa, the island of Madagascar, and some Asian countries and the Pacific Islands are occupied by tropical thickets. The tropics make up only 6 percent of the land mass.

High humidity and a hot climate are the main features of the fabulous variety of forms of life here. Constant heat, frequent, heavy, short-lived tropical downpours contribute to rapid growth and development of flora. And the fauna, thanks to the abundance of water, also does not suffer from drought. Tropical forests have red or mottled soils, and the forest itself is multi-tiered, and each level is densely populated. Such a variety of flora and fauna is possible due to ideal living conditions.

Who lives in the rainforest and how?

The wilds of the forest are inhabited by a variety of animals. Elephant giants and small insects, birds and animals of medium size, can live simultaneously in one part of the forest, but at its different levels, finding themselves in forest areas shelter and food. No other place on land has such a wealth of ancient forms of life - endemics. Due to the dense foliage cover, the undergrowth in the rainforest is weak and animals can move freely.

The variety of animals in the rainforest is amazing: along with reptiles (turtles, crocodiles, lizards and snakes), there are many amphibians. The abundance of food attracts herbivorous animals. They are followed by predators (leopards, tigers, jaguars). The color of the inhabitants of the tropics is saturated, since spots and stripes help to better camouflage in the forest. Many types of ants tropical butterflies and spiders provide a prey base for hundreds of bird species. The tropics are home to the most monkeys on the planet, there are more than one and a half hundred parrots, 700 species of butterflies, including giant ones.

Unfortunately, many representatives of the jungle fauna (antelopes, rhinos, etc.) were exterminated by man during colonialism. Now many animals that used to live freely in tropical forests are left only in nature reserves and zoos. The destruction of forests by man leads to the reduction of fauna and flora, soil erosion, and the loss of the ecological balance of our planet. Tropical forests - the "green lungs of the planet" - have been sending us a message for decades, signaling that a person must be responsible for his actions.

If this message was useful to you, I would be glad to see you

There are many different animals in the tropical forests, it will not be possible to pay attention to everyone, so we will focus on the most prominent representatives tropical jungle living all over the planet.

Animals of the American tropics

Let's get acquainted with tropical fauna from the forests of South America, here the most powerful predator is the jaguar. A yellow large cat in black spots perfectly climbs trees and inspires fear in all local inhabitants. The plains of Patagonia are rich in lakes, on which reeds grow in abundance, it is here that nutria with koipu marsh beavers live. These animals of the tropics eat the succulent roots of aquatic plants, and equip their nests with reeds and reeds.

Tropical monkeys from around the world

African rainforests are rich in monkeys, these are long-tailed small monkeys with greenish fur. Among them, the fingerless species of colobus stands out. These animals do not have a thumb.

The most beautiful representative of these monkeys is the Gverets living in Ethiopia. Direct relatives of African monkeys are macaques that live in tropical Asian forests. Characteristic representatives of the African tropics are baboons, which live mainly in the highlands.

Animals living in the tropics of Madagascar have certain characteristics, for example, lemurs, whose body is covered with thick fur, some of them are happy owners of fluffy tails. Their faces resemble animals rather than monkeys, for this reason they are referred to as semi-monkeys.

But not only near African continent you can find monkeys, for example, the dense forests of Sumatra are a haven for a great ape - an orangutan.

It is covered with red coarse hair, and adult males wear a large beard. The gibbon is very close to orangutans, it reaches more than a meter in length, it is distinguished by long limbs, which serve it for swinging on the branches and allow it to easily jump from one tree to another.

Animals living in the tropics are distinguished by originality and originality, each species is unique.

Tropical forests are home to a huge number of animals. First of all, this. species in India and Africa narrow-nosed monkeys, and in America - broad-nosed. Their tail and limbs allow them to skillfully climb trees, where they get their livelihood.

mammals

Rainforests are home to predators such as leopards and cougars.

interesting view is an American tapir, something resembling a horse and a rhinoceros.

In reservoirs you can find nutria. People are hunting for this type of large rodents, because they have valuable fur.

Nutria

In South American sloths can be found, which appearance remind . They have fairly long and flexible limbs that cling to trees. These are slow animals, they move slowly along the branches.

Armadillos with a powerful shell live in the forests. During the day they sleep in their burrows, and at nightfall they crawl out to the surface and lead night image life.

Anteater is an inhabitant of tropical forests. He moves without problems on the ground, and climbs trees, eats ants and various insects.

Among marsupial species possums can be found here.

opossums

Elephants and which are relatives of giraffes live in the African rainforests.

Elephant

Lemurs live in Madagascar, which are considered semi-monkeys.

Lemurs

Crocodiles are found in some reservoirs, among which the Nile crocodile is the most famous. In Asia, long-nosed crocodiles are known, which mainly swim in the Ganges. The length of his body reaches 7 meters.

Rhinos are found in tropical forests, and hippos are found in water bodies.

Rhinoceros

Hippopotamus

In Asia, you can meet a tiger, a sloth bear and.

rainforest birds

Many birds fly in the forests. Hoatzins, hummingbirds, and more than 160 species of parrots live in South America.

Africa and America have large populations flamingos. They live near salt lakes and on sea coasts, feed on algae, worms and mollusks, some insects.

There are peacocks in Asia and on nearby islands.

Wild bush chickens are found in India and the Sunda Islands.

bush hens

Insects and reptiles of the forests

There are many snakes (pythons, anacondas) and lizards (iguanas) in the rainforests.

In the reservoirs there is a variety of species of amphibians and fish, among them the most famous in South America are piranhas.

Piranha

The most important inhabitants of the rainforest are ants.

Spiders, butterflies, mosquitoes and other insects also live here.

Insect

The rainforest is very rich in animals. There are many different kinds of monkeys living in the Amazon and Orinoco basins. In their structure, they differ from the Old World monkeys living in Africa and India. Old world monkeys are called narrow-nosed, American monkeys are called broad-nosed. A long tenacious tail helps the monkeys deftly climb trees. The spider monkey has a particularly long and tenacious tail. Another monkey, the howler monkey, wraps its tail around the branch and holds it like a hand. Howler was named for its powerful, obnoxious voice.

Most strong predator tropical forest - jaguar. This is a large yellow cat with black spots on the skin. She is good at climbing trees.

America's other big cat is the cougar. It is common in North America to Canada, in South America it is found in the steppes to Patagonia. The cougar is colored yellowish gray and somewhat resembles a lion (without a mane); this is probably why it is called the American lion.

Near reservoirs in the thicket of the forest you can meet an animal that resembles a little horse and even more - a rhinoceros. The animal reaches 2 m in length. His muzzle is elongated, as if elongated into a trunk. This is an American tapir. He, like a pig, loves to wallow in puddles.

Coypu lives on lakes in reed beds on the plains of Patagonia and on the mountain slopes of the Andes - swamp beaver, or coipu, - large rodent the size of our river beaver. The life of a nutria is connected with water. Nutria feeds on succulent roots aquatic plants, arranges nests from reeds and reeds. The animal gives valuable fur. The nutria was transferred to Soviet Union and released in the swampy thickets of Transcaucasia. They have acclimatized and breed well. However, they suffer greatly during the cold winters that occur in Azerbaijan and Armenia, when the lakes freeze.

Unadapted to life in freezing reservoirs, nutria, diving under the ice, do not find a way out. At the same time, their habitats become accessible to jungle cats and jackals, which pass through the ice to nests of nutrias.

Armadillos, sloths and anteaters live in the forests of South America.

The body of the armadillo is covered with a shell, a bit reminiscent of a turtle shield. The shell consists of two layers: inside it is bony, outside - horny - and is divided into belts, movably connected to each other. Lives in Guiana and Brazil giant armadillo. The largest of the armadillos reach one and a half meters in length. Armadillos live in deep burrows and come out to prey only at night. They feed on termites, ants and various small animals.

Sloths have a monkey-like face. The long limbs of these animals are armed with large sickle-shaped claws. They got their name for slowness and slowness. The dull greenish-gray protective coloration of the sloth reliably hides it from the eyes of the enemy in the branches of trees. The color of the sloth is given by green algae that live in its rough and shaggy coat. This is one of the great examples of the cohabitation of animal and plant organisms.

Several species of anteaters are found in the forests of South America. The average anteater is very interesting - tamandua, with a tenacious tail. It runs superbly along sloping trunks and climbs trees, looking for ants and other insects.

Marsupials in the forests of Brazil are eared and water opossums. The water opossum, or swimmer, lives near rivers and lakes. It differs from the eared one in color and swimming membranes on the hind legs.

There are many in South America bats various kinds. Among them are blood-sucking leaf-beetles that attack horses and mules, and vampires.

Despite their sinister name, vampires feed exclusively on insects and plant fruits.

Of the birds of great interest is the hoatzin. It's brightly colored, pretty large bird with a big crest on his head. The nest of the hoatzin is placed above the water, in the branches of trees or thickets of shrubs. Chicks are not afraid to fall into the water: they swim and dive well. Hoatzin chicks have long claws on the first and second fingers of the wing, which help them climb branches and branches. It is curious that the adult hoatzin loses the ability to quickly move through the trees.

Studying the structure and lifestyle of hoatzin chicks, scientists came to the conclusion that the ancestors of birds also climbed trees. After all, the fossil first bird (Archaeopteryx) had long fingers with claws on the wings.

There are over 160 species of parrots in the rainforests of South America. The most famous are green Amazonian parrots. They are good at speaking.

Only in one country - in America - live the smallest birds - hummingbirds. These are unusually bright and beautifully colored fast-flying birds, some of them the size of a bumblebee. There are over 450 species of hummingbirds. They, like insects, hover around flowers, sucking flower juice with a thin beak and tongue. In addition, hummingbirds also feed on small insects.

There are many different snakes and lizards in the rainforests. Among them are boas, or boa, anaconda, reaching 11 m in length, bushmaster - 4 m in length. Many snakes, due to the protective coloration of the skin, are hardly noticeable among the forest greenery.

There are especially many lizards in the tropical rainforest. Big broad-toed geckos are sitting on the trees. Among other species of lizards, the most interesting is the iguana, which lives both in trees and on the ground. This lizard has a very beautiful emerald green color. She eats plant foods.

Lives in the forests of Brazil and Guiana big frog- Surinamese pipa. It is interesting in a special way of reproduction. The eggs laid by the female are distributed by the male on the back of the female. Each egg falls into a separate cell. In the future, the skin grows, and the cells close. The frogs develop on the back of the female; when they grow up, they leave the cells. Nutrients necessary for frogs during development are transferred from the mother's body by blood vessels branching in the walls of skin cells.

in the rivers tropical America found big fish- electric eel, which has special electrical organs. With electric shocks, the eel stuns its prey and scares away its enemies.

In many rivers of South America lives unusually predatory fish- piranha, 30 cm long. In her strong jaws sit sharp, like knives, teeth. If you lower a piece of meat into the river, piranhas immediately appear from the depths and instantly tear it apart. Piranhas feed on fish, attack ducks and domestic animals that inadvertently entered the river. Even such people suffer from piranhas large animals like tapirs. Fish damage lips drinking water animals. Piranhas are also dangerous to humans.

In tropical forests, the world of insects is diverse. Very large diurnal butterflies are numerous. They are very beautiful and richly colored, varied in shape and size. Brazil has over 700 species diurnal butterflies, and in Europe there are no more than 150 species.

Ants are very numerous. Penetrating into human dwellings, they eat his reserves and thereby cause significant harm. Umbrella ants live in underground galleries. They feed their larvae with mushroom mold, which is grown on finely chopped foliage. Ants bring pieces of leaves to the anthill, moving along strictly constant paths.

AT tropical zone South America has a lot of spiders. Among them, the largest is the tarantula. Its size is more than 5 cm. Lizards, frogs, insects serve as food for it; apparently, it also attacks small birds. The same large earthen spiders are found in New Guinea and Java.

Elephants, various monkeys live in the tropical forests of Africa, okapi is an animal, related giraffe; in the rivers - hippos and crocodiles. The great apes are the gorillas and chimpanzees. The gorilla is a very large monkey, the growth of males reaches 2 m, weight - 200 kg. They live in the most deaf, inaccessible parts of the rainforest and in the mountains. Gorillas make their lair in trees or on the ground in dense thickets. Gorillas have been heavily exterminated by humans and are now preserved only in two areas of the tropical forests of Africa - south of Cameroon to the river. Congo and in the country of lakes Victoria and Tanganyika.

Chimpanzees are smaller than gorillas. An adult male is not higher than 1.5 m. They live in families, but sometimes they gather in small herds. Descending from trees, chimpanzees walk on the ground, leaning on their hands clenched into fists.

There are many species of monkeys in the tropical forests of Africa. The fur of these long-tailed little monkeys is greenish in color. Of interest are fingerless monkeys (colobus), which lack thumb on hands. The most beautiful of these monkeys is the Gverets. She lives in Ethiopia and in the forests to the west of that country. Macaques, related to African monkeys, live in tropical Asia.

Dog-headed monkeys - baboons - are very characteristic of the African continent. They live in the mountains of Africa.

The fauna of Madagascar has some peculiarities. So, for example, lemurs live on this island. Their body is covered with thick fur. Some have fluffy tails. The muzzles of lemurs are more animal than monkey; hence they are called semi-monkeys.

There are many different types of parrots in the rainforests of Africa. The most famous gray parrot is a jaco, which imitates the human voice very well.

Places in large quantities preserved crocodiles. They are especially fond of rivers, the banks of which are overgrown with thick tropical forest. Nile crocodile reaches 7 m in length.

Large, up to 6 m long, boas - pythons live in the forests of Africa.

Among the fish, the lungfish protopterus, which inhabits muddy lakes and swamps, attracts attention. These fish, in addition to gills, have lungs that they breathe during a drought. The lungfish lepidosiren lives in South America, and the ceratodes live in Australia.

In the humid dense forests of the islands of Sumatra and Borneo (Kalimantan), the orangutan ape lives. This is a large monkey, covered with coarse red hair. Adult males grow large beards.

close to great apes the gibbon is smaller than the orangutan, its body length is 1 m. The gibbon is distinguished by long limbs; with their help, swinging on the branches, he very easily jumps from tree to tree. Gibbons live on the island of Sumatra, on the Malacca Peninsula and in mountain forests Burma.

A variety of macaques live in the forests of the Greater Sunda Islands - Sumatra and Borneo - and in Eastern India. The nosed monkey lives on the island of Borneo. Her nose is long, almost proboscis-shaped. In older animals, especially in males, the nose is much longer than in young monkeys.

In the forests of India and on the nearest large islands, it is often found Indian elephant. Since ancient times, it has been tamed by man and used in various jobs.

The well-known common Indian rhinoceros- the largest one-horned rhinoceros.

In Asia, a relative of American tapirs lives - the black-backed tapir. It reaches 2 m in height. His back is light, and other parts of the body are covered with short black hair.

Among the predators of southern Asia, the Bengal tiger is the most famous. Most tigers survived in India, Indochina, on the islands of Sumatra and Java.

The tiger is a twilight animal; he hunts for large ungulates. A tiger, in the event of a hunter, illness or headman being wounded by an unsuccessful shot, or in general for any reason who has lost the ability to hunt ungulates that make up his main food, attacks people, becomes a "cannibal".

We have tigers in Transcaucasia, Central Asia, Primorye and in the south of the Ussuri Territory.

The leopard is distributed in southern Asia, in the forests of the Greater Sunda Islands and in Japan. It is found in the Caucasus, in the mountains of Central Asia and in Primorye. We call him a bar. Leopard attacks domestic animals; he is cunning, bold, and dangerous to humans. On the Greater Sunda Islands, black leopards are often found; they are called black panthers.

South Asia is home to the sloth bear and the Malay bear, the Biruang. Gubach is a large, heavy beast, armed with long claws, allowing him to climb trees well. The color of his fur is black, on the chest there is a large white spot. Its large lips are mobile, they can be stretched out with a tube, and with a long tongue the bear takes out insects from the cracks of trees. Gubach lives in tropical forests on the peninsula of Hindustan and on the island of Ceylon. It feeds on plants, fruits, berries, insects, bird eggs and small animals.

At Malayan bear the fur is short, black. Most he spends his life on trees, eating fruits and insects.

There are many birds in tropical Asia. One of the most beautiful is considered a peacock living in the wild in Java, Ceylon and Indochina.

In the forests of the Sunda Islands, in Ceylon and in India, banking, or bush, chickens live - wild ancestors domestic chickens, many types of pheasants and other chickens.

The waters of South Asia are inhabited by long-snouted crocodiles - gharials. They live in r. Ganges.

On the Malacca peninsula, a reticulated python snake is found, reaching 10 m in length.

There are many in the forests of India poisonous snakes, from the bites of which a large number of people suffer every year. The most dangerous cobra, or spectacle snake. She got her name from the spots on the back of her head that look like glasses.

The tropics are inhabited by many amphibians, or amphibians. Among them is the Javan flying frog. Strongly developed webs between the toes of the front and hind paws allow it to jump from one tree to another when planning.

Having become acquainted with the distribution of animals on the globe, it is easy to see that on different continents similar animals live under similar living conditions. Some species have adapted to life in the tundra, others in the steppes and deserts, and others in the mountains and forests. Each continent has its own animal world- species of animals that live only on a given continent. Especially in this regard, the animal world of Australia is peculiar, which we will consider below.

Studying the past of the Earth from the fossil remains of animals that once inhabited the continents and islands, scientists came to the conclusion that the composition of the fauna, that is, the animal world, has continuously changed in all geological epochs. Connections arose between the continents; For example, between Asia and North America there was a connection. Animals that inhabited Asia may have entered the Americas; therefore, in the fauna of America and Asia, we still see a lot of similarities at the present time. Geological history Earth helps to clarify some features in the distribution of animals on the continents. Thus, the remains of marsupials are found in the ancient layers of the earth of Europe and America. Nowadays, these marsupials live only in Australia and only a few species in America. Consequently, earlier marsupials on the globe were much more widespread. This confirms the opinion of geologists about the connection that existed between these continents.

Having studied the composition of the animal world of individual continents and islands, scientists have divided Earth into areas characterized by species of animals found only in this area.

The main areas are as follows: Australian, Neotropical (Southern and Central America), Ethiopian (Africa), Eastern, or Indo-Malayan, Holarctic ( North Asia, Europe and North America).

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