The rainforest is home to all our favorite animals. Did you know? 6% of the earth's surface is covered by rainforest, yet it is home to half the species of animals and plants in the world - wow! So amazed by the rainforest.
The thought that the rainforest provides us (humans) with fresh water to drink and absorbs carbon dioxide among other things brings the point closer home. Amazon in South America is the largest rainforest in the world followed by Congo basin in Africa and Indonesia Archipelago in South East Asia.
World Rainforest Day is celebrated today (22nd June) all around the world to raise awareness and encourage action to protect the world’s rainforests.
Amazing rainforest animals
We picked 10 lovely rainforest animals to feature in this blog, but there are so many of them. We wish we could capture all of them here but we'll save them for future blogs.
Jaguars thrive in the rainforests as well as in drier regions. Don’t we just love the beautiful spotted coat? The broken rosettes enable the jaguar to hide in bushes, grasses and trees (camouflage). Brazil is the best place to see a jaguar, make sure to visit during the dry season.
Sloths spend their lives in the tropical rainforests. They are known as sluggish tree dwellers hence they feed on buds, leaves and twigs. They are also known for their low metabolic rate - Digestion would take days compared to other animals.
Photo credit: Mana5280 from Unsplash
Poison Dart frogs
Most brightly coloured frogs in the world. Their coloring serves as a warning to their predators that their skin is poisonous. Research shows that the poison in their skin is able to kill up to 10 grown men. Poison Dart Frogs are found in the wet, tropical forests.
Photo credit: Ludwig Kwan from Pexels
They spend most part of their lives on trees. They use leaves as umbrellas and shelter to protect them from the rain. They are also known for building comfy nets to sleep in using branches and sticks. We can only say comfort is key.
Photo credit: Ludwig Kwan from Pexels
They can be found in canopy and emergent layers of the rainforest. They eat berries, nuts, leaves and seeds. It has a strong, hooked beak great for breaking nuts and seeds. Sadly, they are in the endangered species lists due to destruction of the rainforests and being captured as pets.
Photo credit: Hans Martha by Pexels
They are the largest land mammals in the Asian continent. They inhibit the dry, wet forests and grasslands. They feed on grass, tree barks, roots, leaves and small stems. The Asian elephants are under threat of habitat loss due to increase of human population and forests being converted for agricultural uses.
Photo credit: Katie Hollamby from Pexels
They are the smallest of the bear species. Sun bears are known for extracting honey from bee nests thanks to their lengthy tongue. They are omnivorous, they feed on berries, roots and fruits as well as insects, small birds and lizards. They are the most vulnerable bear species under threat of habitat destruction and poaching.
Photo credit: Tarryn Myburgh from Unsplash
Meet the largest butterflies in the world. The underside of the morphos butterfly is dull brown with eye spots providing camouflage from predators. The blue morphos butterfly diet changes throughout each stage of its lifecycle. Deforestation and habitat fragmentation is a threat to their existence.
Photo credit: Chait Goli from Pexels
Did you know? Gorillas are the largest living primates on earth! They live in the tropical forests of Africa. Some gorillas have learnt sign language as a way to communicate with humans. They are critically threatened although they face different threats from hunting pressure for meat to disturbance by human activities in the forest and exploitation of mineral resources.
Photo credit: The World Hopper from Pexels
Meet the biggest cats in the world. They can be recognized by the dark vertical stripes and reddish/orange fur. Tigers survive in tropical rainforests and savannah. They are carnivorous animals that prey on large animals like buffalos, moose, goats, pigs among others. Clubs learn to hunt at 6 months old but stay with their mothers until 18 months. Tigers, unlike other cats, are known to be great swimmers.
Photo credit: Capri23aauto from Pexels
Effects of Lockdown
Are you asking yourself this question; how has lockdown affected the rainforest? The lockdown has impacted the rainforest both positively and negatively.
Positively in that the rainforest and the environment itself have been able to breathe and thrive with more animals being seen roaming around in cities with no human presence. Also, less traffic on the roads and less pollution has resulted in the clear blue skies.
Negatively, it has been reported that deforestation, poaching, animal trafficking, illegal logging and mining has gone up in the rainforests and this is mainly in the rural areas.
Governments have shifted their focus on health matters and most forest and animal projects have been put to bay ; more communities in the rural areas have resorted to the rainforest for food and income due to economic pressures.
Illegal groups and opportunists have also taken advantage of the current situation and are . This is disturbing to think of and imagine. As you reflect and digest this - Here are small ways you can do to bring about change.
Here are five easiest ways to ACT today
She Loves Blooms brooches
Most of our brooches are inspired by the rainforest. In the recent past, we have created animal brooches that spark conversations on rainforest and its inhabitants featuring the Sun Bear, Slow Loris, Raffles banded Langur, Leopard cat, Elephant and Pangolin as brooches.
We would also love to hear from you, please share your comments and thoughts on the blog below.
Until next time, Happy reading!
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