Living in the Tropics

Asia

Asian elephants are found throughout South and Southeast Asia. These are the large land mammals and the biggest on the continent. They inhabit different environments from grasslands to rainforests. They are notable for their distinctive gray color, large floppy ears, and multifunctional trunks. These elephants are herbivores, eating grasses and plant materials. Asian elephants need to drink large quantities of water every day to stay hydrated.

Bengal tigers are the second-largest tigers on Earth. They make their homes in Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, and Nepal. They have yellow-brown to orange fur with dark stripes (brown to black). Their belly and the inside of their legs are white. The tiger’s tail is orange with black rings. Bengal tigers typically inhabit forests, including tropical forests and dry forests, as well as mangroves and grasslands. They prey on large hoofed mammals like water buffalo, serow, chital, and sambar and on boars, hares, porcupines, and birds.

Flying lizards are found in the tropical rainforests of Southeast Asia. Their "wings" are actually scaly membranes located between their front and back legs. Like a butterfly, a flying lizard's wings are often much more colorful than its body. The different species come in a variety of colors and patterns. Because they must live in trees, these lizards primarily inhabit forest habitats. Tropical rainforests are their most common ecosystem. They are insectivores, feeding on insects. Most eat termites, ants, and similar small insects and invertebrates. They are ambush predators and usually wait for prey to come to them.

Red pandas have reddish-brown fur and long tails. They are mammals similar to raccoons. They inhabit the mountain forests of the Himalayas and areas in eastern Asia. They feed on bamboo and other vegetation, including insects and fruits.

Africa

African leopards are the most numerous subspecies occupying sub-Saharan Africa. They inhabit a wide range of habitats, among them tropical rainforests. Coat color varies from pale yellow to deep gold or tawny, and sometimes black, and is patterned with black rosettes, while the head, lower limbs, and belly are spotted with solid black. Leopards are carnivores and have an exceptional ability to adapt to changes in prey availability. They have a very broad diet that ranges from dung beetles to adult elands.

Chimpanzees are found throughout Central and West Africa and are adapted to many climates, but many groups are found in tropical rainforests. They spend their days mostly in trees, where they also feed using their hands and feet to move about. At night they usually sleep in the trees in nests they build of branches and leaves. Chimps are highly intelligent. They use tools to help them get termites and ants using probes made of grass, stalks, vines, branches, and peeled bark. They open nuts with stone and use folded leaves to drink water.

Gorillas are of two species—the Eastern gorilla and the Western gorilla. They live in the tropical forests of equatorial Africa. They live in stable family groups numbering from 6 to 30. Gorillas are active during the day (diurnal) and primarily terrestrial, usually walking about on all four limbs with part of their weight supported on the knuckles of their hands.  Their diet is vegetarian; that of eastern gorillas includes leaves, stalks, and shoots, but western gorillas eat much more fruit.

Both black and green mambas are native to Africa, but black mambas live in rocky savannah environments, while green mambas prefer rainforest habitats. They inhabit the thick forests of Western and Eastern Africa. They are deadly creatures slithering through cashew and coconut trees. Green mambas are highly venomous but beautiful. They are almost completely arboreal, living most of their solitary lives in the trees.

Central and South America

Capybaras are the largest semi-aquatic rodents on Earth. They have heavy, barrel-shaped bodies along with large rectangular-shaped heads. They prefer to live in dense forest areas located near swamps, ponds, lakes, and marshes, as well as flooded savannah grasslands. These sociable animals mainly live in groups of 10 or 20 and emit different sounds to express their changing moods.  Capybaras are herbivores, mainly eating aquatic plants, grasses, reeds, tree bark, grains, corn, and green leaves (mainly manioc), as well as fruits like squash, bananas, and melon.

Emerald tree boas are red-orange at birth, and in six months they mature and turn bright green. These boas are arboreal, spending most of their time in trees in the Amazon rainforest. They are also found in the swamps, close to the rivers, though they are not dependent on water. Emerald tree boas are primarily solitary by nature and would interact only during the season of mating.  The primary food of these reptiles includes rats, bats, possums, lizards, and similar other rodents, small mammals, and marsupials.

Poison dart frogs come in 180 species in the Dendrobatidae family. They got their name due to the fact that their poisonous skin secretions were traditionally used to coat the tips of arrows and darts. These small, brightly colored amphibians live on tropical rainforest floors across Central and South America. Poison dart frogs obtain their toxicity through their diet.

Red-eyed tree frogs are residents of Central America. They have bright green bodies and red eyes and feet. They use their big eyes to see everything around them. They mostly dwell in trees. They inhabit the areas near ponds and rivers, which are located in humid lowlands and rainforests. This arboreal frog species is a carnivore and feeds mostly on insects. It is an ambush predator that preys on flies, crickets, moths, grasshoppers, and even smaller frogs.  

Scarlet macaws are birds with scarlet bodies and rainbow-colored plumage. They are members of a large group of Neotropical parrots called macaws. These birds are native to humid evergreen forests of the Neotropics. Scarlet macaws are diurnal birds that gather in flocks at night. In the morning they often fly a long distance to find food, flying in small groups or pairs, often calling to each other in hoarse, raucous voices. They are herbivores. In the wild, these birds like to eat mostly nuts, fruits, and seeds. They may supplement their diets with flowers, nectar, insects, and larvae.