Forest is a natural resource covering one-third of the earth’s land area. Being loaded with biodiversity, a forest is covered with trees, plants, shrubs, and bushes and is a dwelling for various animals and birds. It offers food, and shelter to diverse animals. Here is the list of forest animals in the world that depend on forests for their survival.
Forest Animals In The World
1. Saola
Soala is a huge size mammal weighing 80 to 100 kg and is around 150 cm long with a normal living period of 8 10 11 years. It is found commonly in the evergreen forests of the Annamite Mountains of Laos and Vietnam and is very restless for dogs.
This mammal has an asymmetrical coating of skin covered with brown hair all over the body, a short tail covered with white spots, two piercing horns on the head, and large hazy brown hair on the abdomen and forelimbs. It is a herbivore animal feeding on various plants and bushes and runs at a speed of 37 mph.
Image Source: Global Wildlife Conservation
2. The flying fox
The lying fox is 11-13 inches long making it one of the largest bats in the world and weighs 1.4-2.4 lb and has a life anticipation of 15 to 30 years. It is found in Mangrove forests, marsh, and tropical forests of Southeast Asia, Australia, and Madagascar. This large fox has wooly hair all over the body apart from the upper back which has short hair. Furthermore, it has a gray, brown, or red color with piercing ears. It is a herbivore animal feeding on flowers, leaves, nectar, and leaves.
3. The Jaguar
Jaguar weighs 45-113 kg and is 152-182 cm long and has life anticipation of 12-15 years. It is found in tropical rainforests and wetlands of South America. The jaguar is so matching to a big cat having yellow golden fur with black spherical spots over it making it one of the most popular animal patterns in the world.
It has a mightily built body with influential legs, a round head, and petite ears at the ends. This carnivore animal has a dominant jaw and eats deer, monkeys, and many other animals as food, and runs at a speed of 80 km per hour. Being excellent swimmers they also chase various frogs, small fishes, and alligators from diverse rivers.
4. The Mountain Gorilla
The Mountain gorilla is one of the largest types of primates in nature weighing 135-220 kg and can grow as tall as 4 to 6 feet it got its name for a reason. It lives in high steep mountain forests of four diverse national parks in Africa, Uganda, Rwanda, and Congo, and has an average life expectancy of 35 years. At this height, the temperature is tremendously low and due to this reason, a gorilla has thick fur.
As each human possesses a matchless fingerprint likewise mountain gorillas have their distinctive nose print. It favors living in the group of 5 to 30 and in the entire group, only one male gorilla is presently acknowledged as Silverback. These mountain gorillas are left only in a few numbers and they are considered endangered. It is omnivore nourishing on both plants and animals.
Image Source: Wikimedia
5. The Scarlet Macaw
The scarlet Macaw weighs 2 to 2.6 lb and is 2.5-2.7 feet tall with a life expectancy of 50-75 years. The popular bird is found sitting on trees in the forests of Mexico, Peru, Brazil, and Central and South America. It has a creamy white face, blue-yellow feathers, and a red-colored plumage covering all the body, wings, and even tail.
This largest species of parrot is having a great, muscular beak and is very affectionate in nature. It is typically vegetarian feeding on seeds, fruits, nuts, and leaves but at times tiny insects also. This vibrant type of parrot species is very striking and is very sharp and composed in nature. It is also listed as one of the most graceful animals in the world.
6. Howler Monkey
The howler monkey is 22-36 inches tall and weighs 6.8 to 10 kg with a life span of 15-20 years. It is one of the largest monkeys in the world and is found in extensive leaf and deciduous forests of Central and South America. Diverse classes of howler monkeys have diverse colors like red, black, or brown, a face covered with fur and thick hair on the intact body.
It has a tail that is as extensive as its body assisting it to pick the fruits and large, round nostrils with which it gets aroma food from a remoteness of 2 km. This carnivore animal feeds on fruits, buds, flowers, nuts, leaves, berries, and even eggs of other birds.
7. Tree kangaroo
Tree kangaroo has a length of 19-35 inches and weighs around 5.9-15 kg. Its size is a bit lighter than usual kangaroo and has a life expectancy of 18-25 years. It is found in rainforests, savannas, and forest canopies of Indonesia, West Papua, and Australia. A tree kangaroo has a light cream face with brown or tan fur and a long tail, sharp nails, and hind legs. This wooly animal has a pocket in front. This tranquil animal is herbivore feeding fruits, grains, buds, and leaves.
Image Source: Richard Ashurst
8. Orangutan
Orangutan can grow as long as 1.2 to 1.5 meter and weighs nearly 100 kg and has a life span of 40-60 years. One of the smartest animals in the world lives in the tropical rainforests of Borneo and Sumatra in Southeast Asia and shares 97% DNA parallel to humans. It has stretched physically powerful arms and clip hands to have a strong grasp on the trees. It depends on fruits, leaves, nuts, insects, and barks for sustenance. It is an intelligent animal and likes to imitate others.
9. African Forest Elephant
The African Forest Elephant is one of the biggest animals in the world that can grow as tall as 96 to 120 inches and weighs 2700 kg, hence one of the heaviest animals in the world. It is found in rainforests, grasslands, and tropical deciduous forests of Africa and has a life expectancy of 60 to 70 years. It is having round ears, grey skin which turns yellowish-red on wallowing, rough hair on the intact body, and a tail of diverse lengths.
The popular grassland animal has a strong trunk is built of 40-60000 muscles helping it to drink, lift various stuff, and even to guard it and long, straight, pointed tusks bending downwards. It has round feet and runs at a speed of 24 mph. It is a herbivore feeding on trees, twigs, roots, bushes, barks, and a mixture of fruits. The average lifespan of African elephants is between 60 to 70 years making them one of the longest living animals in the world.
10. The Green Anaconda
The green anaconda is a type of snake that grows about 20 feet long and is one of the biggest snakes in the world. It weighs around 227 kg and has a girth of about 12 inches. It is found in swamps, marshes, and streams in tropical rainforests of Amazon and Orinoco Basins and has an average life expectancy of 10 years.
It feeds on the diversity of animals like fish, birds, beer, turtles, pigs, and even zebras. Astoundingly, the anaconda is nonlethal. It twirls its brawny body around its victim and wrings out the animal until death. It can consume its prey wholly and can live without food for weeks or even months.
These are the most amazing forest animals in the world. Kindly share and do post your comments.
