Information
Landmark: Tropical WildlifeCity: Beni
Country: Bolivia
Continent: South America
Tropical Wildlife, Beni, Bolivia, South America
Overview
Tropical wildlife includes the rich mix of plants, animals, and insects that flourish in warm, humid regions near the equator, from the dense shade of the Amazon rainforest to the rivers of Central Africa and the lush forests of Southeast Asia.These regions stay hot and humid, with heavy rains drumming on leaves, creating the perfect setting for life to flourish.Tropical ecosystems teem with life, sheltering an astonishing variety of species-like bright tree frogs clinging to mossy bark-many of which exist nowhere else on the planet.Tropical regions burst with life, home to countless plants and animals shaped by their unique climate-like bright orchids clinging to damp tree trunks and vivid parrots calling through the canopy.The tropics, though they cover only a small slice of Earth’s land, teem with life-so much that a huge share of all species on the planet call them home.Tropical rainforests-like the Amazon in South America, the Congo Basin in Africa, and the lush jungles of Southeast Asia-burst with wildlife, from chattering monkeys to bright flashes of parrot wings.These forests brim with dense vegetation and layered canopies that stack like green quilts, thriving all year and sheltering a remarkable range of species.In a hot, humid climate, tropical ecosystems stay warm all year, with sudden downpours drumming on broad leaves and feeding the dense, green growth that thrives there.These regions stay humid, the air heavy and damp, fostering moss, fungi, and countless plants that love the wet.Tropical forests teem with primates, from the throaty calls of howler monkeys to nimble capuchins, and from mighty orangutans to towering gorillas.These animals thrive high in the branches, moving with ease among the leaves, and they often stick together in close, loyal groups.Tropical forests shelter powerful big cats-jaguars prowling the dense Amazon undergrowth, tigers stalking the humid jungles of Southeast Asia, and leopards slipping silently through the shadows of Africa and Asia.These top predators usually hunt alone, moving with quiet precision through the thick, shadowy undergrowth.In the steamy forests of Asia and the sunbaked savannas of Africa, you’ll find both Asian and African elephants.They play a vital role in keeping the ecosystem in check, trimming back overgrown plants and scattering seeds like tiny parcels on the wind.In the tropical rainforests of South America, sloths dangle lazily from branches while anteaters shuffle through the undergrowth, each perfectly adapted to their slow pace-one nibbling leaves, the other nosing out ants.In tropical regions, parrots burst with color-bright macaws, snowy cockatoos, and vivid green amazons flash through the trees.These birds are clever and quick to learn, often chattering together like old friends on a windy branch.With their huge, brightly colored bills-like a splash of sunset-toucans in South America and hornbills in Africa and Asia stand out as unmistakable symbols of the tropics.In the Americas, tiny hummingbirds dart so quickly you can barely follow them, sipping sweet nectar from bright tropical blooms.Tropical Raptors: The harpy eagle, with talons as long as a grizzly’s claws, and the Philippine eagle are mighty birds of prey that thrive in lush tropical rainforests.They often hunt smaller birds or quick little mammals, like a mouse rustling in the grass.Tropical regions shelter some of the world’s most famous-and deadliest-snakes, including the heavy-bodied boa constrictor, the massive anaconda, and the vivid green tree python coiled among the branches.You can spot the king cobra in Asia’s tropical forests, slipping between tall trees and damp, leafy ground.In the tropical rainforest, you’ll spot geckos, iguanas, and chameleons-some flashing brilliant greens or melting into the bark so well they seem to vanish.Saltwater crocodiles roam tropical coasts and river deltas, sometimes gliding through brackish water, while alligators stick to warm freshwater swamps and marshes.In tropical rainforests, you’ll find a dazzling array of frogs and toads, from tiny poison dart frogs that shine like jewels to lively tree frogs clinging to mossy branches.Many of these amphibians have unique traits that help them thrive in damp, steamy habitats, like skin that stays moist enough to breathe through.In parts of Central America’s tropics, salamanders and newts hide in the damp earth and leaf litter, thriving in the shadowy tangle of the forest floor.Tropical regions brim with dazzling butterflies, from the shimmering blue morpho of South America to the bold tiger swallowtail found across Asia.Tropical forests teem with intricate ant colonies-leafcutters hauling green shards, army ants surging in dark rivers-each species vital to the forest’s balance.In these regions, termites play a crucial role in breaking down dead wood, leaving behind fine, sand-like soil.Tropical rainforests brim with beetles of every shape and color, from sturdy scarabs to antler-like stags and fireflies that flash in the dark.In the tropics, mosquitoes swarm in the humid air, and they’re more than an itchy annoyance-they spread dangerous diseases like malaria, dengue, and Zika.In the warm, murky waters of South America’s tropical rivers-especially the Amazon-lurks the infamous piranha, a meat-eating fish with razor-sharp teeth and a fierce bite.Tropical rivers and lakes-like the wide, muddy stretches of the Amazon-teem with cichlids, fish prized for their bright patterns and lively social habits.Arowana and catfish glide through tropical rivers, their scales catching the sun as they flourish in warm, nutrient-rich water.In the tropics, you’ll find some of the tallest and oldest trees on Earth-towering mahogany, fragrant cedar, and the broad-leafed rubber tree.These trees spread wide, their leaves knitting together into the thick, shadowy canopies that define a rainforest.Epiphytes-like orchids with their waxy blooms, delicate ferns, and soft mosses-cling to the trunks and branches of other plants in the tropical rainforest, often thriving in the cool shade of the understory.Tropical fruits thrive in the heat and humidity of the tropics, where you’ll find mangoes, bananas, pineapples, papayas, and coconuts hanging heavy on sunlit branches.Tropical ecosystems play a vital role in regulating the planet’s climate, pulling huge amounts of carbon dioxide from the air-like a dense rainforest quietly breathing-and keeping the atmosphere in balance.These forests also filter water, drawing it clear through layers of soil, and keep nutrients moving through the ecosystem.Medicinal value: People have long relied on tropical plants to treat illness, and a few now supply the raw materials for life-saving drugs, like the bitter bark once brewed into fever remedies.People often call the rainforest a “medicine cabinet” because it’s packed with bioactive compounds, from the sharp scent of crushed leaves to roots used in healing tonics.For many indigenous communities in the tropics, wildlife shapes daily life-supplying food, clothing, and guiding spiritual traditions, from the feathers in a headdress to the animals honored in sacred stories.Tropical wildlife is under growing pressure from human actions like clear-cutting forests, illegal logging, mining, and expanding farmland that swallows up green canopy.
