Amazing Rain Forest Creatures

A rain forest is a tall, dense jungle. It is called a “rain forest” because of the high amount of rainfall it gets in a year. The climate in a rain forest is hot and humid that’s why the animals and plants that live here should be adaptive. Just like any other forest, there are also a lot of animals that live in rain forests, but these animals seem to be more bizarre creatures. Here are some of the amazing animals that you’re likely to see in a rain forest.

 The Pink Dolphin

Dolphins are one of the most loved marine animals on Earth, and one of its unique species is the Pink Dolphin or the Amazon River Dolphin. It is famous because of its color but others don’t know that they come in different shades of pink and gray. Their original color is gray but as they slowly turn pink as they get older. Another factor for their change in color is exposure to the sun. One more thing that differs them from other dolphins is that they do not have a dorsal fin. Instead, they have a hump which allows them to move their head from side to side.

Mata Mata

A Mata Mata is a freshwater turtle. It is large and sedentary. It has a triangular, and flattened head with a lot of flaps of skin. It also has a horn on its long snout. This turtle is highly skilled in camouflage. It just usually lies in water motionless, and once a fish swim by, it uses its mouth like a vacuum to eat it.

Glass Frog

This kind of frog belongs to the Centrolenid family. At first glance, glass frogs look like a simple kind of frog. They are green and about three inches in length. Their difference from other frogs is that they are very translucent that you can see their internal organs. Being translucent helps them to hue with the surroundings, thus, making it difficult for any predators to see them.

The Sloth

 Sloths are mammals and they are classified into two families which are the Megalonychidae or the two-toed sloths, and the Bradypodidae which are the three-toed sloths. At first, they seem to be slow and lazy, but when there are predators, they can burst into speed.

Their usual idleness is their metabolic adaptation to conserve energy. They also have a strong body, and even though they are always spotted on trees, sloths also know how to swim.

Candiru Fish

Candiru fish is also known as cañero, toothpick fish, or vampire fish. It is a species of parasitic freshwater catfish. It has a small head and a distended belly, especially after a large blood meal. Its body is translucent, making it difficult to spot in turbid waters. This fish can invade the human urethra and the only thing that can remove it is surgery. This fish is one of the reasons why you wouldn’t want to swim in rain forests.

Jesus Lizard

The Jesus Lizard, or the common basilisk, is amazing because it can run on water up to 20 meters. This creature has a lot of predators like large reptiles, birds, and some mammals and this skill helps it to run away from them. Another way of protecting itself from the predators is by concealing under the leaves on the forest floor where it will remain motionless for a long time.

Capybara

The Capybara is the largest rodent in the world and it can weigh up to 200lbs. It has a strong resemblance to guinea pigs. They are usually covered in reddish-brown fur. They are not dangerous to humans, because they are herbivores, unless you try to pick them up. Its life span is only an average of 4 years. Its predators are anacondas, jaguars, and pumas.

Okapi

The Okapi is the closest living relative of the giraffe. It is another animal that is a master of camouflage because of its striped hindquarters and brown hide. This also makes them look like zebras from afar.

Scarlet Macaw

The Scarlet Macaw is a large parrot with bright red plumage and its wing feathers are brilliant blue and yellow. It is one of the most iconic rain forest species. It has a powerful beak that can open hard nuts and seeds. It is also one of the few species that mate for life.

Black Howler Monkey
This monkey is called a black howler because of the loud howl it makes to mark its territory. The howl sounds like a strong wind that is blowing through a tunnel and it can be heard as far as two miles away. They usually live in rain forest trees in groups of 4 up to 19.

Toucan

The Toucan is one of the well-known creatures in the Amazon Rain forest. It is a prismatic and noticeable bird. It is famous for its big and colorful bill which in some large species measures more than half the length of the body. Despite its bill’s size, it is very light because it’s composed of bone struts filled with spongy tissue of keratin.