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Monkey frog (Phyllomedusa bicolor) in the rainforest of Peru. (Photo by R. Butler)
Frogs are overwhelmingly the most abundant amphibians in the rainforest. Unlike temperate frogs that are mostly limited to habitats near water, tropical frogs are most abundant in the trees, and relatively few are found near bodies of water on the forest floor. The reason for this is quite simple: frogs must always keep their skin moist since almost half of their respiration in carried out through the skin. The high humidity of the rainforest and frequent rainstorms gives tropical frogs infinitely more freedom to move into the trees and escape the many predators of rainforest waters.
The differences between temperate and tropical frogs extend beyond their habitat. Whereas nearly all temperate frogs lay their eggs in water, the majority of rainforest species place eggs in vegetation or lay them in the ground. By leaving the water, frogs avoid egg-predators like fish, shrimp, aquatic insects, and insect larvae. Several species of frogs, including the American glass frogs, lay their eggs on vegetation that overhangs water. The humid climate keeps the eggs moist and when the tadpoles hatch they drop into the water below. Glass frogs are also interesting because they are transparent except for their visible organs and the faint yellow spots that some species possess. These yellow spots resemble a cluster of the frog's eggs, enough to fool predators. Other frog species develop fully into froglets within their eggs, and emerge as fully formed frogs, thus by-passing the tadpole stage altogether.
When many people think of the "jungle," they think of huge deadly snakes; but this is not the case in the canopy where very few species pose any threat to humans. The majority of canopy snakes are constrictors or mildly venomous species and are rarely encountered by humans. Even in the canopy, chances are you will not see many snakes, since numerous species camouflage themselves like leaves and vines.
The best known venomous canopy-dwelling snake is the eyelash viper of the New World which exists in several different color forms including yellow, green, olive, and orange. The eyelash viper is so named for the presence of small horned scales above the eye. Also found in the canopy are various constrictors of the Boa family which use their strong muscles to constrict their prey to death.
In addition to snakes, the forest canopy contains lizards. Iguanas are large greenish lizards of the New World, which have the unique ability to drop over 60 feet (18 m) from canopy trees unharmed. Their strong tail is used for balance during the fall and catching branches during the descent to break the impact of the fall. Iguanas often inhabit limbs that overhang rivers so they are able to escape predators by dropping into the river and waiting submerged for over 30 minutes. Iguanas may attain a length of six feet (1.8 m), though they are generally smaller. Iguanas have the ability to undergo a small color change to better blend into their surrounding environment. But the true color-change artists of the forest are the chameleons—of which every forested continent has its own. Chameleons are lizards that have the ability to rapidly change their colors to match their surroundings, although they tend to change more in accordance with their emotions. The Old World or true chameleons of Africa and Madagascar (pictures) have the best color-change ability and will often assume bright orange, purple, and blue coloring to reflect their mood. South America has the anole, a much less spectacular chameleon, while Asia has the agamas.
Insects are the most successful rainforest animals as demonstrated by their tremendous diversity. Insects are so ubiquitous that they have filled many niches usually occupied by other animals. For example, some postulate that in South America the role of the forest elephant is filled by army ants. In the rainforest canopy, insects abound: a study of the rainforest canopy in Peru with 500 cubic meters of foliage (about the size of a two-car garage) found more than 50 species of ants, 1,000 beetle species, 1,700 arthropod species, and more than 100,000 individuals. A rainforest tree alone can have some 1,200 species of beetle, while a single hectare of rich forest canopy is projected to have 12,448 beetle species.
There are many insects and other invertebrates that would not usually be considered arboreal but exist in the rainforest canopy. For example, several species of crabs have been found hundreds of feet above the ground in tank bromeliads of neotropical forests. Similarly, earthworms and giant planarians (flatworms) are also part of the canopy system, with earthworms playing an important role in the processing of canopy soils and mulch that supports epiphytic growth. Even leeches are found in the canopy where they may surprise first-time visitors to the Asian forest canopy. Mosquitoes, too, are abundant in the canopy, though on the ground there are generally few puddles for breeding and no pronounced seasonal changes to stimulate massive mosquito-breeding frenzy. In the canopy, mosquitoes lay their eggs in the up-turned leaves of epiphytes like tank bromeliads. Therefore, you may be more likely to get mosquito bites in the canopy than on the forest floor.
Many insects like stick insects, katydids, leaf hoppers, and mantids have developed incredible behavior, body structure, and color to mimic their surroundings. These insects, which mimic dead and living leaves, half-eaten leaves, sticks, bark, bird droppings, and flower parts, avoid detection by predators and prey as they hunt and rest.
Reptiles underrepresented on the IUCN Red List
(11/04/2009) Currently there are an estimated nearly 9,000 reptiles in the world, while the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List has assessed all of the world's described mammals, birds, and amphibians, reptiles have yet to be fully assessed, leaving herpetologists with an unclear picture of how reptiles are faring in the world. Currently, 1,677 reptiles have been assessed (less than 20 percent of the total number of reptile species known) with 293 added this year.
The Yangtze River may have lost another inhabitant: the Chinese paddlefish
(10/22/2009) In December of 2006 it was announced that the Yangtze River dolphin, commonly known as the baiji, had succumbed to extinction. The dolphin had survived on earth for 20 million years, but the species couldn't survive the combined onslaught of pollution, habitat loss, boat traffic, entanglement in fishing hooks, death from illegal electric fishing, and the construction of several massive dams. Now, another flagship species of the Yangtze River appears to have vanished.
Scientists uncover mystery of how frog plague kills its victims
(10/22/2009) One hundred and twenty species of frogs are reported to have gone extinct since 1980 (although the number is likely even higher). While devastated by habitat loss, pollution, and climate change, a baffling disease may be the biggest factor behind the alarming extinctions of frogs. Called chytridiomycosis, the disease is caused by the microscopic fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis which kills its tiny victims indiscriminately.
Present day tropical plant families survived in warmer, wetter tropics 58 million years ago
(10/18/2009) Fifty eight million years ago the tropical rainforests of South America shared many similarities with today's Neotropical forests, according to research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Looking at over 2,000 fossils in Colombia from one of the world's largest open pit coal mines, scientists were able to recreate for the first time the structure of a long vanished rainforest. One inhabited by a titanic snake, giant turtles, and crocodile-like reptiles.
New killer snake invades Florida
(09/22/2009) A new invasive python in Florida may be worse than the species already causing ecological havoc across the Everglades, reports the Miami Herald.
