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Jaguar in Belize. (Photo by R. Butler)
MAMMALS of the FOREST FLOOR
PREDATORS
Due to the scarcity of large prey, larger predators are relatively rare in the rainforest. Many of these carnivores have adapted to cope with the shortage of large ground-dwelling prey by hunting in the canopy and supplementing their diet with smaller animals like fish, rodents, birds, and reptiles. The largest group of mammalian predators on the forest floor are the cats. Each forested region, except the Australasian realm has its own forest cat species.
CATS
The largest rainforest cat species is the tiger which once ranged from tropical India to Arctic Siberia to Southeast Asia. The tiger is threatened by loss of habitat and hunting as vermin and by peoples who believe its body can cure illnesses. In the last century three subspecies of tiger have gone extinct: the Caspian, Javan, and Bali tigers. There are five subspecies left of which the Bengal or Indian Tiger is the most abundant [news and information on tigers | photos].
The second largest rainforest cat is the jaguar which once ranged from Arizona in the United States to Argentina, but is now mostly limited to obscure parts of the Orinoco and Amazon basins. Ruthless hunting for its furs and as vermin along with forest clearing have dramatically driven this species to its endangered status throughout its range, and some of the eight sub-species are now extinct in the wild. Although it is protected under CITES (Convention on International on International Trade in Endangered Species), the jaguar is still hunted widely and vigorously. This aquatic cat's diet includes a broad range of animals: frogs, fish, rodents, turtles, deer, and caiman. The jaguar is an excellent swimmer and fisher and usually hunts at night. Jaguars are solitary cats that only pair up at mating times.
Leopards range from Asia to Africa and numerous sub-species and races exist. Some of these forms are extremely rare and some, like the Bali leopard, are extinct. The leopard forms of the Southeast Asian islands are smaller than mainland forms.
The puma, also known as the mountain lion, is a large New World cat which ranges from Canada to Patagonia. Besides the great cats, the rainforest also has several smaller species like the leopard cat (Asia), margay (New World), and ocelot (New World). These generally range from the size of a housecat to a dog. Most are nocturnal and hunt both on the forest floor and in the canopy.
OTHER CARNIVOROUS MAMMALS
The Civet family originated from Asia to Africa, but now has been introduced worldwide. The Civet family is made up of 16 genera including the well-known mongooses. One interesting member of the family is the fishing genet which has a unique feeding habit. Even though it feeds on fish, it is not a great swimmer and even tries to avoid getting wet whenever possible. The fishing genet fishes by tapping its paw against the water surface of small forest streams in order to attract fish. The fishing genet puts its long whiskers against the surface to detect vibrations caused by fish movements. When it senses movement, the genet takes the plunge.
The best-known members of the family are the mongooses which have been popularized by Kipling's Ricky-Ticky-Tavy story as eaters of snakes, though they also feed on insects, small mammals and birds, and eggs. Mongooses have an interesting technique for opening eggs in which they stand with their back to a rock, egg in hand, and violently thrust the egg against the rock.
The armadillo and giant anteater of the Edentata family are ground-dwelling carnivores of the New World, with 21 species of armadillo distributed from the southern U.S. to Patagonia. They are equipped with protective bony plates that render them virtually inedible to predators. Armadillos are excellent diggers who use their fine sense of smell to locate snakes, mice, lizards, and insects. Armadillos range in size from five inches (12 cm) and three ounces (90 g) to the rare giant armadillo which reaches 39 inches (1 m) and 120 pounds (55 kg), excluding the tail. The giant anteater inhabits savannas and rainforests from Guatemala to Argentina. It is a great swimmer and, like its arboreal relatives, a fine climber. It is well-adapted to feeding on ants and termites with its 39-inch (1 m) sticky tongue, strong sense of smell, and powerful, sharp claws. Sloth bears, weighing up to 300 pounds (135 kg), are distributed in the tropical rainforests of Sri Lanka and Southern India. They feed commonly on termites, forming their lips into a tubular shape and sucking them up like a vacuum sweeper. The related sun bear is found in the forests of Southeast Asia.
OMNIVORES
The most notable rainforest omnivores are the wild forest pigs which are found in both the New and Old World. These animals usually root in the forest soil for their food and in the process create pits that fill with water when it rains, providing a home to insect larvae, frog tadpoles, and even some fish species. Pigs are generally herd animals that move in groups ranging from 5-25 individuals. These herds are strongly territorial and some of the larger species will actually maim and kill larger animals (including humans) that attempt to pass through their territory.
New World pigs are represented by the peccaries which range from the Southern U.S. to Argentina. Peccaries have the uncanny ability to sense plant bulbs at depths up to 10 feet (3 m). They also feed on roots, insects, and small animals. Peccaries are active all day long, although mostly at dawn and dusk. The herd appears to lack a hierarchal structure and often seems to follow any adult member that makes a decision.
The Old World has a surprising diversity of forest pigs including the wild boar, warthog, and the bizarre babirusa. The babirusa is endemic to the Indonesian island of Celebes (Sulawesi) and is considered highly endangered. It has an arched back with long thin legs and strange tusks that rise for over one foot (30 cm) from the lower jaw. As they extend, they curve backward and downward to form partial semicircles. The babirusa is usually found in swamps and along streams.
Review questions:
Why are large predators relatively rare in the rainforest?
World's first video of the elusive and endangered bay cat
(11/05/2009) Rare, elusive, and endangered by habitat loss, the bay cat is one of the world's least studied wild cats. Several specimens of the cat were collected in the 19th and 20th Century, but a living cat wasn't even photographed until 1998. Now, researchers in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo, have managed to capture the first film of the bay cat (Catopuma badia). Lasting seven seconds, the video shows the distinctly reddish-brown cat in its habitat.
Photos: Palm oil threatens Borneo's rarest cats
(11/04/2009) Oil palm expansion is threatening Borneo's rarest wild cats, reports a new study based on three years of fieldwork and more than 17,000 camera trap nights. Studying cats in five locations—each with different environments—in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo, researchers found that four of five cat species are threatened by habitat loss due to palm oil plantations. "No other place has a higher percentage of threatened wild cats!" Jim Sanderson, an expert on the world's small cats, told Mongabay.com. Pointing out that 80 percent of Borneo's cats face extinction, Sanderson said that "not one of these wild cats poses a direct threat to humans."
Wolves keep forests nutrient-rich
(11/02/2009) As hunting wolves is legal again in two American states, Montana and Idaho, researchers have discovered an important role these large predators play in creating nutrient hotspots in northern forest environments. Researchers from Michigan Technological University found that when wolves take down their prey—in this case moose—they do more than simply keep a check on herbivore populations. The corpses of wolf-hunted moose create hotspots of forest fertility by enriching the soil with biochemicals. Due to this sudden up-tick in nutrients, microbial and fungal growth explodes, in turn providing extra nutrients for plants near the kill.
Tsavo lions ate 35 people, not 135
(11/02/2009) A recent study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has shown that the two man-killing lions of Tsavo very likely did not kill and eat as many people as claimed. Looking at hair and bone samples from the pair of male lions, now resting in the Chicago Field Museum, researchers were able to determine that the Tsavo lions likely killed and ate approximately 35 people, not 135 as claimed by Lieutenant Colonel John H. Patterson. Patterson became famous for shooting and killing the lions in December 1898. For nine months the two lions terrorized a railroad camp in Kenya.
Tiger rescued from poachers in Malaysia perishes from injuries
(10/29/2009) Rescued in early October from a poacher's snare, a Malayan tiger has died from stress and infection due to its injuries. The 120 kilogram (264 pound) male tiger died on October 19th in the Malacca Zoo after undergoing surgery to amputate its right foreleg, which two weeks before had been caught in a poacher's snare and severely injured. "It broke my heart as I was there during the rescue. Everyone had such high hopes of the tiger being released back into the wild after its treatment at the zoo, and no one spoke of the in-betweens," says Reuben Clements.
