We explain what the forest animals are, what biomes they live in and what types of forests they are found in.
What are the animals of the forest?
forest animals are those that have made their habitat from forest biomes. That is, the more or less dense accumulations of trees and bushes, throughout the different latitudes of our planet.
Since there is no single ecosystem that we can call “forest”, but rather that term includes both humid tropical forests and arctic coniferous forests, forest animals include a huge variety of species.
Forests are really important for life as we know it. On the one hand, they house a more or less diverse number of animal species that integrate a nutritional or trophic circuit, both in their branches, their roots, their trunks or around their flowers and fruits.
On the other hand, they produce a significant amount of atmospheric oxygen, also fixing carbon from CO2 and preserving the stability of the planet's climate.
See also: Animals of the mountains
List of forest animals
Below we will list just some species of each type of forest detailed above:
- Tropical and subtropical humid hardwood forests or Pluvisilva
- Frogs, toads and other similar amphibian batrachians.
- Thousands of species of butterflies and moths, diurnal and nocturnal.
- Large spiders, such as tarantulas.
- Constrictor snakes, such as boas, anacondas or pythons.
- Arboreal apes such as spider monkeys, gorillas or orangutans.
- All types of insects such as beetles, praying mantises and mosquitoes.
- Exotic birds such as the Toucan and the Macaw, or predators such as hawks.
- Jungle mammals such as the tapir, the tapir or the wild boar.
- Tropical and subtropical dry hardwood forests or dry forests
- Carnivorous felids such as the puma or the jaguar.
- Birds like parrots, woodpeckers, predators like owls.
- Abundant mammals such as deer, capybaras, mice, opossums.
- Dry climate snakes such as the rattlesnake or cobra.
- Smaller monkeys like chimpanzees.
- Insects of all kinds and arachnid predators such as scorpions and centipedes.
- Subtropical coniferous forests or pine forests
- Birds of prey such as eagles, hawks and owls.
- Yaks, takins and other beasts of burden.
- Larger felids like tigers.
- Small apes such as lagurs and mammals such as sloths.
- Spiders and different types of insects in the lowest strata of the ground.
- Temperate hardwood and mixed forests
- Deer, wild boar, shrews, squirrels.
- Eagles and other game birds.
- Small snakes, such as coral.
- Small canids like lynxes.
- Temperate coniferous forests
- Moose, deer and other antlered mammals.
- Foxes, American lynx and several bears.
- Peregrine falcons, woodpeckers, owls, grouse.
- Very few species of reptiles and cold-blooded animals.
- Boreal forests or taigas
- Bears, large in size, such as the grizzly or the Russian bear.
- Wolves, foxes and other similar canids.
- Birds of prey such as owls and eagles.
- Mountain fish such as salmon.
- Groundhogs, squirrels and other rodents such as mice.
- Mediterranean forests or durisilva
- Small birds, such as pigeons, doves, ducks.
- Wading birds such as storks and herons.
- Predatory birds such as the Iberian eagle.
- Mountain goats, deer and wild boar.
- Predators such as brown bears, wild cats, Iberian lynxes.
- Reptiles and amphibians such as the gallipato, the natterjack toad, and the salamander.
- Mangroves
- Fish of various kinds and small sizes, from shallow waters.
- Crabs and bivalves such as oysters and mussels.
- Fishing birds, such as pelicans and albatrosses.
- Alligators and crocodiles.
- Migratory species of birds, which go south to reproduce.
Forest types
There are numerous ways to classify forests, but depending on the one that is most important for the study of forest animals, it is advisable to pay attention to the one proposed by the WWF (World Wildlife Fund), classifies forests into biomes:
- Tropical and subtropical humid hardwood forests or Pluvisilva Located in the intertropical zone, they present dense, tall and permanent tree formations, in tropical and temperate climates, with a lot of humidity and rainfall.
- Tropical and subtropical dry hardwood forests or dry forests Located in tropical and subtropical latitudes, where brief, seasonal rainy climates alternate with prolonged dry climates, they present semi-dense or dense vegetation.
- Subtropical coniferous forests or pine forests Frequent in high and low areas of semi-humid subtropical climate, with long dry seasons and little precipitation, they present a predominance of mixed coniferous and hardwood forests.
- Temperate hardwood and mixed forests Typical of a temperate climate with a lot of diversity in terms of temperature and precipitation, they present a majority of angiosperms (flowering plants), generally mixing deciduous and laurifolia species.
- Temperate coniferous forests With evergreen vegetation and generally in high altitude locations (such as subalpine forests), they are common in temperate climates, with warm summers and cold winters, and enough rain for conifers to predominate.
- Boreal forests or taigas These are mostly coniferous forest formations, although with occasional presence of mixed forests, located in areas close to the polar circle, thus dealing with cold climates of mild summer and harsh winter, so the loss of humidity is very high and the species must be adapted.
- Mediterranean forests or durisilva Typical, as their name indicates, of the Mediterranean climate, these plant formations abound in trees and bushes, nourished by abundant spring rainfall, in a climate of dry summers, warm autumns and mild winters. They are always located on the western facade of the continents.
- Mangroves Vegetable agglutinations of species very resistant to salt and water, abundant in the intertidal zone or mouths of rivers in the tropical or subtropical region of the planet. They present a great biotic and amphibian diversity.
References
- “Forest” in Wikipedia.
- “Animals of the tropical forest” (video) at CAF productions.
- “Forest animals” at Cumbre Pueblos.
