Life in tropical rainforests

The tropical rainforests are the wet, warm forests of trees that grow very closely together. The canopy (tallest tress) in the rainforest can release 200 gallons of water each year into the atmosphere. The resulting moisture hangs over the forest, keeping the interior warm and humid. Animals living in the rainforest have had to adapt to these wet, warm conditions and have had to find niches that allow them to thrive. They do this by altering species characteristics to fit the tall trees, the constant humidity and the quiet rainforest floor. Monkeys, apes, gorillas, elephants, tigers, lions, lizards snakes, birds, insects are the major type of animals found in these regions. Let's discuss the characteristics of some animals found in tropical regions in detail.
Adaptations of a Lion and Tiger
Lion and tigers are the wild animals and generally found in forests. They have following features which help them to survive in their environment.

• The golden brown fur of lion and dark vertical stripes on reddish-orange fur with a lighter underside on tiger's body help them to blend into their surroundings. It helps them to camouflage and also helps them to catch their prey.
• Their powerful hind legs help them run fast so they can catch their prey.
• The thick mane of lion helps male lion look bigger and also it protects the throat.
• They use their claws to rip and tear prey's flesh and meat.
• They have eyes in front which allow for depth perception and ability to judge distances when stalking or ambushing prey.
• Their sharp sense of smell also helps them to locate their prey..
• They have sharp teeth for eating other animals.

Adaptations in Elephants

• The most distinctive feature of elephant is its trunk. The trunk helps the elephant to pick up food and puts into its mouth, for drinking water.
• The elephant has a strong sense of smell because it uses its trunk as a nose.
• Elephant has big and long pointed teeth called tusks which come out from its closed mouth. They use this to tear off the bark of trees, which it eats as food..They also use this for fighting with their enemies and protecting themselves.
• The elephants has large ears which help them to hear even very soft sound.

Adaptations in a Monkey
Monkeys are adapted for tree-climbing lifestyle. They have following adaptations that help them to live on trees.

• They have forward-looking eyes that enable them see distances below from great heights.
• They also have hands and feet that allow them to grip on trees as well as opposite-matching fingers and toes that allow them to wrap their hands or feet around objects or tree branches for a firm grip. This ability allows them to be agile and to avoid predators.
• The highly developed brains of monkeys allows them to make mental maps of food locations and knowing when the fruits will be ripe and therefore ready for food.
• They also are able to grip food with their hands like humans. Some monkeys also have special tails that serve as a fifth limb when gripping food.

Adaptations in a lion-tailed Macaques

• The body of a lion-tailed macaque is covered with long, black hairs. They have silvery manes grown around their faces grow and also have balls of fur at the tips of their tails. These characteristics give them somewhat similar characteristics to lions.
• Lion-tailed macaques spend majority of their lives in the treetops where they will find food and safety. Their diet consists of fruits, nuts, seeds, leaves and insects. They are good climbers and only come down when they do not find food.

New World monkeys
These are small to mid-sized primates, ranging from 16 cm to 70 cm in length. Their weight varies from 190 g to 15 kg. Their noses are flatter and they have side-facing nostrils.