Most of the world's rainforests are located in Central and South America, West and Central Africa, and Southeast Asia. They are very wet areas near the equator that give true meaning to the expression "world of abundance", an expression that reflects on the variety of rainforest animals. Brazil holds 30% of all tropical rainforests that remain on Earth, and they are represented by Amazonia.



The Amazon rainforest animals are part of a big ecosystem sustained by an incredible amount of trees and other plants. Almost every inch is covered with vegetation. Amazonia has 427 species of mammals, 1294 species of birds, 378 of reptiles, 427 amphibians, and 3,000 fish. Among the mammals we can find the jaguar, an incredibly agile animal with a powerful bite, giant otters, the pink dolphin, also called "boto" by the natives, which is one of the three species of dolphins on Earth that live on freshwater, sloths (large and slow moving animals), armadillos, the peculiar tamandua, or anteater, tapirs, which are active mostly at night, manatees - the Amazon species is exclusively vegetarian and also one of the three manatee species in the world, etc. However, the majority of mammals are rodents and bats.

Among the birds, there is the harpy eagle, a great hunter that eats practically all species of mammals found in the Amazon rainforest, even monkeys. Other examples are the toucan, a colorful bird that is the symbol of Amazonia, the hoatzin, a unique bird with a small head and a long neck, hummingbirds, which are quite small and very hyperactive, and many other colorful, pretty birds. Among the reptiles, we can find the famous boa, which has a unique way of killing their prey: they wrap around the prey suffocating it and crashing its bones in order to be able to swallow it as a whole. Crocodiles, alligators, and turtles are also present in the rainforest.

The amphibians are mainly toads, frogs, and tree frogs. For example, the dart poison frog and the giant cane toad, which has got a strong poison that is enough to kill small animals. Among the fish, there is the famous red piranha, a carnivore fish that is known for its voracious appetite, the feared electric eel, and the Pirarucu, which is one of the largest freshwater fish in the world. This amazing fish can weigh up to 150 kg.

These are the most famous rainforest animals in Amazonia, but, crawling around, there are an immense amount of insects. You can find cockroaches as big as the palm of your hand, Rhinoceros beetles and their peculiar horn, Morpho butterflies with their astonishing deep blue wings, and also termites and ants, such as the leaf-cutter ant with its massive, strong jaw. No matter where you look, you will find enchanting and interesting species. After all, that is what rainforests represent: a universe of blooming life.