10 Remarkable Animals Found in the Rainforest

Jaguar

Jaguars, the specters of the rainforests of Central and South America, are the apex predator in their home range. They are the largest feline to inhabit the Americas, and the third largest in the world behind the tiger and the lion. Both male and female jaguars roar when they want to find each other to mate. The sound is similar to that of a saw cutting through wood, but as the WWF says, "with the saw only moving in one direction."

Though most cats are known for having an aversion to water, jaguars, like tigers, are an exception. They're strong swimmers and can cross wide bodies of water. Though jaguars can be found in other ecosystems, they are perfectly adapted to the rainforest and are as comfortable in the water as they are on land.

Okapi

Looking a bit like a cross between a zebra and an antelope, the okapi has even been confused for a unicorn. But the unusual looking okapi is actually a member of the giraffe family. These beautiful, elusive creatures inhabit the rainforests of Central Africa. They spend most of their time grazing leaves, buds, grasses, ferns, and fruit with their exceptionally long, agile, and sticky tongues. Their tongues are so dexterous that they are able to use them to thoroughly wash their eyelids and their large ears inside and out. It has short oily fur that helps to waterproof it in the wet rainforest, and its lower-body stripes help it to camouflage amid the foliage.

Amazon River Dolphin

The Amazon River dolphin, or boto, is one of only five living species of river dolphins on the planet, and it is the world's largest, weighing up to 350 pounds in some cases. This dolphin occupies the murky waters of the Amazon and Orinoco basins of South America, and is frequently found swimming among the trees in the flooded forest. The species is also often referred to as the "pink dolphin," due to the occasional pink hue of its skin. It's considered to be a "relatively abundant freshwater cetacean with an estimated population in the tens of thousands," though dams and pollution do threaten them in certain regions.

Glass Frog

These remarkable see-through frogs, found throughout the rainforests of Central and South America, have skin so translucent that you can see the plants around them through their body. Britannica says, "An observer can see the heart pumping blood into the arteries and food moving through the gut." This unusual feature protects the glass frog from predators, who often don’t notice these arboreal frogs in the forest. More than 100 species of this amazing family of amphibians are believed to exist.

Cassowary

Found in the rainforests of New Guinea and northeastern Australia, these colorful flightless birds look like flamboyant ostriches wearing razor-like helmets. They are three species of cassowaries, with the Southern cassowary holding the title for the largest, at four to five and half feet tall. Unlike many other bird species, it's the female cassowary, rather than the male, that is typically more brightly colored. They can also be dangerous, with Scientific American saying they're known to kill humans, usually with puncture wounds, lacerations, and bone fractures.

Marmoset

These tiny monkeys from the rainforests of South America might be the cutest primates of all time. Common marmosets, which almost look like squirrels, are adaptable and have been able to thrive in habitats outside of their normal range. Due in part to their adaptation of claws instead of nails, marmosets are able to live in a variety of forest types. They eat insects, fruit, tree sap, and small animals. At least 51 species of marmosets are known to exist, each with eccentric variations of fuzzy coats. Even more adorable, they almost always give birth to twins. Having a single baby is about as common as triplets.

Sun Bear

The sun bear, the smallest species of bear in the world, inhabits the tropical rainforests of Southeast Asia. It weighs between 60 and 150 pounds. It is one of only two species of bear in the world that has adapted to life in the jungle (the other is South America's spectacled bear), and it is the only bear that lives almost exclusively in the trees, sleeping in nests made of twigs and leaves. The sun bear gets its name from the distinctive U-shaped orange marking on its chest, which some say looks like a rising sun.

Anaconda

Found in the rainforests and floodplains of South America, the anaconda is the largest snake species in the world. It can reach a length of 30 feet and weigh up to 550 pounds. Though it's non-venomous, it is capable of killing a grown man by constriction—though such attacks are extremely rare. Its semi-aquatic lifestyle is part of what allows the anaconda to grow to such a massive size, and the snake is known to be an excellent swimmer. They eat many different creatures, from peccaries (wild pigs) to tapirs to capybaras.

Siamang

Siamangs are black-furred apes native to the forests of Southeast Asia and the largest species of gibbon in the world. They are particularly distinctive for their large balloon-like throat pouch, which they use for making loud, whooping calls. These calls are unmistakable in the dense jungle and are meant to establish territorial boundaries between rival groups. Grooming is an essential social activity for siamangs. The dominant animals in a social group receive the most grooming; during breeding season, adult males groom females. They are one of the few primates known to form permanent pairs.

Matamata Turtle

The matamata might be the most unusual looking species of turtle in the world. Found in the rainforests of the Amazon and Orinoco basins, this large sedentary reptile is characterized by its triangular, flattened head and shell. Flaps of skin also seem to dangle from its neck and head, almost like damp leaves. In fact, the odd shape of the matamata's shell is believed to resemble a piece of bark, offering the turtle camouflage from predators and prey in its habitat. It uses its pointy snout like a snorkel to breathe, which allows it to minimize movement and evade detection. These turtles can weigh as much as 38 pounds, the size of a four-year-old child.