Reptiles of the Rainforest
© 2014, Brandon Cornett | All rights reserved | Duplication prohibited
Tropical rainforests offer a tremendous amount of biodiversity, more so than any other regions on the planet. There are more plants, animals and insects found in these tropical regions than anywhere else. And with high humidity and warm temperatures, the rainforests are also perfectly suited for many different reptile species.
In this article, we will look at some of the fascinating lizards and snakes that live in the rainforest regions of our planet. Some of the most interesting reptiles come from this area, so you're sure to learn some neat facts by the time you read this article.
What is a Rainforest Anyway?
A rainforest is exactly what it sounds like. It's a type of forest that receives a lot of annual rainfall. More than half of all the species on Earth live within rainforest regions, though the regions themselves make up only a small part of the planet. So they are relatively small areas that are packed with biodiversity. That's what makes the rainforests such a special place -- the kinds of places that are worth preserving!
Rainforests exist in several parts of the world. They can be found in certain parts of Australia, Africa, South America, and Southeast Asia. From a geography and climatology angle, most of these places have two things in common: (1) they are near the equator, and (2) they receive a high amount of rainfall each year. And, of course, there's also the rich diversity of wildlife that makes these areas unique.
Image: Locations of key rainforests around the globe. Click to enlarge
As you would imagine, there are thousands of reptile species that live in the rainforest areas of Earth. Snakes, lizards, turtles and various types of Crocodilia can all be found in these lush forest regions. So let's take a look at some of the most interesting species.
Types of Lizards That Live There
Lizards are among the most diverse animals on the planet. Consider, for example, the difference between a tiny gecko and the massive Komodo dragon. They are both lizards, but they are dramatically different in terms of their appearance, behavior and diet. There is also a wide variety of lizards in the rainforest regions of the planet. Here are some interesting species that be found in these rich ecosystems:
Madagascar Day Gecko
sMadagascar is an island nation off the southeastern coast of Africa. It's also an area that offers rainforest habitat for many different lizard species (and other reptiles). The Madagascar day gecko is one of the smaller lizards that can be found on this island.
Photo licensed to Reptile Knowledge
The Tokay gecko (scientific name Gekko gecko) is a beautifully colored lizard that can be found across much of India and Southeast Asia. This nocturnal lizard spends most of its time in the trees, which gives it some degree of protection from ground-dwelling predators. Like many nocturnal reptiles of the rainforests, it has large eyes with vertical pupils. This is the second-largest species of gecko. This lizard has a very distinctive mating call, which can be heard for a long way. You can hear its call by clicking the "play" button on this page.
Photo by Manfred Werner (License)
This colorful lizard lives on the island of Madagascar, where there is plenty of tropical forest habitat for tree-dwelling reptiles. The panther chameleon (Furcifer pardalis) hunts insects with a highly specialized tongue that can shoot out to twice its body length. The males are usually larger and more colorful than the females. You can learn more about these lizards in the chameleon page on our website.
We will be adding more rainforest lizards to this page soon.
Part 2: Interesting Snakes of the Rainforest
Some of the most fascinating (and highly evolved) snakes live in the rainforest regions of the world. The climate has a lot to do with this, as does the abundance of prey. Some rainforest snakes are fast-moving arboreal species that hunt lizards and birds out of the treetops, while others are "sit and wait" ambush predators. Here are some of the interesting species that can be found in these forests.
Can you guess why this snake is called the eyelash viper? It shouldn't take you long. This rainforest reptile has a specialized scale over each eye that looks a lot like an eyelash. The purpose of this scale is not fully known, but some biologists believe it functions as camouflage by disrupting the visible shape of the snake's head. These snakes occur in many different color variations, but the scale over the eye always identifies it as an eyelash viper (Bothriechis schlegelii). It can be found throughout much of Central and South America.
Photo licensed to Reptile Knowledge
This snake is a classic ambush predator, as you might have guessed by its heavy body and excellent camouflage. The Gaboon viper can be found in the rainforests of central and western Africa. It has the longest fangs of any venomous snake, which allows it to deliver large amounts of venom in a single bite. It is potentially dangerous, like any highly venomous snake, but is not usually aggressive toward humans. You can learn more from this species profile page.
Green Tree Python
This beautiful serpent is native to rainforest and other high-humidity regions of Indonesia, New Guinea and northern Australia. The green tree python can often be found in the position you see below, perched on a branch with its body evenly distributed for balance. This is the classic "pose" of the tree python. These snakes are actually red, yellow or orange when they are born. They turn green later in life.
Photo by Micha L. Rieser (License)
Interesting fact: The green tree python looks nearly identical to the emerald tree boa (Corallus caninus), and they both drape themselves over branches in the same way. They both change color from juvenile to adult stage, too. And yet, the two species exists on different continents (the tree boa is from South America). This natural "coincidence" is known as convergent evolution.
Fer-de-lance / Terciopelo
I call this the snake of many names. People who encounter it in the wild call it a good reason to wear boots! This is by far one of the most dangerous snakes in Central and South America, due to a combination of venom strength and aggressive behavior. The snake is usually called "fer-de-lance" in North America and "terciopelo" in Latin America. Terciopelo means velvet in Spanish. It's scientific name is Bothrops asper.
Photo by Al Coritz (License)
Pop Quiz: Why is the fer-de-lance such a dangerous snake? While highly venomous, it is not the most venomous snake in the world. Here's the answer. This species causes a lot of deaths in South America each year, as the result of several factors: (1) it often lives near people, (2) it has a highly potent venom, (3) it is quick to strike when it feels threatened, and (4) people who are bitten by this snake are often far away from medical treatment. Put these things together, and you have a lot of human fatalities.
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