Rain forest insects include numerous species of ants, such as army ants and leaf cutters. Many of them have poisonous bites or stings. Invertebrates such as centipedes, leeches and millipedes are also common. According to Dr. Gerald R. Urquhart of Michigan State University, several million different species of beetles are thought to live in tropical rain forests. Some of those identified as of 2011 are rhinoceros beetles, longhorn beetles, leaf beetles, ground beetles and aquatic beetles.
Tigers, officially classed as endangered in 1969 can still be found in rain forests in India, Sumatra, Indochina and Siberia. Jaguars, which were put on the endangered species list in 1972, hunt the forest floor at night. Leopards, smaller than tigers and jaguars, are found in rain forests from Africa to Asia. They are critically endangered in central Asia but relatively abundant in Africa. Pumas and ocelots, the latter only about the size of a domestic cat, can be found in forests in Central and South America. Both are listed as endangered.
The mongoose thrives in rain forests in South America, southeast Asia and the Pacific. They feed on eggs, insects, birds and snakes. Armadillos, which are protected from predators by bony plates, can be found in South and Central America rain forests. Armadillos eat a diet of predominantly insects but may also eat small animals, bird eggs, roots, fruits and carrion.
Rain forest snakes include boas constrictors such as South America's red-tailed boa and the Ecuadorian boa of Ecuador. These large snakes can also be found in deserts, but prefer tropical rain forests where they will sometimes occupy the burrows of other mammals. Ground-dwelling lizards include numerous chameleons and geckos as well as the giant Komodo dragon. Amphibian residents include colorful frogs and toads such as the blue poison arrow frog, yellow-banded poison frog, the tomato frog, red poison dart frog, horned toad and Amazonian leaf toad.
Omnivorous pigs in this environment include wild boars and babirusa. The babirusa is found in the Indonesian rain forest. The males have tusks that grow vertically through the upper jaw and curve back to its eyes. The lower canine teeth also grow extremely long, creating a second set of tusks. The okapi is an equally strange-looking animal that resembles a striped deer. Its closest relative is the giraffe. The okapi lives in clearings on the rain forest floor in Africa.
