Tropical birds are common in the tropical dry forest and are commonly found in watering holes during the drought season. Birds have the ability to cover long distances during the drought season to gain access to streams, ponds or other water bodies. Birds like parrot, hummingbird, parakeet, tanager, motmot and cuckoo can thrive in a dry forest biome.
The tropical dry forest provides a refuge for a variety of mammals, such as the rhinoceros, giraffe, and monkeys. Although the Southern White Rhino is commonly believed to exist only in grasslands, it appears in tropical dry forests in Africa. The Southern White Rhino eats dry grasses and can go several days without water which makes it suited to surviving the drought season experienced in the tropical dry forest.
Giraffes also live in the tropical dry forest and are well suited for dryer regions because they can still reach food during long droughts by extending their necks to reach leaves. Other mammals in the tropical dry forest include the howler monkey and ocelots.
Dry forests are often home to a variety of amphibians such as frogs, reptiles like snakes and iguanas, and other animals. During the long dry season, amphibians often come to the banks of dry rivers. In January, the frogs again seek mates when the rain returns. Amphibians and reptiles bask in the heat and are opportunistic feeders with a primarily herbivorous diet. Animals like the black iguana are most often found among large trees, on rocky open slopes and stone walls.
The dry forest is home to insects like fruit flies, ants and the kissing bug. Insects that live in the dry forest often burrow deep into the mud or into chambers to sleep and reduce not only their metabolism, but also their need for water. When the rain returns to the dry forest, they wake and return to the surface to eat, drink, and breed. Insects also remain a source of food for other animals in the dry forest, such as monkeys and birds.
