Can Our Rain Forests Be Saved?

Creatures Great and Small

1. Many grasshoppers of the rain forest are painted with gaudy colors. Other insects have such effective camouflage that they are hard to pick out

2. Butterflies are the most noticeable and delicate creatures of the rain forest

3. A band of monkeys scampering from bough to bough is one of the most entertaining sights of the forest

4. Although the jaguar is the undisputed king of the American rain forests, few naturalists ever see one in the wild

5. Delicate orchid blooms adorn the moist cloud forests that carpet tropical mountains

6. There are fewer than 5,000 tigers left in the wild

7. The aptly named rhinoceros beetle of tropical America has fearsome horns but is quite harmless

8. Although gorillas are a protected species, their meat can still be found in African markets. This gentle giant is a vegetarian and roams the forest in family groups

9. Ocelots were almost hunted to extinction for their magnificent pelts

10. Parrots are among the noisiest and most sociable birds of the forest

11. As its huge eyes suggest, the galago forages at night

Return to: Conserving the Creatures of the Forests