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We often associate trees as the preferred habitat for birds. However, birds are not the only animals that live in trees. In fact, there is a great diversity of animals that spend their days in the treetops. There they find their place of refuge, reproduction, nesting and many times that same tree is the source of their food. For this reason, from Ecologist Verde we will teach you 25 animals that live in trees and we encourage you to continue reading this interesting and curious article.
Koala
When we think about which are the animals that live in the trees beyond the birds, quite possibly the koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) be the first to come to our thoughts. This great animal is endemic to Australia and it is one of the animals that lives in the eucalyptus forests. It precisely uses the trunk of this plant species as shelter and its leaves as food. Regarding their behavior, they are generally calm and are mostly active at night.
We advise you to read these other posts about Is the koala in danger of extinction? and The 10 Rarest Animals in Australia.
Wallace's Flying Frog
Yes, as its name indicates, this peculiar frog, whose scientific name is Rhacophorus nigropalmatus, is able to fly, or rather to glide. Incredible!. It is a species of frog that has large, webbed legs and hands, which allows it to glide through the trees. It is curious that it only descends to the surface in the breeding season. This frog is one of the animals that live in the jungle of Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia.
Giant woodpecker
Like the other species of woodpecker, the giant woodpecker (Campephilus magellanicus) depends on trees to live. This particular species inhabits the humid forests of Patagonia south of Argentina and Chile. As for their requirements, the giant woodpecker needs mature trees with thick trunks, in which they develop cavities for their nests. In addition, with its typical movement that hits the trunk of the tree with its beak, it obtains its food: larvae, insects and small vertebrates.
In these other posts you can discover more animals from these countries: Native animals from Argentina and 40 native animals from Chile.
Lazy
The lazy one (Bradypus variegatus), this charismatic animal that inhabits the jungles of Central and South America, passes the most of the day in the treetops feeding from their leaves. It only descends to the ground to defecate or to move from one tree to another. Although his movements are very clumsy on land, it turns out that he is a great swimmer.
Iguanas
There are only two species within the genus Iguana: the green iguana (Iguana iguana) found in Central and South America, and the Caribbean iguana (Iguana delicatissima) which, as its name suggests, is native to the Caribbean.
Although both species spend some time on the surface or in bodies of water, they are considered arboreal animals, that is to say that they live in the trees, since being reptiles they are cold-blooded animals and they need to climb towards the apex of the trees to sun themselves and climb or maintain a proper body temperature.
Spiders
Many of the species of spiders that have arboreal habits. An example is the spider scientifically known as Poecilotheria metallica, What is it native to southern India. This particular spider takes advantage of holes in tree trunks where it develops its spider webs and spends much of the day. Their diet is based on ingesting insects, preferably crickets.
We advise you to read about The importance of spiders.
Tree swift
The tree swiftHemiprocne comata) is a bird that lives in the jungles of Southeast Asia. Like common swifts, they hunt for food in mid-flight, but differ from them by building their nests high in the trees and also by perching on the branches. This is the reason for its name, tree swift.
Binturong
Continuing in Southeast Asia, there is the binturong (Arctictis binturong), a carnivorous mammal with a particular appearance that resembles weasels and bears. It has an anatomy completely adapted to the life in the trees: short and strong legs, prehensile tail, large claws and a lot of flexibility.
Cape snake
The Cape snake or boomslang (Dispholidus typus) is a species of snake found on the African continent. It has a bright green coloration with different shades throughout its body. They are characterized by being large, and can reach 1.5 meters in length. They are mainly of arboreal and diurnal habits.
Tree kangaroos
The genus Dendrolagus groups around 13 species of tree kangaroos. All of them present an anatomy adapted to arboreal life. Their movements on the ground are clumsy and slow, while their movements in the trees are agile and fast. Its long tail also stands out from its anatomy, especially in specimens of the species Dendrolagus lumholtzi, a tree kangaroo that lives in the forests of Queensland, Australia.
Other animals that live in trees
Next, we will list more animals that live in trees:
- Orangutans (I put spp.)
- Gibbon (Hoolock hoolock)
- Siberian flying squirrel (Pteromys volans)
- American owlBubo virginianus)
- Borneo Clouded Panther (Neofelis diardi)
- Pygmy anteater (Cyclopes didactylus)
- Northern tree lizard (Urosaurus ornatus)
- Aye Aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis)
- Mexican porcupine (Sphiggurus mexicanus)
- Snails of the genus Achantinella
- Amazon tree boa (Corallus hortulanus)
- Mushroom tongue salamander (Bolitoglossa engelhardti)
- Howler monkeyAlouatta palliata)
- Terrestrial arboreal lizard (Abronia graminea)
- Chubby Tree Frog (Litoria caerulea)
If you want to read more articles similar to Animals that live in trees, we recommend that you enter our category of Animal Curiosities.
