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Forests are one of the most important parts of the biosphere and, specifically, those with a temperate climate occupy a large part of these types of terrestrial ecosystems. However, within this category are various types of temperate forests and all of them are home to an immense amount of biodiversity.
As it is important to know what animals are in our environment and this is one of the most common ecosystems, at Ecologista Verde we tell you what animals live in the temperate forest, offering several examples in a list and photographs throughout the article. For example, in the main image, we can see a gray fox, a moose, a cardinal and a possum, some of the temperate forest animals more common.
What is the temperate forest
Before looking at a list of the temperate climate animals that inhabit forests of this type, it is convenient to have a little more than temperate forest information, such as knowing what exactly the temperate forest is and where it is located.
These forests are those that are located in the temperate climate areas of the planet, in both hemispheres of this. There are several different types of these ecosystems and they differ by the type of vegetation and fauna that they harbor, for example, there are deciduous trees and there are conifers; later we will explain the different types better.
In these forests there is usually abundant rainfall, that is, they are areas where it rains a lot. There are always moderate temperatures because, remember, they are in the areas with the most temperate climate on the planet. This means that in these ecosystems the different seasons of the year are very marked. Because the seasons are well differentiated, there are a variety of animals that migrate and there are also those that hibernate during winters, especially when they are quite cold.
In this other article we will tell you much more about the Characteristics of the temperate forest, its flora and fauna.
Types of temperate forests
As we have mentioned above, there are several temperate forest types that can be differentiated by slight variations in their climate, which will never become extreme, and by the type of flora and fauna they harbor. Thus, temperate forests can be classified as follows:
Temperate hardwood forest
They are forests with broad-leaved trees and of which there are subtypes that are classified according to their climate:
- Temperate deciduous forest or aestisilva: It has a humid continental climate, so it has rains in summer but is quite dry during winter.
- Humid temperate forest or laurel forest: it is also known as laurifolio forest or as temperate forest. Its climate is oceanic and in these wooded areas it rains all year round.
- Mediterranean or Durisilva forest: As its name suggests, it is an area with a Mediterranean climate, which is dry in summer but rainy in winter.
- Montane or nimbosilva forest: It has a humid mountain climate and is at the height of tropical and subtropical areas, although due to its altitude its climate is temperate and not really tropical.
Temperate coniferous forest
Also called temperate aciculisilva forest or dry coniferous forest. The leaves are acicular, needle-shaped, and the climate is somewhat less humid than the previous ones.
Mixed forest
Its name can give us an idea, and it is that these are wooded areas in which you can find both deciduous hardwoods, such as oak or chestnut, as well as evergreen conifers, such as cypress or pine.
If you want to discover all types of forests according to different classifications, we recommend this other article by Green Ecologist. Now that we have known what a forest of this type is, we will see what is the fauna of temperate forests.
What animals are those that live in the temperate forest
¿What are the animals that live in the temperate forest? Here is a list of examples of temperate forest fauna, from mammals of all kinds to birds, reptiles and amphibians:
- Bay lynx
- African caracal
- Hind Striped Weasel
- Raccoon dog
- Tiger
- Black muntiac
- Argentine gray fox
- Andean fox
- giant panda
- Jaguar
- Jungle cat
- Sheep
- Snow sheep
- Lesser panda
- Grey Fox
- Fox cross
- California Channel Island Fox
- Wild cat
- Asian black bear
- I raised
- Chinese Goral
- Leopard cat
- Glutton
- American jackal
- Red Wolf
- Argali
- Cougar
- Ibex
- Pampas deer
- Eurasian lynx
- Iberian lynx
- Omiltemi Rabbit
- Volcano rabbit
- Little monkey from the Mount
- Opossum
- Kuhl's pipistrelle or light-edged bat
- Common pipistrelle or common or dwarf bat
- Endo’s pipistrelle
- Canary bat
- Asian barbastelle
- Bonin Islands Flying Fox
- Small Japanese horseshoe bat
- Imaizumi's Horseshoe Bat
- Rhesus Macaque
- Barbary monkey
- Wallabies
- Kangaroos
- African elephant
- Caucasian squirrel
- Eurasian beaver
- Eurasian red squirrel
- Flying squirrel
- Long-tailed field mouse
- White-footed mice
- Japanese dormouse
- Michoacan pocket gopher
- Cardinal bird
- American bald eagle
- Turtles (great variety of species)
- Snakes (great variety of species)
- Frogs (great variety of species)
In the images below you can see some of these species.
Hibernation of animals in temperate forest
A feature of the temperate forest fauna is that many practice what is known as dormancy or dormancy. It is a period of time in which animals reduce their physical activity, greatly reducing the rhythm of their body, stopping growth and development among other aspects. There are different types of dormancy, although the best known is the hiebrnation, but there are also diapause, estivation and brumation. Find out in this other Green Ecologist article which animals hibernate and why. Some examples are bears, squirrels, and possums.
Also in these forests we can find that, instead of reducing their rhythm of activity and at a physiological level, there are animals that migrate towards other areas with climates more suitable for them when those of these wooded areas become difficult for their subsistence.
If you want to read more articles similar to What animals live in the temperate forest, we recommend that you enter our Wild Animals category.
