There are a great variety of forests around the world, each one with its particular characteristics and different ecosystems, but abundant vegetation predominates in all of them and acts as the lungs of planet Earth. In these places it is possible to find different organisms with very particular and impressive characteristics, but they all have in common the ability to adapt to all the extreme changes that occur there.
Do you want to know 12 animals that live in the forest? Then you can't miss this article on our site!
1. Grizzly
The brown bear, or Ursus arctos, is a huge forest animal that is characterized by its thick, thick and robust fur of brown, although it has cream and even black tones. It has a large head, its strong legs are capable of moving large rocks, and its small eyes are similar in color to its fur.
Despite its fierce appearance similar to that of carnivores, the brown bear is an omnivorous animal that feeds almost entirely on plants and fruits, although it uses its large jaw and huge claws to defend itself against the Predators. Inhabits the forests of North America, Europe and Asia and hibernates in the winter.
As a fun fact, brown bears are plantigrade, which means they stand on their hind legs.
two. Owl
The owl (Bubo bubo) is a mostly nocturnal animal characterized by its acute visionand its large size, as it reaches 1.7 meters in length when it spreads its wings. It is considered the most intelligent bird in the world and lives up to 60 years.
As for its appearance, the owl has large eyes protected by three eyelids, as well as abundant plumage of varied shades and 14 vertebrae in its neck that allow it to rotate at an angle of 360 degrees. It is an animal that lives in temperate forests and semi-desert areas Its diet consists of small animals such as squirrels, rats, frogs, among others.
3. Jaguar
The jaguar, or Panthera onca, is another of the animals that live in the forest that you should know about. It is a feline that is only found in the forests of the American continent, where it has become one of the dominant predators. It is a carnivorous animal and catches its prey with its huge claws and strong jaw, capable of going through almost anything.
The jaguar is a very solitary animal, except during mating season. She has 2 to 4 pups per litter and they stay with their mother for up to two years.
In the Aztec culture, the jaguar represented courage, strength, and courage, which is why the great warriors were given the title of "jaguar warrior".
4. Raccoon
The raccoon (Procyon cancrivorus) is a forest animal that lives near rivers. Its fur is gray on the back, with white tones on the legs and dark stripes on the tail. In addition, he has a kind of dark mask around his eyes.
It is an omnivorous animal, so it feeds on fruits, vegetables, frogs and small insects. It prefers the night to catch its prey, as it has an excellent view It is also a solitary animal and forms short bonds when it comes to having young, as the males they interact with them for just over a month.
5. Giant panda
The giant panda, or Ailuropoda melanoleuca, is a temperate forest animal characterized by its black and white fur, making it special to look at. He has an excellent sense of hearing and smell, but his vision is poor. She measures up to 1 meter 80 centimeters and weighs 150 kilograms
The favorite food of these furry animals is bamboo, which represents almost their entire diet, although some also consume small insects and even mice. Their character is very calm and they tend to sleep practically all day long in the temperate forests where they live.
6. Tiger
The tiger (Panthera tigris) is considered the largest feline in the world It is very agile and has great skills, since it has a excellent vision that allows it to identify its prey at great distances, even at night. In addition, it can swim and capture prey in the water.
The tiger is a carnivore and its main prey is deer, buffalo, crocodiles, fish, birds, reptiles and even bears. It is a territorial mammal, so it attacks immediately if it detects any intruder. It is an animal that lives in the forests and grasslands of East and Southeast Asia.
7. Deer
The deer, or Cervus elaphus, is a mammal that inhabits mixed forests, although it is also found in valleys and cold areas such as the Artic. It is characterized by its huge antlers made of bone, which it uses to mark territory and defend itself against other animals, despite the fact that they do not leave fatal wounds.
The body of the deer has strong and flexible extremities, as well as long legs that allow it to function on the ground. It feeds on leaves, bark and grass.
8. Lynx
The lynx (Lynx rufus) is a feline that inhabits European forests It has a stocky body, a short tail and a light-colored coat brown or yellowish in color. It is carnivorous and hunts using its large claws; Their main prey are deer, birds, hares and fish, as they are excellent swimmers. The lynx is not a fast runner, so it uses ambush and silent surprise to catch its prey.
It lives up to 15 years in its natural habitat and 25 years in captivity.
9. Woodpecker
The woodpecker, or Colaptes melanochloros, is a bird with a long beak that it uses to pierce the trunk of trees and different wooden surfaces in order to extract all kinds of insects. Its plumage is black with white, brown and green tones, as well as a characteristic red crest.
The woodpecker is one of the animals that live in temperate forests of large trees.
10. Gorilla
The gorilla (Troglodytes gorilla) is a primate with dark fur that inhabits the coastal forests of the African continent. Males weigh up to 190 kilograms and are 2 meters tall, while females are 1.6 meters long and weigh around 90 kilograms.
The gorilla has strong and long limbs, the upper ones being much larger than the lower ones. It feeds on fruits and leaves.
eleven. Tasmanian devil
The Tasmanian devil, or Sarcophilus harrisii, is a small marsupial that inhabits the dark forests of Tasmania. It is characterized by emitting a loud screech that can be heard several kilometers away, as well as small eyes and sharp teeth that made the first settlers call it a "demon".
The Tasmanian devil has nocturnal habits and is carnivorous It feeds on carrion, although it sometimes eats some fruits or plants. Despite its small size, it is a very clever animal, as it climbs tree branches easily and quickly.
12. Forest Frog
The forest frog (Lithobates sylvaticus) is a small amphibian that is only 51 millimeters long. It is an animal that lives in the forests and wetlands where fresh water prevails. Its body can be dark brown, black or green.
The forest frog is extremophilous, which means that it withstands low temperatures to the limit of freezing and surviving. As soon as it comes out of this freezing stage, it looks for a mate to reproduce with. It feeds on all kinds of insects that it catches with its tongue.
