Between the Northern Tropic (Tropic of Cancer) and the Southern (Capricorn) in Africa there is a vast area of forests. Practically in this climatic zone, the change of seasons is hardly noticeable, since the average air temperature and the amount of precipitation are almost always at the same level. Therefore, animals in the tropical zone do not need to migrate in search of places suitable for life. They always have enough food and water, so the animal world of this region is extremely diverse.
What are the animals of the tropical belt - hippos! If you translate this name from the Greek language, they can be called "river horses." This almost three-ton whopper spends most of his life in the water. But swimming a hippo is difficult - with such a figure and weight! Therefore, he simply goes into the water to such a depth as to reach the bottom with his feet, and sinks almost completely.
These amazing tropical animals have nostrils that are equipped with closing membranes, and eyes with protruding overlay. Therefore, even almost completely under water, this colossus vigilantly ensures that no one dares to offend her dear little children - children. And just try to get closer to them! Gentle parents immediately turn into uncontrollable aggressive killers. But at the same time, hippos are extremely peaceful animals. After all, they do not belong to predators and eat only plants and their fruits.
And such predatory and cruel animals of the tropical zone as crocodiles can inspire fear in any mammal. These descendants of ancient dinosaurs have not changed much since those distant times. Despite the fact that these reptiles can move fairly quickly on land, most of their time they still prefer to be in the water. Adults can be under water for almost an hour without floating to the surface.
Crocodiles breed by laying eggs on land in a hole dug near a pond. And while the embryos are in the shell, the mother vigilantly watches them, guarding the masonry. After all, at any time, an evil monitor lizard may appear - a large predatory lizard, which simply loves to feast on the eggs of its closest relatives.
When the time comes for the embryo to come into the world, it breaks the shell with the help of a special device - a horn located on its head. After a while, this growth disappears by itself.
Hatching, the crocodiles race in a hurry to the water. However, danger awaits them everywhere. They are not even immune from such a terrible death as being eaten by their own parent - these cold-blooded predators have absolutely no maternal feelings.
The mouth of the crocodile is “decorated” with huge sharp teeth. But the predator does not need them at all for chewing food, but to kill his prey and tear pieces from it, which he swallows as a whole.
In order for the food product to become softer, the predator often drags the killed prey under water and hides it somewhere under the snag. When he begins to feel hunger, then he takes out a dish from his "storerooms".
Other animals of the rainforest are extremely diverse and amazing: monkeys, loris, tigers, leopards, panthers, giraffes, okapi, tapirs and pachyderms: rhinos and elephants.
Monkeys are especially widely represented here. This is a chimpanzee, and a gorilla, and an orangutan, and a nose, and macaque. Among them are such small species, the cubs of which barely reach the size of the thumb of a human hand. The weight of a large individual can be 70 grams. And there are real giants among the apes, almost under two and a half centners!
Such tropical zone animals are interesting, which can not be found on any other continent, like relatives of giraffes - okapi. These extremely timid herbivores spend most of their lives in shrubbery. Adults reach two meters in height and gain about 250 kilograms of body weight. These animals prefer to live alone, the exception is only mothers raising their cubs.