Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
smaller than the Nile hippo and is rather pig like in appearance. Pygmy hippos
weigh between 350 and 550 lbs (158 and 250 kg), stand about 2.5 ft (0.8 m) at the
shoulder, and are about 5 ft (1.5 m) from head to tail. The pygmy hippo is endemic
to West Africa. They are typically solitary animals, living alone or in pairs. Though
less aquatic than the larger hippos, they are nonetheless very good swimmers.
Their diet consists of roots, fallen fruit, leaves, aquatic plants, succulents, and
grasses. Pygmy hippos are extremely rare because of the large-scale conversion of
the West African rainforest to agriculture, as well as hunting for the illegal bush-
meat trade. They are critically endangered in several countries.
Another large artiodactyl that inhabits the rainforest is the giant forest hog.
Giant forest hogs are mainly diurnal animals preferring forest thickets near water.
They can weigh 390-605 lbs (177-275 kg) and are 6 ft (1.8 m) from snout to tail.
Forest hogs live in groups of 5-15 individuals, roaming the forest for fruits, berries,
leaves, roots, grasses, and other plants as well as eggs and carrion. Giant forest
hogs are rare and are hunted for their meat, which is used for subsistence as well as
commercial trade. Their ivory tusks are also traded. The smaller bush pig is
another member of the pig family present in the rainforest. Bush pigs tend to be
nocturnal and omnivorous.
Forest elephants are the largest herbivore in the rainforest. Forest elephants are
smaller and stockier than African elephants, and their tusks are thinner and
straighter (see Figure 3.12). Forest elephants tend to be browsers, feeding on leaves
and fruit, while the savanna elephant feeds more on grasses. They move through
the forest alone or in small groups. Forest elephants are distributed throughout the
tropical rainforest in Central Africa. Populations are in steep decline due to contin-
ued destruction of habitat as well as hunting. Elephants are important dispersers
for some large-seeded plants. They also damage or kill plants through trampling
and uproot or debark trees and branches when feeding. Through these activities,
they create gaps in the forest canopy that allow light to penetrate to ground level
and stimulate plant growth.
Forest elephants face many threats and need closed forests to survive. When
elephants venture beyond the forest to find food, human-elephant conflicts become
more common. These typically lead to the killing of the trespassing elephant. Ele-
phants are illegally killed for the international ivory trade. Species protection and
conservation of habitat is essential.
Carnivores in the African rainforest include otters and ratels, mongooses, civets
and genets, leopards, and smaller cats. The ratel or honey badger is a medium-size
nocturnal predator that is skunk like in appearance with a large white stripe across
its back. Ratels live in burrows. Their diet consists of small vertebrates as well as
bulbs and shoots.
The mongoose family consists of genets, civets, and mongooses. All are me-
dium-size terrestrial carnivores that eat insects and small vertebrates although some
include fruit in their diet. Genets are cat-like nocturnal mammals that hunt both on
the ground and in trees. Civets are more fox like in appearance and strictly
