Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
Other elapids include the green and black mambas, the most dangerous snakes
of the African Rainforest. The black mamba is the largest venomous snake in
Africa. Its extremely potent venom attacks the nervous system and is 100 percent
fatal without antivenom. Black mambas are the fastest snakes in the world and are
able to travel 10-12 mph (16-19 kph) in short bursts. Black mambas live in hollow
insect mounds, abandoned burrows, and rock crevices. During the day, they
actively hunt small mammals, birds, and lizards. Unlike most other snakes, mam-
bas will strike repeatedly if cornered; they have reportedly brought down giraffes
and lions with their venom.
The African rainforest is home to a few tortoises and aquatic turtles, including
the serrated hinged-back and Home's hinged-backs tortoise, soft-shelled turtles,
and side-necked turtles. The number of turtles found in the African rainforest is
one-fourth of that found in the Neotropics.
Lizards are perhaps the most common reptiles in the African rainforest. Moni-
tor lizards, agamas, skinks, legless lizards, chameleons, and geckos live in the rain-
forest. Their food is chiefly invertebrates, but some will eat soft leaves from young
plants. Some lizards have developed the ability to drop their tail when caught by
an attacking predator; this allows the lizard to escape while its predator is left with
the small prize of part of the lizard's tail. The lizard later regrows its tail.
Monitor lizards are the largest lizard in the rainforest, with some 20 species
occurring in Africa. The Nile monitor lizard can grow to 6.5 ft (2 m), eating croco-
dile babies and eggs. Agamas, also known as Old World iguanas, are widespread
throughout Africa and Asia. The tropical rainforest is home to several genera that
have adapted to life in the warm, wet forest. Agamas are diurnal, relatively large
with scaly, spiky bodies and large heads. Most male agamas have brightly colored
heads. Skinks all have shiny bodies and long tails. They are fast moving and live on
the forest floor. Four legless lizards also occur in tropical Africa.
Geckos are yet another type of lizard. They are small, mostly nocturnal, with
soft pale yellow and almost transparent skin. Geckos have toepads with minute
hooks that allow them to cling to irregular surfaces. Unlike most lizards, geckos
emit sounds such as chirps and barks. Their main diet is insects.
Chameleons differ from lizards in shape and size. They are slow-moving rep-
tiles that live in trees and bushes. Their heads are large with rotating eyes that can
move in all directions independently of each other. Along with their prehensile tail,
their feet wrap around branches, allowing them a firm grip. Chameleons are best
known for the ability to blend into their environment. They can change color, turn-
ing from green to brown or brown to yellow, to blend in with the surroundings.
Over half of all chameleons are found in Madagascar.
Every part of the African rainforest has its unique community of frogs. Tree
frogs are abundant in all rainforests, where they spend most of their time in the
trees and shrubs. They differ widely in color, from brown and green, to bright col-
ors with black striping. Tree frogs have sticky discs on their toes, adaptations to life
in the trees. They lay their eggs in foam nests between branches or on tall reeds (see
