Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 3.8 Rhinoceros beetles can be found throughout the tropics. This one is feasting
on the core of a pineapple.
(Photo courtesy of Jacob Holzman Smith.)
Mosquitoes and other disease-carrying insects tend to feed on canopy animals,
and few descend to the forest floor. Some may carry diseases such as malaria, yel-
low fever, and dengue fever among others. Once the forest is cleared, disease-carry-
ing mosquitoes can become a major problem.
Spiders, scorpions, and centipedes are abundant in the Neotropical rainforest.
Wolf spiders have small bodies and long legs; tarantulas have larger bodies. A par-
ticularly large tarantula, the South American goliath, is known to eat birds. Its leg
span can be 7 in (18 cm). It has been observed capturing small birds, as well as
small reptiles. Orb spiders build webs of such strong silk that it has been used in the
production of some safety clothing. The ant spider impersonates an ant by exhibit-
ing ant-like movements and holding its front legs forward to resemble ant antenna.
This provides an effective camouflage to prey on its preferred diet, ants. Social spi-
ders communally build large webs to trap prey.
Scorpions are also present, but rather than bite, they sting. Their sting can be
toxic and irritating, but it is rarely fatal to large vertebrates. Centipedes and milli-
pedes are both common forest creatures. Centipedes are nocturnal predators that
feed on other invertebrates. They have powerful jaws that inflict a painful bite.
They also use poison to subdue their prey. Millipedes are generally active during
the day and feed on soft decomposing plant matter. Some species can reach up to
10 in (27 cm) in length.
The great diversity of plants and animals in the Neotropical rainforest described
above merely provides a glimpse into the complex equatorial biome. Although
