Wild colors

(Photo: Annie Griffiths Belt)

A long-tailed red parrot is sipping food in the Amazon rainforest in Brazil. Parrots are famous for their loud cries, four-toe feet and colorful fur.

(Photo: Wolfgang Kaehler / Alamy)

Two white-faced monkey monkeys are playing in the Costa Rica rain forest. Unlike the familiar appearance of animals, most of the species living in the rain forest so far have not been named or analyzed.

(Photo: Medford Taylor)

The red-eyed tree frog was discovered in the Panama rain forest. Their main food is insects. Rainforests have more insects than any other ecosystem.

(Photo: Thomas Marent / Minden Pictures)

Some studies estimate the biomass that ants produce accounts for about 30% of the total biomass in tropical rain forests on Earth, far beyond mammalian biomass. In the picture, two ants cut leaves cutting a piece of leaf in the Manú national forest in Peru.

(Photo: Ed George)

The South American python is resting near the banks of the Venezuelan river. It is an extremely large member of the python family. This python species lives only in South American forests, can reach a length of 29 feet (9 meters), weighs more than 550 pounds (230 kilograms), and has a diameter of over 12 inches (about 30 centimeters).

(Photo: Roy Toft)

Tapirs are endemic to South Central America and Southeast Asia. Although a herd of elephant pigs live in low forests, some live in the north of the Andes, covered with snow and ice. On the photo is a Baird tapir looking for food at Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica.

(Photo: Joel Sartore)

The infamous voracious piranha is only found in South American rivers, especially the Amazon and Orinoco forests. On the photo is a baby piranha in the Pantanal (Brazil) displaying its deadly power: freshly torn teeth flattened in the mouth.

(Photo: Mattias Klum)

The panda is enjoying balsa nectar in Soberania National Park (Panama). It is an endemic species that only lives in rain forests in South and Central America. The resident of this tree has a bear-like appearance and has a monkey-like agility, but they belong to the American panda family.

(Photo: Claus Meyer / Minden Pictures)

The third largest species in the cat family after the lion and tiger is jaguar. They live in the lower tree layer in the rainforests in Brazil. This fearless stalker is hidden in rainforests and swamps from Argentina to northern Mexico.

(Photo: Claus Meyer / Minden Pictures)

Even the world's largest rodent has a tender, tender moment. The South American capybara mouse is nagging its mother in a swamp in Brazil. With an average weight of about 120 pounds (50 kilograms), this giant tropical monster can build houses on the ground or underwater. They eat grasses and plants that live under water.

(Photo: Michael and Patricia Fogden / Minden Pictures)

The green-winged butterfly lives in the dense forests of Central and South America, reaching 6 inches in width (15 centimeters). People can see the gleaming wings of a male from a distance of a thousand yards. On the photo is a female butterfly flying through the cloud forest in Costa Rica.