As I sit here wrapped up in blankets by the fire, drinking hot cocoa, my mind wanders
to warmer, greener places -- tropical lands with rainforests and oceans filled with incredible
creatures.
We've already talked about what's lurking deep in the sea, but what's hiding in the
rainforest?
Rainforests cover 6% of the planet and are home to animals like sloths, toucans and jaguars.
You know about those but what about the others?
50% of the world's species live in rainforests and there are some weird creatures out there.
This is the Potoo bird.
These Central and South American rainforest birds have huge mouths and bulging yellow
eyes.
Yes, they really look like this.
How could something this attention grabbing survive in the rainforest?
Oh, that's how.
These nocturnal birds seemingly transform themselves into tree stumps and branches during
the day.
They blend right in!
Their predators, like monkeys and falcons, mistake the birds grey, brown and black feathers
for tree bark and leave them alone.
Ok, that little guy was cute, but some other creatures in the rainforest could haunt your
worst nightmares.
Meet the Candiru fish.
This Amazonian fish may only be a few centimeters long but it can do some serious damage.
This parasitic little sucker is known to prey on larger fish, forcing itself into their
gills.
Then, the Candiru's spine opens like an umbrella, locking the fish inside, allowing
it to feast on blood from the hosts arteries.
Apparently, it doesn't stop there.
Legend says that these fish swim up the urethra of unsuspecting people bathing in the Amazon
River.
Once it's up there... well, I think you get the idea.
Yeesh!
On to something less horrifying, the Rhinoceros Hornbill!
This incredible bird is found mostly in Southeast Asian rainforests.
That second-beak looking thing is actually hollow and used to attract mates.
Rhinoceros hornbills are monogamous, so when they find a partner, they mate for life.
After finding their sweetheart, the female lays her eggs in a big hole inside a tree.
The two lovebirds then seal the mom and the eggs inside by covering the hole with a paste
made of feces and fruit.
Yuck.
About 75 days later, the mom and chicks burst through the seal ready to explore the real
world.
Talk about an entrance.
Last up are the decoy-building spiders in the Peruvian and Philippine rainforests.
These tiny spiders can be smaller than your pinky nail but they're capable of some pretty
creepy stuff.
They craft huge replicas of themselves in webs using leaves, dead insects and even their
own skin.
Then the real spider hides and shakes the webs to make it look like the decoy spider
is moving when something comes along!
It's thought to be a defense mechanism used to scare away predators.
The rainforest is filled with amazing living things but experts say we're losing 137
species every day.
You heard that right.
The rainforests need our help, and humans need theirs too.
The Amazon alone produces 20% of our oxygen and forests around the world absorb nearly
40% of the CO2 humans produce every year.
Sooo, yeah.
We better figure this out or we're gonna have a lot more CO2 and a lot less oxygen
and also a lot less fun animals like this little guy.
I'm gonna name you Sqwako.
What cool animals have you seen in the rainforest?
Let us know in the comments.
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