Who lives in our trees?

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Trees are the lungs of our planet, they give us oxygen, store carbon, stabilise the soil and give life to the world's wildlife.

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Who lives in our trees?

Watch this Discovery Education video and find out who lives in our trees.

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The Knick-Knack Tree and his friends have set us challenges and given us things to think about when investigating who lives our trees.

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Arborial Animal Facts

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Arboreal animals are creatures who spend the majority of their lives in trees ...

Many different types of animals can be found living in the trees, including birds, mammals, arachnids, insects, reptiles and amphibians.

Trees are critical for birds in many ways, and they meet all birds' basic needs for survival. ... Shelter: Thick branches and leaves provide shelter for birds in all weathers, and many birds roost in trees. Nesting Sites: Many cavity-nesting birds will drill holes in trees to nest, while others build nests on branches.

Colobus Monkey

There are thousands of species that live in trees, including monkeys, koalas, squirrels, sloths, various rodents, parrots, chameleons, geckos, tree snakes and a variety of insects.

In trees, animals can avoid predators that only live on the ground. This makes them feel safe, as many predators can't reach the treetops.

SPIDERS

They might not be the most loved animal, but spiders are pretty special. They are air-breathing arthropods with eight legs and special glands for producing strong and sticky webs. Some species of spider thrive in woodland habitats, decorating trees with their webs and prowling wood edges and canopies for a tasty morsel.

Trees are often teeming with insect life. You only have to look at the number of birds that feed in the trees to know that. Some insect will only live on certain types of tree. If there are flowers on the trees then make sure you have a look for insects flying from flower to flower, feeding on nectar and pollen.

Snakes ...

The constant warmth and humidity of tropical rain forests provide an ideal habitat where snakes can live without having to shelter from heat or cold. Snakes of the rain forest are well adapted to an arboreal or tree-dwelling existence.

Lizards ...

Most lizards live on the ground, but others can be found making their home in a tree. Tree dwellers have special toes: long with sharp claws or short and wide, this helps them grip to the tree bark. They often have a prehensile tail for grasping thin branches.

Amphibians such as frogs usually keep close to bodies of water, where their skin can stay moist. In tropical rainforests however, the air is full of moisture, which enables them to occupy a much wider range. Not surprisingly, frogs are mostly found in trees, relatively safe from predators.

Arboreal Animal Facts

Reversible feet

Some arboreal animals such as squirrels have evolved highly mobile ankle joints that permit rotating the foot into a 'reversed' posture to control descent, especially down large diameter branches. This allows the claws to hook into the rough surface of the bark, opposing the force of gravity.

Investigate Kiddle for more amazing arboreal animal facts.

Crossing gaps

Branches are not continuous, and any arboreal animal must be able to move between gaps in the branches, or even between trees. This can be accomplished by reaching across gaps, by leaping across them or gliding between them.

Balance

Due to the height of many branches and the potentially disastrous consequences of a fall, balance is of primary importance to arboreal animals. On horizontal and gently sloped branches, the primary problem is tipping to the side due to the narrow base of support. The narrower the branch, the greater the difficulty in balancing a given animal faces.

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Gripping

Frictional gripping is used by primates, relying upon hairless fingertips. Squeezing the branch between the fingertips generates frictional force that holds the animal's hand to the branch. Animals other than primates that use gripping in climbing include the chameleon, which has mitten-like grasping feet, and many birds that grip branches in perching or moving about.

Arboreal animals have evolved many adaptations to keep them safe and live a life among the trees. Here are some of the adaptations for you to investigate ...