Hobbies And Interests
Plants
Rain-forest plants are sometimes less innocuous than they appear. A tree with huge leaves that makes its home in Australia's Daintree Rain Forest, the stinging tree gets its name thanks to the tiny pricks that litter the surface of each of its leaves. Contact with the stinging tree's leaves results in itchy sores on the skin. The fruit of the finger cherry tree should be avoided by individuals who aren't familiar with the correct time to eat these fruit. Eating one at the wrong time of its growth can result in permanent blindness, as noted by the Australia Plants Online website.
Reptiles
Among reptiles, the Gaboon Viper is one to be avoided. This snake lurks in African rain forests, and typically makes its diet out of amphibians and rodents, using its camouflage to spring out on prey. This viper's two-inch fangs dispatch a potent venom, which in some cases can be fatal even to humans. Found amid the waters of the Amazon River, the Black Caiman typically feasts on fish and mammals, but being almost 20 feet in length at full size, this type of crocodile has been known to take on, and eat, humans.
Mammals
The rain forest is dominated by the big cats. The jaguar, for example, is a highly proficient hunter, which can weigh up to 250 pounds. Thanks to its speed, ability to clamber up trees, and large size, the jaguar is feared by many animals as well as by humans. Inhabitants of India, Bengal tigers are fierce predators that leap out at prey after hiding in the forest cover. The Bengal tiger lives on food such as deer and buffalo, and can eat some 60 pounds in one go.
Insects
These small creatures can nonetheless be deadly. The Brazilian wandering spider, for instance, is the most venomous species of spider on the planet, according to the Daily Mail newspaper website, capable of seriously injuring a human with its bite. The poison in this resilient spider's fangs can cause severe swelling of the throat in a person. Mosquitoes are prevalent in many countries across the world, and are dangerous because of the diseases they carry, which include malaria and yellow fever. The disease is spread by the saliva delivered by the creature into the wounds it creates when it bites a victim.