The animals that don’t live on the ground or sky! The animals that spend most of their lives in the trees are known as arboreal animals. They are blesses with different abilities or specific body parts to survive on trees. For instance, some have long and strong tails to grip on branches, whereas others can climb, or cling with curved claws or sticky feet). Isn’t it really surprising lifestyle? Get ready to join us on a journey to explore the fascinating lives of the top 10 animals that live in trees!
1. Sloth
Sloths are among the pop culture icons, also being one of slowest moving animals that live in trees. They live in Central and South America, where most of their lifespan is spent in the trees or swimming in freshwater lakes, or rivers. They love to be on trees and come to ground very seldom!
Sloth, one of the slowest animals in the world, climb high into the trees through their strong front claws and since they are arboreal animals, they come down from trees just once a week! With bristly-looking grey body hair, sloths live in trees and perform every activity of their life on trees, e.g they feed, sleep, rest, and mate, even give birth in the trees!
2. Orangutan
With an average weight around 80 – 90 kilograms, orangutans are one of the largest mammals that live in trees. They are found only in the rain forests of the Southeast Asian islands of Borneo and Sumatra, where they spend almost whole of their lives in trees, while swinging or building nests!
They can’t survive without trees as clear from their name, “orangutan” which means ‘man of the forest’! They are also known as “king of the trees”. They have long and powerful arms, flexible limbs, and prehensile tails which help them in swinging through trees.
3. Gibbon
Gibbons are those primates that spend most of their life in the upper and middle levels of the trees. That’s why they are sometimes also termed as “arboreal ape”. They spend their lifetime of 20 – 30 years on the trees of the tropical rainforests in Asia.
They have long arms, slender limbs, branch-gripping thumbs, lack of a tail and flexible bodies. These non-flying mammals are best known for their unique way of moving, which is called “brachiation.” One of the most interesting fact about gibbons is their song performance, which lasts for 22.5 minutes!
4. Spider Monkey
As clear from the name, spider monkey is among the top 10 animals that live in trees. This species of monkey is almost entirely arboreal because they come down the floor very rarely. They have prehensile tails, long arms, hook-like hands and slim bodies. Their long tails are strong enough that it can easily bear the weight of a mother with her newborn, hanging on a tree!
Spider monkeys live in form of large groups (known as troops), which include 20 – 100 individual monkeys. Their group gets very shorter while foraging and feeding. They are commonly found in the forests of South America and north plus southern Mexico.
5. Koala
Koala is a part of the list of top 10 animals that live in trees because it is best known for its love of life in the tree tops in eucalyptus trees of Australia. Same like sloths, koalas have very slow metabolism. This is the reason due to which they spent a large amount of time while sleeping; more than 18 hours a day. They have gray or brown fur, opposable thumbs, short limbs, large, rounded ears, and very cute faces.
Being truly arboreal mammals, koalas don’t drink much water because they are dependent on the leaves for maintaining their moisture level. The koalas come down to the ground only when they have to move between trees, where they move extremely slowly.
6. Squirrel
Squirrels have been classified into more than 280 species, based on their colors, appearance, features and lifestyle. Depending upon different species of squirrels, they live in various habitats, including forests, woodlands, urban parks, and gardens. Based on their habitats, they have been categorized into 3 groups: ground squirrels, tree squirrels and flying squirrels.
Their appearance include big eyes, sharp claws, bushy tails, 4 or 5 toes on each paw, long hind legs, and short front legs. Tree squirrels live in nests or dens in trees (known as dreys, made up of leaves, twigs, bark, and moss). Mostly, tree squirrels live alone, however sometimes they share their nests too.
7. Lemur
Lemurs look very similar to other primates, especially monkeys and apes. These wet-nosed primates have large eyes, long and bushy tail, soft fur (gray or reddish-brown), and fox-like face.
Lemurs are well-adapted to adjust in various habitats on Madagascar, which include rainforests, dry deciduous and bamboo forests. A big part of their time is spent in the trees, while resting, sleeping, or feeding. Depending upon their species (out of 111 known species of lemur), they feed on insects, buds, fruits, small birds, leaves, and birds’ eggs.
8. Possum
Possums join the list of top 10 animals that live in trees due to their lifestyle and habitat choice. Their appearance is very distinctive, which includes small, furry body, long tail, marsupial pouch, small beady eyes, sharp nose, and soft, thick fur. They are commonly found in Australia, New Guinea, and America.
Most of the daytime is spent while sleeping in the tree hollows or nests. Since, they live in trees, they eat herbivorous diet including, fruits, insects, leaves, and occasionally small animals. It is found that most possums like the woodland areas nearby streams, ponds, lakes, swamps, or marshes.
9. Toucan
Toucans are among the birds that live in trees. They are resident in the tropical rainforests of Central and South America. Their unique and colorful look includes short and solid bodies, thick neck, curved tail, strong legs, sharp claws, and colorful beaks.
The day of toucans start by having a detailed visit to the fruiting trees in their home area before doing anything else! The diet of toucans has a vast range, including fruits, berries, seeds, insects, tree frog, lizard, fish, and other bird’s eggs! Toucans make their nests in tree holes or hollows, where they lay 2 – 4 white eggs normally.
10. Parrot
Parrots include a big cluster of birds with different colors, shapes, features, and diet. They complete the list of top 10 animals that live in trees by their arboreal nature. Most of the parrots have strong and curved beaks, bright and colorful feathers, small eyes, clawed feet and diurnal nature.
Depending upon different types of parrots, they live in various habitats worldwide, including tropical rainforests, woodlands, and even deserts. Although northern Mexico, Australia, South America and Central America are considered as a home of parrots, a big number of wild parrots live in the warm areas of the Southern Hemisphere.
In compiling this list of the top 10 animals that live in trees, each species was chosen based on its unique adaptations and lifestyle as an arboreal animal. The criteria for selection included their physical traits, such as prehensile tails, strong limbs, or specialized claws that enable them to thrive in a treetop environment. These animals exhibit fascinating behaviors and abilities that are perfectly suited for a life above the ground. Their remarkable adaptations not only allow them to survive but also highlight the diversity and complexity of life in the world’s forests.
