Understanding the Difference of a Jungle to a Rainforest

Probably you might be one of the few victims of misnomer – misuse of a word in place of a right word with the right meaning, and to tell you, the forest – rainforest misnomer might be one of the most common.

Yes, forest and rainforest are two different terms used interchangeably.  These two might sound the same, but take note, they connote two different meanings. So next time, be reminded of their contrasting explanations so you might not use one that should be the other.

WHAT IS A FOREST ANYWAY?

In the ancient times, the term forest is defined extremely different unto how we understand it today. It was originally a word that means ‘for rest’ which refers to clear areas and woodlands in which kings of Medieval Times like William the Conqueror designated it a royal place for hunting.

Forest, also known as wood or woods is an area with high density of trees. Aside from trees and plants, there are also numerous kinds of living organisms bound in the forest that’s why it is classified to be an ecosystem. Forest is a very broad subject, too broad that even the subcategories under it are used to term just the real ‘forest’. Classification of forest is indeed important to increase our understanding through space and time. It can be classified according to geography, climate, species composition, or dominant vegetation. One of the most typical types of forest is the rainforest. It is just a mere subcategory under the vast subject of forest.

RAINFOREST IN A FOREST?

A rainforest is a classification of a forest defined by the amount of rain it generates.  Rainforest houses varied species from plants to animals. Rainforests are further broken down into two classifications: the temperate rainforest and the tropical rainforest. Temperate rainforest are found in temperate zones or those hot areas in North America, specifically. Tropical rainforests are found on tropical areas near the equator as in the Pacific.

Both forest and rainforest share common responsibilities of providing habitat to species living in the wild. That’s why government and conservation groups all over the world are doing preservation efforts to protect flora and fauna in their natural habitat from human destruction.

Baird’s Tapirs in Costa Rica Rainforest

Baird’s Tapirs are the largest native land mammals in Central America. Tapirs once led to a carefree life up to the early 1990s, they were caught for their meat and skin. But thanks to Corcovado National Park and Santa Rosa National Park, remaining species were conserved and taken care of.

 PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS AND DESCRIPTION

Baird Tapirs are large and solitary animals. They possess great agility not affected by their size; they are able to pass danger on a high speed. Their average length can measure up to six and a half feet. The heaviest can weigh up to 660pounds. Baird Tapirs can live up to 30 years and feed on plants and twigs which characterize them as herbivores. They have a poor vision often compensated by their strong sense of hearing and smell. They are not only capable of walking on land, but can swim and even dive underwater for around thirty seconds. What’s more interesting is that they can walk on river bottoms with their heads above the water.

Adult tapirs have leathery thick skin almost covered with sparse black hair. Their skin is 1-3 centimeter thick. They have a long upper lip which resembles a proboscis of an elephant. This structure helps them in picking leaves and pushing food into their mouths.

DISTINCT BEHAVIORS

It has been noted that Tapirs most likely to defecate on water or on the same place on land, primarily to avoid being trace by predators. They are termed to be crepuscular, meaning they are most active at dawn but they can also be active at night. They are very particular with the kind of leaves and plants they eat.

HABITAT

At present, Tapirs can only be found protected in national parks, unlike before, they can be seen on all kinds of dwelling places in Costa Rica. One of the factors that Tapirs consider in choosing their habitat then is fresh water. They seem to rest near or on water which gives them relief from insects. They are also thought to require water in order to defecate, as mentioned earlier.

Present dwellings of Baird Tapirs include Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, Rincon de la Vieja National Park, and of course, Corcovado National Park.