Almost all of us might have read about the low land forests at one point of time or the other. If you haven't heard about it, then you might have a question; what is a low land. Low land usually refers to any stretch of land which is lying at a low level. These are mostly warm and turbid. The lowland forests are known to be the complex and the dense forests which are rich with various species of plants and animals. The low land forests are of a great value for their wildlife conservation and the scientific reasons. The tropical low land forests have no seasonal shortage in water and the climate in the tropical lowland forests is always humid and warm. The trees in the low land forests are of three layers. The 1st layer towers in between 30-40 meters with some giant trees even reaching the height of 60 meters. The 2nd layer ranges in between 23 - 30 meters and the lower layer is mostly comprised of small trees as well some herbs.
There are about 2000 species of trees and plants which can be found in the lowland forests. One can also find various species of animals as well as birds and insects some of which are endangered. Some of these animals are also endemic and few are yet to be founded and studied by the scientists. One such endangered animal which is found in the lowland tropical forests is the lowland streaked tenrec or the Hemicentetes semispinosus as it is scientifically called. This is a very small tenrec which is found in the forests of Madagascar, Africa. These are mostly found in the tropical lowland of the northern and the eastern parts of Madagascar.
The lowland streaked tenrec is a very small animal which has a long snout and limbs with a vestigial tail. These are Pelage black and have yellow stripes and some quills scattered. They weight about 7 ounces and are about 4.8 to 6.5 inches in length. The lowland streaked tenrecs are known to be very active in both day and night and they mostly feed on insects and earth worms. They make long and shallow burrows for their shelter which are mostly seen to be occupied by the tenrec family groups.
There are various other species which are found in the low land forests. Some of the flowering species found in these tropical forests includes Dalbergia, Diospyros, Ocotea, Symphonia, and Tambourissa. Emergents of Canarium, Albizia, as well as Brochoneura acuminate can also be found in this forest. They also have rich species of bamboo and orchids.
Most of these lowland tropical forests are preserved better than the other forests as these are placed away from the population density. There is still a threat to these forests from the timber thefts and also with the increasing thefts of some of the rare species of birds, insects and animals which are found here. It is estimated that only one third of the complete low land forests are now intact and most of these are protected as national parks and reserves.