Little-known Rainforest Fauna

Abstract

If ever a Goliath beetle fell from the tree tops to the red sand of the village below, it would stir up quite a bit of surprise among the inhabitants. Chances are it would be their first encounter with the giant beetle. Although the villagers are familiar with the many animals they hunt, they have probably never seen this strikingly marked black and white beetle living only 40 or 50 meters above in the tree tops at the edge of their village. Like many tree-dwelling species, the Goliath beetle is scarcely known to the jungle’s human inhabitants although they regularly hunt and gather in the rainforest. But scientists have even less chance of getting acquainted with such hidden species. It is the visibility of a species which finally determines the knowledge of its occurrence, ecology and sociology. The libraries are full of scientific literature on East African large game — easily observable subjects. But what scientist would risk doing an ecological study on the African linsang (Poiana richardsoni), a viverrid which lives and hunts prey in the uppermost branches of the rainforest canopy?