Discover the Congo Rainforest: Top 6 Amazing Fun Facts You Never Knew!

1. "Apes Only" Club

When the jungle VIPs roll out the red carpet, it's strictly an "apes only" event: The Congo Basin is home to an exclusive club of magnificent species such as the mountain gorilla, bonobo, chimpanzee, and forest elephant, which are found nowhere else in the world.
Source => worldwildlife.org

2. Okapi's Fashion Statement

In a confusing family reunion filled with long necks and identity crises, one creature dares to mismatch stripes and hooves: the okapi! These quirky fashionistas roam the Congo rainforest flaunting their "zebra" stockings. But plot twist: Okapis are actually the giraffe's closest living relative, making them the only other member of the Giraffidae family.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

Did you know the Amazon River has a dramatic height change throughout the year? During the rainy season, it can rise up to 30 feet, turning the surrounding area into a wet wonderland for wildlife. But in the dry season, it drops 100 feet, creating a thrilling hunt for food and water. Discover more about this fascinating phenomenon!

=> Fun Facts about The-Amazon-Rainforest

3. Earth's "Second Lungs"

Breathing easy in the jungle version of Pilates class: the Congo rainforest is Earth's "second lungs" alongside the Amazon, inhaling copious amounts of carbon dioxide and other pollutants to keep global climates in check. This natural Zumba lover boasts over 10,000 plant species, 1,000 types of birds, and 400 mammals, including their very own primate paparazzi with three species of great apes! But as risk-taking reality stars, they face challenges like deforestation, agriculture, and mineral extraction encroaching on their lush green dancefloor.
Source => esa.int

4. Bonobos for Jungle UN

Introducing the bonobo, our peace-loving, egalitarian cousins who would make the perfect candidates for the United Nations of the Jungle: These rare primates, which share 98.7% of their DNA with humans, can only be found in the forests south of the Congo River in the Democratic Republic of Congo, but sadly, due to civil unrest and economic barriers, their populations have likely been declining for the past 30 years and will possibly continue to do so for the next 45 to 55 years.
Source => worldwildlife.org

5. Jaws of the Jungle

Move over, Jaws: there's a new predator in town, and with teeth measuring a whopping seven inches, it's no laughing matter. Hailing from the Congo rainforest rivers and lakes, the Goliath tigerfish is an apex predator capable of stunning and swallowing whole prey, cutting them in half with its impressive bite force.
Source => a-z-animals.com

6. Mother Nature's Hide-and-Seek Win

Imagine Mother Nature playing a game of hide-and-seek and being the ultimate winner: scientists stumbled upon the Congo Basin peatlands in 2017, a massive, carbon-storing wonderland. This natural treasure sprawls across an area larger than England in the northern Republic of Congo and the Democratic Republic of Congo, boasting over 30 billion metric tons of carbon—two-thirds of what's held aboveground by all the trees in the Congo rainforest!
Source => news.mongabay.com