Animals That Live in Trees: Names, Facts and Examples

Look up in a forest and you will see more than leaves. Sloths hang from branches. Squirrels run along limbs. Owls rest inside hollow trunks. Many animals spend most of their lives high above the ground.

This guide shows which animals live in trees, why they live there and how they stay safe. You will meet mammals, birds, reptiles, frogs and insects from around the world.

Quick Answer

Sloths, koalas, tree kangaroos, gibbons, squirrels, owls and tree frogs all live in trees. Scientists call these animals arboreal animals.

10 Animals That Live on Trees

1. Sloth: hangs upside down and moves slowly.
2. Koala: eats eucalyptus leaves in Australia.
3. Tree kangaroo: a real kangaroo that climbs.
4. Orangutan: the largest mammal that lives mostly in trees.
5. Gibbon: swings from branch to branch by its arms.
6. Kinkajou: grips branches with its tail at night.
7. Squirrel: runs along branches and leaps between trees.
8. Owl: nests in tree holes and hunts at night.
9. Tree frog: sticks to leaves with its toes.
10. Green tree python: wraps its body around branches.

What Are Animals That Live in Trees Called?

They are called arboreal animals. The word comes from the Latin word for tree. Arboreal animals eat, sleep and raise their young in trees. Some almost never touch the ground.

You may also hear the term aerial animals. These animals spend much of their time in the air. Birds, bats and many insects are aerial. Owls and flying squirrels are both. They live in trees and move through the air.

Arboreal and Semi-Arboreal Animals

Not every climber lives in trees full time. Some animals use both the ground and the branches. Scientists call these semi-arboreal.

Type

What it means

Examples

Arboreal

Spends nearly all its life in trees

Sloth, gibbon, tree kangaroo, tree frog

Semi-arboreal

Lives on the ground and in trees

Leopard, squirrel, raccoon, black bear

Occasional climber

Climbs to escape danger or find food

Gray fox, bobcat

The leopard is a good example. It hunts on the ground. Then it drags its prey into a tree to keep it safe from lions and hyenas.

Why Do Animals Live in Trees?

Trees give animals three big things.

• Food. Leaves, fruit, nectar, nuts and insects all grow in the branches.
• Safety. Many hunters cannot climb. High branches keep young animals out of reach.
• Shelter. Hollows, forks and thick leaves offer shade, protection from rain and a place to nest.

Life in trees has risks too. A fall can cause serious harm. Eagles and tree snakes also hunt in the treetops. That is why tree animals have special body features.

How Tree Animals Climb and Balance

Animals in the treetops must cross gaps, keep their balance and avoid a long fall. Their bodies are built for the job.

Gripping Tails

A gripping tail works like an extra hand. Spider monkeys, howler monkeys, kinkajous, opossums and bearcats have one. Many Old World monkeys do not.

Claws and Sticky Toes

Sloths hang from long claws. Silky anteaters climb with curved claws. Tree frogs and geckos have sticky toe pads. Squirrels can turn their ankles backward, so they can run down a trunk head first.

Gliding

Flying squirrels, sugar gliders, greater gliders. olugos have loose skin between their legs that helps them glide. Flying dragons, a lizard from Southeast Asia, glide on skin held out by long ribs. A colugo can glide more than 100 meters. These animals glide. They do not fly.

Swinging

Gibbons swing from branch to branch by their arms. Scientists call this brachiation. Long arms, curved fingers and loose wrists make it easy.

Balance

Tree kangaroos are stout, and they can move their back legs one at a time. Long tails help many animals stay steady on a branch.

Tree Animals by Group

Mammals

Sloths live in Central and South America. They eat leaves and move slowly to save energy.

Koalas live in the eucalyptus forests of eastern Australia. They eat eucalyptus leaves, which are toxic to many other animals. Koalas leave the trees only for short trips.

Tree kangaroos have stronger arms and shorter legs than ground kangaroos. They live in Australia, Papua New Guinea and Indonesia.

Orangutans live in the forests of Borneo and Sumatra. These great apes eat mostly fruit.

Gibbons are small apes that swing through the canopy. The Skywalker gibbon was named in 2017 and lives in China and Myanmar.

Kinkajous are related to raccoons. They live in Central and South America and eat fruit, nectar and insects.

Bearcats, also called binturongs, live in Southeast Asian rainforests. They are not bears or cats. Many people say they smell like buttered popcorn.

Birds

Many birds spend their lives in trees. Owls nest in tree holes and hunt from branches. Woodpeckers cling to trunks with strong feet and stiff tails. Parrots and toucans nest in tree cavities in tropical forests.

Reptiles and Frogs

The emerald tree boa lives in South America and can reach 3 meters long. The green tree python lives in New Guinea and northern Australia.

The rough green snake lives in the southeastern United States. It is harmless to people and eats spiders and insects. The green mamba lives in East Africa. It is highly venomous, but bites on people are rare.

Chameleons and geckos also climb well. Tree frogs grip leaves and bark with sticky toes.

Insects and Spiders

Trees are full of small life. Bark beetles live under the bark of dying trees and dig tunnels as they feed. Ants, caterpillars and tree crickets also live in trees. Spiders build webs among the branches.

Tree Animals by Region

North America

Squirrels, raccoons, black bears, opossums, owls and woodpeckers all use trees here. Raccoons den in tree hollows. Black bears climb to escape danger and to feed. The Virginia opossum is the only marsupial in North America, and it grips with its tail. Gray tree frogs and rough green snakes live in trees too.

Amazon Rainforest and South America

The Amazon canopy is packed with life. Sloths, howler monkeys, spider monkeys and kinkajous live there. So do silky anteaters, emerald tree boas and many tree frogs. Toucans nest in tree cavities. The harpy eagle builds its nest in the tallest trees and hunts sloths and monkeys.

Australia

Australia is home to koalas, sugar gliders, greater gliders and brushtail possums. Lumholtz’s and Bennett’s tree kangaroos live in far north Queensland. Grey-headed flying foxes rest in trees. Each night, they travel 20 to 50 kilometers to find nectar and pollen. Green tree pythons live in the north.

United Kingdom and Europe

The red squirrel is the native squirrel of the UK. The gray squirrel came from North America. Pine martens are fast, agile climbers. Hazel dormice are tiny and nest in woodland. Tawny owls nest in tree holes, and many bats roost under loose bark.

India

The Indian giant squirrel lives in the forests of central and southern India. The lion-tailed macaque lives in the rainforests of the Western Ghats. The hoolock gibbon is India’s only ape and lives in the northeast. Slender lorises hunt insects at night. Red pandas live in the eastern Himalayas. Indian flying foxes roost in large trees and fly out at dusk to eat fruit.

Asia, Africa and Madagascar

Asia has orangutans, gibbons, tarsiers, colugos and flying dragons. Africa has chimpanzees, colobus monkeys, bushbabies, green mambas and leopards. Madagascar has lemurs and the aye-aye, which lives nowhere else.

Small Tree Animals

Not every tree dweller is big. Squirrels, tree frogs, geckos, dormice and sugar gliders are small. So are bark beetles and ants. Small bodies are light, so these animals can use thin branches that larger animals cannot.

Night-Time Tree Animals

Many tree animals are active at night. The dark helps them avoid daytime hunters. Kinkajous, tarsiers, aye-ayes, bushbabies, colugos, sugar gliders and most owls are nocturnal.

Animals With Big Eyes

Big eyes collect more light, so they help animals see in the dark. Tarsiers have some of the largest eyes for their body size of any mammal. Bushbabies and owls also have large eyes. The aye-aye adds big ears and a long, thin finger that taps bark to find grubs.

Forest Layers: Who Lives Where

Forests have layers, and animals stay in the layer that suits them. Rainforests have many more kinds of tree animals than cooler forests. Even so, squirrels, owls, woodpeckers and martens live in cooler woods too.

Layer

What it is

Animals you may find

Emergent layer

The tallest treetops above the forest

Harpy eagle, some bats

Canopy

The thick roof of leaves and branches

Howler monkey, toucan, sloth

Understory

Shaded, lower trees and shrubs

Tree frog, kinkajou, tree snake

Forest floor

Ground level

Animals that climb down to feed

Food, Sleep and Babies

Food. Sloths and koalas eat leaves. Howler monkeys and orangutans eat mostly fruit. Flying foxes drink nectar. The rough green snake eats insects. Leopards and green mambas eat meat.

Sleep. Many animals sleep in tree hollows or nests. Squirrels build leafy nests called dreys. Orangutans and chimpanzees build a fresh sleeping nest each night.

Babies. Koala joeys cling to their mother as she climbs. Tree kangaroo joeys grow in a pouch. Hollows give many birds and mammals a safe place to raise young.

How Trees and Animals Help Each Other

Tree animals do real work for the forest. Monkeys and fruit bats eat fruit and drop the seeds far from the parent tree. New trees can grow there. Flying foxes and some birds carry pollen from flower to flower. Owls and woodpeckers eat insects and keep pests in check.

Trees give back food and homes. Some partnerships are odd. Algae grow in sloth fur, which may help the sloth hide among green leaves. Moths live in the fur too.

Animals on Land, in Water, in Trees and in the Air

Animals can be grouped by their homes. Tree animals live in trees.

Group

Where it lives

Examples

Land

On the ground

Deer, lion, elephant

Water

In rivers, lakes and seas

Fish, whale, turtle

Trees (arboreal)

In trees

Sloth, koala, gibbon

Air (aerial)

Flying through the air

Eagle, bat, dragonfly

Underground

In burrows and tunnels

Rabbit, mole, earthworm

Tree Animals for Class 1 and Preschool

Young children learn best with simple facts. Parents and teachers can use this list for drawing, matching and worksheet activities. Ask children to point to the animal, say its name and tell how it moves.

Animal

What it does in the tree

Monkey

Swings and jumps between branches

Squirrel

Climbs and hides nuts

Bird

Builds a nest in the branches

Owl

Sleeps in the day and hunts at night

Sloth

It hangs upside down and moves at a slow pace.

Koala

Eats leaves and naps

Tree frog

Sticks to leaves with its toes

Snake

Wraps around branches

Tree Animals in Danger

Habitat loss is the biggest threat. Orangutans are losing forest to palm oil farms. Koalas on the ground can be hit by cars or attacked by dogs. When forests split into small patches, animals must cross open ground. Planting the right trees and keeping old trees with hollows can help. A status can change, so check the IUCN Red List for the latest.

Animal

Status

Main threats

Orangutan

Critically endangered

Palm oil farms and logging

Aye-aye

Endangered

Forest loss in Madagascar

Greater glider

Endangered in Australia

Loss of old trees with hollows

Koala

Endangered in parts of eastern Australia

Habitat loss, cars and dogs

Leopard

Vulnerable

Poaching and habitat loss

Tree kangaroos

Many species threatened

Habitat loss and split forests

How to Spot Tree Animals Safely

Many tree animals live close to home. In Australia, possums and flying foxes often visit backyards. In North America and the UK, squirrels, owls and woodpeckers are common. Try these tips.

• Look up. Scan branches, forks and tree holes.
• Go early in the morning or near dusk.
• Stay quiet and pace.
• Use binoculars to keep your distance.
• Look for clues such as nests, scratch marks and chewed nuts.
• Never feed wild animals or disturb nests.
• Call a local wildlife rescue group if you find an injured animal.

Fun Facts and Myths

• Flying squirrels do not fly. They glide.
• The colugo is known as a flying lemur, but it is not a true lemur.
• Sloths are not lazy. Their bodies use little energy, so they move at a slow pace.
• Tree kangaroos are real kangaroos that learned to climb.
• Bearcats are neither bears nor cats.
• The Skywalker gibbon was named by scientists who love Star Wars.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

Animals that live in trees are found all over the world. They include mammals, birds, reptiles, frogs, and insects. Each animal has special features that help it live in trees. Such as sharp claws, strong tails, or skin that helps it glide.

Some live in rainforests, while others live in trees in your backyard. Protecting trees helps keep these animals safe. Next time you pass a tree, look up. You might spot an animal living there!