106 THE FAUNA OF 
varied, but among the arboreal forms we may note the 
palm-civets or tree-cats (Paradoxurus) of India and 
West Africa, which have naked feet, a common feature 
in arboreal animals, and the bear-cat (Arctictis) of 
South-East Asia, with a prehensile tail. 
Though not a few of the dog alliance extend into 
wooded country, none can be said to have any special 
adaptation to forest life. 
On the other hand, the bears and their allies, despite 
their total absence from Africa south of the Sahara, 
and their general preference for temperate and upland 
regions, are well represented in the tropics. Thus the 
forests of South-East Asia contain the small black 
Malayan bear (Ursus malayanus), which is essentially 
arboreal and frugivorous in habit. In the forests of 
India the sloth-bear (Melursus ursinus) is common, and 
lives in forest regions, though it is a clumsy climber. 
Of the raccoons, the coatis (Nasua) are found in the 
forests of South and Central America, and the kinkajou 
(Cercoleptes caudivolvulus) of the tropical forests of 
America, a cat-like animal, has as special arboreal 
characters a prehensile tail, naked feet, and strong 
claws. It feeds upon small mammals, birds and their 
eggs, and fruits. The widely distributed weasel family 
has representatives in the tropical forests, but the animals 
do not predominate here as they do in the north, and 
the tropical forms show no special features of interest. 
As a general rule ungulates are not abundant in the 
tropical forests, their bulky bodies not fitting them for 
life amid dense and tangled undergrowth. The deer of 
temperate woods are, however, represented in the 
tropical jungles, though perhaps the majority of the 
tropical Asiatic deer tend to haunt relatively open 
country. In Africa, where deer are absent, some of the 
