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 Nature
Laos
has rich vegetation, mainly monsoon forest. Monsoon forest
consists of a top canopy of hardwood trees like dipterocarps
that can reach 30m high. The middle canopy consists of smaller
trees such as teak and Asian rosewood. The undergrowth is
bamboo, smaller trees, shrubs and grasses. Tropical palms
and orchids are common, as are a variety of tropical fruit
trees.
Parts
of the Annamite chain are covered with tropical evergreen
forest, where rainfall is highest and in the south, tropical
pine forests can be found.
Laos
has a large number of animal species, including as many as
500 different birds. Reptiles include many snakes, including
king cobras. There are a large number of lizards, from the
small ghekos to 2m long monitor lizards. Mammals include wild
cats, bears, leopards and tigers. There are up to 500 wild
elephants in Laos, although more than twice that number are
in captivity. There are a number of rare species in
Laos which which include rhinos and wild cattle.
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