In Tropical environments a large variety of fruits, roots and leaves are available. Familiar fruits like bananas, papaya, mangoes and figs are easily recognizable (Papaya is one of the few plants with edible white sap). The large, thorny fruit of the durian, of southeast Asia, smells disgusting, but is good to eat.
Durian Fruit
Palms also provide an edible, growing point and manioc (also known as “cassava”) produces massive tubers, but they must be cooked before eaten.Taro (also known as “colocasia esculenta”), wild potatoes and some kinds of yams may also be available, however, they must be prepared properly to remove all poisons before eating. You may find the wealth of tropical foods very difficult to safely identify. If you’re not sure, use the tests described in the Food: Foraging, section on this site, before you risk eating them.
Animal Foods
Deer, pigs, monkeys, birds and an extremely large range of animals can be hunted and trapped according to their respective locations.
In a primary jungle environment, birds spend a lot of their time in the canopy eating the available fruit and berries. To capture these birds, place traps in clearings and lure them with fruit. However, there are some tropical birds such as the Asian hornbill that also feed on snakes and lizards. When near rivers, traps can be baited with fish or offal for fish eagles and similar species that patrol rivers for their food.
Parrots and related species are common all over the tropics. Their screeching makes their presence easily known starting from early morning going forward. Given the noise they make, they are easily found by predators, so in order to survive they have developed a surprising level of intelligence.
A friend of mine can personally attest to this as he had a cockatoo that belonged to a client of ours obsessed with the shiny taps on his brand new sneakers. While my friend was trying to troubleshoot a network server, the cockatoo observed his shoes from a perch a short distance away, apparently trying to devise a method to obtain one. As I watched, the bird climbed down from his perch, walked over to my friend and attempted to pull off a tap with his massive beak.
The effort surprised my friend who attempted to stand but lost his balance as the cockatoo had too firm a hold on his shoes. His unplanned reaction was to attempt to kick the bird who realized that my friend and the taps were connected. The bird wasn’t injured but appeared to be genuinely surprised as he slowly returned to his perch. My friend informed our client of the event (which the client found amusing) which led to the bird’s chastisement, something he didn’t seem to understand and a warning to my friend to watch for potential future incursions.
Bottom line is that these birds are cunning – you’re going to have to bait the trap several times before you can actually set it off.
Snakes, however, are much easier to catch and are said to be very tasty. I can’t personally vouch for that, but in any case, remember to go for the non-poisonous constrictors. You can catch them using a forked stick.
River Food
Rivers support all kinds of life: fish, plants, animals and insects. If you don’t have any fishing tackle or ability to construct them, small pools can be dammed and then emptied with a bailer. Fish and turtles can be found in surprising numbers living in the mud. Try constructing traps or crushing certain roots and vines to thoroughly confuse the fish.
Fish are easily digested and have good protein content, as well as a good source of helpful oils. Many jungle people depend on them for nourishment, but in warm environments such as the tropics, it spoils quickly. After catching, clean thoroughly, discard the entrails and eat as soon as possible. Do not try to preserve by smoking or drying.
Fish from slow moving waters are likely to be infested with parasites. If you have any doubt, boil it for 20 minutes. In areas where people use the waters as they sanitation system, the fish may carry tapeworms or other human parasites. Also, the water itself could be contaminated with amoebas that cause dysentery. ALWAYS boil the water or use some form of water purification before drinking.
Of course rivers can bring dangers too. For example, Piranha may be found in the Amazon, Orinoco and Paraguay river systems of South America. A similar fish can be found in Myanmar (formerly known as Burma). Electric eels are slow-moving and generally non aggressive, but they can grow to be very large and discharge 500 volts or more.
Believe it or not, Stingrays can also be found in some tropical South American and West African rivers. Beware of crocodiles or alligators, water snakes and take care in handling catfish, which have sharp dorsal fins and spines on their gill covers. There is a version of electric catfish that can also deliver a powerful electrical shock.