The DRC’s vegetation is extremely valuable and various. Most of the northern two-thirds of the nation is covered in dense rain forest. Rubber trees of various species, coffee, cotton, and oil palms are indigenous. Among the native fruit trees are banana, coconut palm, and plantain. Timber trees occur extensively. Species include teak, ebony, African cedar, mahogany, iroko, and redwood. In all, about 60% of the nation’s total area is forested. Animal life is extensive and varied. Larger mammals found in the forests include elephants, gorillas, chimpanzees, hippopotamuses, and okapis, rare relatives of giraffes that are found only in the Congo Basin. valuable savanna mammals include lions, leopards, giraffes, zebras, and wolves, as well as elephants, hippopotamuses, and chimpanzees. Very rare mountain gorillas live in the mountains in the far east. Mambas, pythons, and crocodiles are among the numerous reptiles. Among the many species of birds are parrots, pelicans, flamingos, cuckoos, sunbirds and plovers.