Rainforests – Wild Republic (2024)

• Emergent

  Emergent is the uppermost layer. Lofty trees as tall as 200 feet (60M) grow to this level and spread out at the sunny tree-top. But they lack branches and foliage at levels below. Waxy leaves help them retain water. Their seeds are light and get carried by strong winds over long distances to extend the forest’s area.

• Canopy

  Canopy is the layer below Emergent. It is a broad layer of greenery and dense foliage and shields layers further below from sun, wind and rain. Thus layers below canopy tend to be dark and humid. Seeds of trees at canopy layer occur inside fruits which are eaten by birds who disperse them in their dung in areas they fly over and help extend the forest. Fig is a well known fruit of this layer.

• Understory

  Understory is the next lower level, and it is more leafy, stagnant and humid than canopy level. Palms, orchids and climbers grow here. They have large leaves to absorb sparse sunlight that filters through. These plants tend to have large, fragrant flowers that attract insects to pollinate and propagate them. Most fruits, berries and seeds one finds in this level are edible.

• Forest Floor

  Forest Floor is the lowermost layer in the rainforest. It is pitch dark here and is least suitable for plant-growth. Leaves fall and rot here and organisms in the soil expedite the rotting process. The mulch that results is a good fertiliser and helps plants and trees in this layer to grow.

There are more than 6,000 species of trees in the Amazon Basin. Many of them are enormous and some are quite strange!

The Kapok tree is an incredibly tall (200 feet – 60 M) giant with a girth of 30 feet (10M). Trees in rainforests try to outgrow one another to grab the sunlight they all need to grow. Strangely Kapok’s foul-smelling but lovely-looking pink-white flower attracts bats which eat its nectar and later pollinate other flowers as they go elsewhere to eat. Forest wellers use the tree’s sap, bark and leaves to treat a wide range of minor and major illnesses. It is but natural that locals look upon Kapok as sacred. The Mayans believed that souls of the dead ascended to the next world through the trees’ lofty branches!

Brazil Nut is another well-known tree of the forest! It is also the name of its edible seed. This tree is not only another giant of the forest but lives one of the longest lives in the forest!

Usually found in large, noisy groups high up on trees in emergent layer, the macaw’s bright colours and loud calls make them noticeable. They eat fruits, nuts and seeds. They gather on cliff-faces to scratch out and eat clay to rid their body of toxic stuff from sees and nuts they eat.

With an unusually big and colorful bill, it is a big bird! Though over 25 inches( 64cm ) long, almost half of it is from the bill. Locals believe the bird is sacred and see them as Passover spirits that take us from this living world to the next.

Also known as the Orange-winged Amazon, it is almost green and over a foot (33 cm) long. It has some blue and yellow feathers on its head and orange ones on its wing and tail. Which are more noticeable when they are flying. They are noisy, gather on palm and other trees and nest in tree cavities.

Also called hyacinth macaw, it is a parrot found in central and eastern South America. About a meter long, it is larger than other macaws and has a powerful bite; so be careful if you happen to be near one! But, don’t worry, they are easy-going and known as gentle giants! They eat fruits, seeds and greens like other macaws as well as snails, roaches and grasshoppers.

A big parrot with a white face, black patch at the throat, blue upper body, yellow underside and long pointed tail. You can find them in twos building nests in tree cavities at the canopy layer. They may be in bigger groups when they visit clay licks or to eat at fruit trees.

Wattle is the colored fleshy part that hangs from the head or neck of some birds. On this bellbird, it hangs down from near the bill and seems like the stems of a plant. The male has a shiny white head and breasts, and a dark reddish-brown body and feathers. It sings loud, clear, bell-like notes that add an interesting dimension to the forest’s cacophony.

Females look different and have dull olive-colored upper bodies with a yellow underside. It is fairly large-sized and plump and has a small round head and plain face. Found usually at canopy level, they are easy to locate when singing.

The Quetzal bird is the national emblem of Guatemala and to currency of the nation is also named after it! It is a splendid bird with a shimmering green or golden-green wing and back, chest and head, and a red belly. Aztec and Mayan cultures used Quetzal tail feathers as symbols of wealth and as currency. Only about 50,000 of them are believed to be surviving now.

Male collared trogon is Kenya’s national bird and its colours are used on their national flag! Trogon is Greek for “nibbling” and these birds may have got their name as they gnaw holes in trees to make nests! Collared trogons perch between the upper understory and lower canopy levels. They often sing singly or in pairs. Small groups gather in some seasons.

Lives in tropical South America and part of the Caribbean. Its brilliant scarlet color makes it unmistakable. Trinidad and Tobago treat it as their national bird and feature it on their coat of arms. The brilliant red color comes from the carotene in crustaceans (crabs, lobsters, etc.) that it eats, and, if their diet does not contain enough pigment, they may appear pinkish.

This is a medium-sized, noisy bird that utters several types of jarring calls. Sexes look similar, but males have a red mustache! Their diet comprises fruits, berries, ants and termites. It usually forages from lower to upper levels in the sub-canopy.

An elegant, glossy bird with a long bill and tail, short legs and feet with two forward-pointing and two backward-pointing toes. There are only minor sex-based variances in plumage. They live in low-altitude woodlands at canopy level at forest edges. They eat insects (some preferring butterflies and moths). They sit on perches and dart towards prey that come close.

The Harpy Eagle is the largest bird of prey in the Amazon rainforest and one of the biggest eagles. There is adequate population of this majestic bird in Peruvian rainforests. And yet, they are difficult to spot, as they reside high up in the Emergent layer of the forest. They annoy farmers by eating crops like cocoa. It is captured for the pet trade because of its good speech capability, capacity to develop a large vocabulary, whistle, and mimic house sounds. It has a life of about 50 years.

A large night bird of prey, named so because of white feathers around its eyes. It has a vibrant call and a cat-like cry. They range in pairs over large areas looking for small rodents, sleeping birds, or reptiles. Most hunting is at the understory layer of the forest, where it can remain unseen for a long time. Nests are located in large tree cavities.

Lives in rainforests of Central and South America. They can sit upright and stand erect. They have large brains for their body size and are clever. They can make about 30 types of noisy calls. They are color-blind to red and green. They are small and use their tail to grasp and balance as they move about at the canopy level of rainforests. They eat fruit, nuts and insects and get water from food and water-filled tree-holes. Squirrel monkeys live in large social clans led by an old male. They face deforestation-based habitat loss and capture for pet trade.

These woolly monkeys live in at canopy layer – usually on tall trees – in South America. They are larger than many tree-dwelling primates. They use their thick long tail to grasp and all four legs to walk, run, and climb. Male woolly monkeys are bigger than females and have bigger canines. They prefer fruits high in sugar and water and also eat non-vegetarian food. When fruits become scarce, they eat more leaves and insects. Females nursing babies also eat more leaves for their protein as it helps produce more milk. Woolly monkeys are categorized as vulnerable. Humans building new highways through parts of the Amazon is a big threat to them.

Live at the canopy level of forests of Central and South America. They are small and intelligent. Their primary foods are fruit and insects and they forage to all levels down to the ground. Capuchin monkeys are often seen with raised eyebrows and a toothy grin. But it is not a show of glee, but of anxiety, uncertainty, or fear! They have a high strength-to-weight ratio and can do things you may not think possible. They are smart and make the best use of their strength and agility. These monkeys are critically endangered. Deforestation for agriculture has led to the loss of their habitat and badly fragmented the few that remain.

Four-Eyed Opossum has white to cream-coloured spots above each eye that make them look four-eyed! There are 7 species of 4-eyed opossums – more-or-less same-sized. Their tails are longer than the head and body. They are night creatures that live on the ground. They are solitary and eat fruits, birds, reptiles, amphibians, insects, and so on. Females have five to nine teats in a well-developed pouch similar to kangaroos. Litter sizes vary from two to seven, and grey four-eyed opossum has at least two litters a year.

Three Toed Sloth are tree-living mammals about the size of a small dog. Their front and hind feet have three curved claws that let them hook onto branches and hang upside-down. They can rotate their heads 90 degrees, and their mouths are so-shaped to give them an always smiling look. Long claws make walking on land difficult, but they can swim three times faster. Turtles are slightly faster than sloths. They are color blind, can see only poorly in dim light, and are completely blind in bright light. They smell like the rainforest and it is a great way to hide from predators that how a keen sense of smell. They are vegetarian and get hydration from the leaves and fruits they eat.

This fur ball lives in parts of South, Central, and North America. It is related to the raccoon and like its cousin, this mammal is the size of a large house cat, has a ringed tail, and hangs out in trees. Unlike nocturnal raccoons that are active at night, coati sleep at night. They build twig-and-leaf nests on branches for their babies. When coatis sleep, they tuck their noses into their belly. They use their long, flexible noses to probe gaps in rocks and search under piles of leaves for food. Coatis eat insects, fruit, rodents, lizards, and small snakes. They click, grunt, whistle, and bark as they forage for food. The creature’s scientific name ‘Nasua’ comes from the Latin word for ‘nose’.